WHICH FISH AND HOW MUCH?
Portion
guide
(Estimates of servings for a 130 lb. woman)
VERY HIGH MERCURY
Swordfish
More than 0.5 Parts per million
Eat Rarely
Bluefin tuna
Tilefish (Gulf of Mexico)
King Mackerel
HIGH MERCURY
Between 0.25 and 0.5 ppm
About 2 times per month Chilean Sea Bass
Yellowfin Tuna
Albacore Tuna (solid white)
Shark
Bigeye Tuna
Bluefish
Grouper
Wild Striped Bass
MEDIUM MERCURY
Between 0.1 and 0.25 ppm
Up to once per week
Pacific Cod
Mahi-Mahi
Ocean Perch
1 serving = 4 to 6 oz.
This is roughly the size
and thickness of the palm
of your hand.
About 2 servings per
week (8-12 oz.) of a fish
that is low in mercury
meets the U.S. Dietary
Guidelines, American
Heart Association and
Environmental
Protection Agency/Food
and Drug Administration
advice for fish
consumption.
The “at risk”
groups:
Halibut
Skipjack Tuna
(chunk light)
Lobster
Snappers
Arctic Char
LOW MERCURY
Sardines*
Less than 0.1 ppm
2-3 times per week
*Good source of Omega-3 fatty acids
Anchovies*
Trout* (farmed)
Tilapia
Flounder
Squid
Herring*
Salmon*
Catfish (farmed)
Mussels*
Atlantic Mackerel*
Scallops
Clams
Sole
Shrimp
Pollock
Oysters*
Karimi et al., 2012, Environmental Health Perspectives, A quantitative synthesis of mercury in commercial seafood and implications for exposure in the U.S.
Pregnant or
breastfeeding women
and young children
should eat ONLY low
mercury fish.
For children under 12:
Estimate about 1 oz. per
20 lbs. of body weight
for a child who is not
overweight. For example:
a 40 pound child could
eat a 2 ounce serving.
Graphic by John Blanchard, 2015