|
Fish facts...
Eating fish for health
The pollution of our rivers, lakes and oceans is catching up with us.
Fish are ingesting these toxic pollutants, resulting in rising rates of liver
and other cancers in fish and threatening our food supply. Use the following
charts to help guide your fish consumption decisions.
The chart below shows which fish can be eaten twice weekly or daily without
exceeding the World Health Organization's (WHO) upper limit for mercury
consumption. Two body weights are shown, a 154-pound person on the left and a
110-pound person on the right. You can also visit the mercury calculator at
gotmercury.org to determine what you can safely eat based on your weight and the
type of seafood you eat.
| |
Fish |
Avg. mercury content |
|
154-pound |
(3-oz. serving) |
(Parts per |
110-pound |
|
person |
|
million) |
person |
| |
Tilefish (gulf) |
1.45 |
| |
Shark |
0.99 |
| |
Swordfish |
0.97 |
| |
Mackerel (king gulf) |
0.73 |
| |
Grouper |
0.55 |
| Safe
to eat |
Orange roughy |
0.54 |
| twice
a |
Marlin |
0.49 |
| week |
Tuna
(fresh) |
0.38 |
Safe
to eat |
| |
Tuna
(canned |
|
twice
a |
| |
albacore) |
0.35 |
week |
| |
Bluefish |
0.31 |
| |
Croaker (Pacific) |
0.29 |
| |
Bass
(saltwater) |
0.27 |
| |
Halibut |
0.26 |
| |
Sable |
0.22 |
| Safe
to eat |
Snapper |
0.19 |
| daily |
Monkfish |
0.18 |
| |
Mackerel (Spanish |
| |
south Atlantic) |
0.18 |
| |
Tilefish (Atlantic) |
0.15 |
| |
Perch (freshwater) |
0.14 |
Safe
to eat |
| |
Tuna
(canned, light) |
0.12 |
daily |
| |
Cod |
0.11 |
| |
Mackerel (Pacific) |
0.09 |
| |
Whitefish |
0.07 |
| |
Shad |
0.07 |
| |
Squid |
0.07 |
| |
Pollock |
0.06 |
| |
Mackerel (North |
| |
Atlantic) |
0.05 |
| |
Flounder/sole |
0.05 |
| |
Croaker (Atlantic) |
0.05 |
| |
Catfish |
0.05 |
| |
Mullet |
0.05 |
| |
Herring |
0.04 |
| |
Trout (freshwater) |
0.03 |
| |
Haddock (freshwater) |
0.03 |
| |
Sardine |
0.02 |
| |
Tilapia |
0.01 |
| |
Salmon (fresh) |
0.01 |
| |
Ocean perch |
ND* |
| |
Whiting |
ND* |
*Mercury not detected.
Heavier people can tolerate more mercury; WHO's upper limit for methylmercury is
1.6 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per week.
Top 10 choices
The best fish to eat contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids and low levels
of mercury. Here are a nutrition scientist's top 10 choices:
| 1. Salmon |
| 2. Herring |
| 3. Sardine |
| 4. Shad |
| 5. Trout
(freshwater) |
| 6. Mackerel
(North Atlantic) |
| 7. Whitefish |
| 8. Mackerel
(Pacific) |
| 9. Flounder/sole |
| 10. Pollock |
Source: Cathy Levenson, Florida State University, from her article with Donald
Axelrad in Nutrition News, March 2006.
| 
