Several things led up to this week's story on fish. Overfishing is an issue that has become inextricably linked to any discussion of seafood. Nobody wants to put his favorite fish on the endangered species list but purveyors and restaurants do want to give the people what they like. Omega-3 fatty acids, which I wrote about recently because egg producers have begun to sell omega-3-enhanced eggs, have really come to prominence over the past year, prompting many pundits to recommend salmon (a good source) more than ever. And though a firestorm has been brewing for years over Bush's environmental policies, it's only recently that the public has begun to make firm connections between the administration's policies and their allies (read: campaign donors) in the energy industry. In the past few weeks, we've seen an increase in the number of news stories covering Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force fiasco. Scientists worldwide have criticized the administrations mishandling of science and specifically their attempts to play down the established link between coal-burning power plants and dangerous levels of mercury in the nation's fish. Which brings us to the dilemma: Is fish the new wonder food or will it slowly kill us all?
