Does Anyone Know --Is Champion Testing Fish Sources?

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

I debated with myself before posting this discussion because the contamination of fish and plankton on the west coast and the upper Northwest by Fukushima is surrounded by such a storm of confusing controversy but I'm curious about the wild-caught Pacific fish in both Origen and Acana.  Since a lot of us use and love that food, I'm wondering if anyone has been in contact with Champion directly? I'd really like to be reassured that Champion is testing its fish food sources - ideally through a credible 3rd party.

Just to be clear, I'm not buying into the theories at either end of the spectrum: (1) everything is fine, there's no problem; less radiation than you'd get in a banana crowd or the (2) the food chain is  completely contaminated and we're all going to die crowd.  I do admit that some evidence and common sense are giving me pause before paying a premium price for these foods because I believe the food sources are safe, but I don't really know.  I just want to know, are they monitoring possible contamination levels of cesium and/or strontium-90 in their foods, which I think is all one can ask right now?   

 http://sfist.com/2013/12/30/is_there_a_lot_to_fear_with_fukushi.php

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here is a link to the Champion website page that may put your mind at rest. Look specifically in the "What" section under "fresh fish" and under the "Quality Assurance" section:

http://www.orijen.ca/faq/

The page also has a contact phone number for any other questions you might have about this. 

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Thank you Karen! But it doesn't say anything about cesium or strontium-90 --just that it  adheres ti the government guidelines for "safe for human consumption."  One of the biggest criticisms is that neither the US or Canadian governments are seriously monitoring --at least at this point --for humans, let alone animals. Might the concentrate be different?  I was going to call next week, but It looks like F is going to call (below)!  That's great!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Cheryl, I had some trouble understanding who it providing the information in the link you provided, and what their sources are for the information. Not questioning it, but I would like to see some verification or at least some credible information on the radiation issue rather than someone's opinions. 

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Understood. Me too. I believe it was the senior scientist at Woods Hole In MA. That's the problem…there is no centralized ongoing testing so we're left with "expert opinions"  and individual reports of radiation contamination/no contamination --but nothing conclusive. Here's the best I've seen regarding a study from the National Academy of Sciences...

According to the report published by the National Academy of Sciences, “We report unequivocal evidence that Pacific Bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis, transported Fukushima-derived radionuclides across the entire North Pacific Ocean.”

“We were frankly kind of startled,” said Nicholas Fisher, one of the researchers reporting the findings online Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“That’s a big ocean. To swim across it and still retain these radionuclides is pretty amazing,” Fisher said.

To rule out the possibility the radiation found in the tuna was carried by ocean currents or dropped into the ocean through rainfall from the atmosphere, the team also analyzed Yellowfin tuna, found in the eastern Pacific, and Bluefin that migrated to Southern California before the nuclear crisis. They found no trace of cesium-134 and only background levels of cesium-137 left over from nuclear weapons testing in the 1960s.

The report went on to say: “The levels of radioactive cesium were 10 times higher than the amount measured in tuna off the California coast in previous years. But even so, that’s still far below safe-to-eat limits set by the U.S. and Japanese governments.”

The results were surprising enough to conduct further tests this coming summer with a larger sampling of migratory fish. The tuna that were the subject of the previous study were exposed to radiation from Fukushima for approximately one month. The upcoming study will be looking at fish that have been swimming in radioactive waters for a longer period.

They will also be expanding their study to cover other migratory species including sea turtles, sharks and seabirds.

There have been many other reports of fish and sea-creature populations dying in the Pacific. Also, there have been many discoveries of cesium–137 in high concentrations in seafood caught in the Pacific and sold in North America. There have also been many reports of unexplained deaths among wildlife:

• Vast amounts of sea stars are “melting” off the west coast of North America

• Killer whales are dying off the coast of British Columbia

• There is an epidemic of sea lion deaths due to starvation along the California coastline. The question is: why are they starving? Has the food chain been disrupted?

• Polar bears, seals and walruses along the Alaska coastline are suffering from fur loss and open sores

• Along the Pacific coast of Canada and the Alaska coastline, the population of sockeye salmon is at a historic low

• Something is causing fish all along the west coast of Canada to bleed from their gills, bellies and eyeballs

• Experts have found very high levels of cesium–137 in plankton living in the waters of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and the west coast, affecting the food chain in a process called “biomagnification”

As of now, there has been no direct correlation between these events and Fukushima, but the timing of the events and some contributing factors are giving scientists pause and are giving substance for calls for more studies.

WND Health, 12/30/2013

Another link,mostly dealing with levels of radiation:

http://www.globalresearch.ca/what-is-the-actual-risk-for-pacific-co...

[F, Calla & Luca]

Oh no!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Could not all of these oil spills account for some of this? The fur on the polar bears and seals, at least? 

Regarding marine animals dying of starvation, one of my great concerns is all of these "krill oil" products. I think we are doing a lot to deplete their food sources ourselves. 

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Both good points!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Yup, there are so many factors.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Looks like they are screening for a number of causes for the bleeding seals but the scientists from the University of Alaska are leaning towards radiation poisoning. Sad, whatever it is.

Update: Alaskan Marine Science Symposium

http://enenews.com/scientists-link-unusual-alaska-seal-deaths-fukus...

[F, Calla & Luca]

Very sad.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I don't use Acana Pacifica but I guess, and could look at my stockpile of bags, that some of the other grain free has fish. I am going to call Mon. Because I would hope they might reconsider frequent buyer discounts for online purchases. I will ask about the radioactive issue too since I didn't see it on FAQ.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't know about all of the Acana formulas, but all of the Orijen formulas do contain a good amount of fish.