"Shark meat is toxic and should not be consumed." This is the clear message of a new study published on 15 October 2025 by the organisations ElasmOcean, Gallifrey (Switzerland) and Stop Finning Deutschland.
For years, the scientific community has warned against the consumption of shark meat. For this new, confirmatory study, we purchased 44 blue shark (Prionace glauca) and 7 smooth-hound (Mustelus spp.) samples from standard retail outlets across Europe and had them analysed for methylmercury contamination.
The results are unequivocal. Only around 20% of the samples registered between 0.22 and 0.5 milligrams of methylmercury per kilogram of shark meat. 57% fell between 0.5 and 1.00 mg/kg, which is the maximum limit set by the EU. Alarmingly, nearly 23% of the samples exceeded this limit—some by up to more than four times the threshold.
Toxicologists consider the EU limit of 1.00 mg of methylmercury per kilogram of meat to be set far too high. Methylmercury accumulates in the body with repeated consumption over time. Even the smallest quantities of this neurotoxin are highly toxic and do not only significantly increase the risk of cancer: methylmercury primarily affects the brain (particularly in children and adolescents) and is strongly suspected of triggering Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
To put it plainly: anyone who chooses to consume "exotic" blue shark steak is playing Russian roulette with their health.
Source:
ElasmOcean e.V. (Germany), Gallifrey Foundation (Switzerland), Stop Finning Deutschland e.V.: Poisonous Metal, methylmercury in shark tissue samples from the European market, 2025; https://elasmocean.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2025_10_Poisonous-Metal_Study_ElasmOcean_Gallifrey_StopFinning.pdf
