Report finds dangerous mercury levels, highlights mislabeling in shark meat sold in EU

Shark meat sold across Europe may be serving up more than seafood. Dangerously high levels of methylmercury, toxic to humans, were present in nearly a third of shark meat samples taken from European restaurants, fishmongers and supermarkets, according to a new report by a group of marine conservation NGOs. The findings suggest that Europeans are routinely consuming shark meat that would fail food safety tests if it were monitored more closely. All tope shark (Galeorhinus galeus) samples and 22.7% of blue shark (Prionace glauca) samples analyzed exceeded safe levels, some by more than four times the maximum permitted in shark meat for human consumption under EU rules. Average mercury across all samples analyzed was less than a 10th of a milligram per kilogram below the maximum permitted, ac