Methylmercury biomagnifies especially in the aquatic food chain, making the human population and wildlife with a high intake of fish and seafood particularly vulnerable.

Globally, the trend has been one of “fishing down the food web”; having removed the larger fish at the top of various food chains, fisheries are moving down the food chain, targeting ever smaller finfish and invertebrates, and simplifying marine ecosystems ([3]) In May 2003, a study published in the journal Nature showed, among other things, that: worldwide, the biomass of large predatory fish populations with high commercial value, such as tuna and cod, is now only 10% of pre-industrial fishing levels; industrialized fisheries typically reduce the biomass of fish communities by 80% within 15 years; local extinctions can go unnoticed ...[+++]even when closely monitored; and there is little empirical information available from the open oceans ([4])

22. Notes that information on the sentience of fish has gradually accumulated over recent years and notes that the common fisheries policy includes a strategy for the sustainable development of European aquaculture, highlighting the need to improve the welfare of farmed fish; welcomes the Council of Europe recommendations on the treatment of farmed fish, and looks forward to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) welfare guidelines for farmed fish; expresses concern over the impact of international trade in ornamental fish, which can lead to over-harvesting of popular species, damage to fragile coral reef environments through the use of the non-selective technique of sodium cyanide to capture fish and high degrees of mortality of ...[+++]fish associated with insensitive shipping and poor farming practices along the supply chain; considers that, if managed properly, the aquarium industry could support long-term conservation and sustainable use of coral reefs; therefore urges the Commission to consider what steps can be taken to reduce these problems;

The main source of exposure in developed countries is through inhaling mercury vapour from dental amalgam (this will be studied in more detail, see above); furthermore, methyl mercury (its most toxic form) collects especially in the aquatic food chain (fish, seafood, etc.).

Globally, the trend has been one of “fishing down the food web”; having removed the larger fish (predator species) at the top of various food chains, fisheries are moving down the food chain, targeting ever smaller fish and invertebrates, and simplifying marine ecosystems.

He is quoted as saying, " The fish and the oil from the fish meal in feed," that is, feed for the live fish, " serves not only to produce high energy feeds with good growth performance and qualities but also acts as a pipeline for contaminants into the human food chain" .