Fish That Contain Mercury

Fda recommends eating 8 12 ounces of fish low in mercury per week.

Fish that contain mercury.

Fish are important in a healthy diet. However some fish may contain mercury or other harmful chemicals at sufficiently high levels to be a concern. Federal state and local governments issue fish consumption advisories when fish are unsafe to eat. Fish is one of the healthiest foods you can eat.

The table is sorted by mercury concentration mean ppm from fish with lowest levels of mercury to highest levels of mercury. You may also sort the table by species in alphabetical order. And even though most freshwater and saltwater fish are generally considered safe to eat there are some saltwater fish that contain varying levels of contaminants like mercury pcbs and dioxins which they acquire from the water they live in and from the food they eat. That is why pregnant and nursing mothers must be very careful about the amounts and types of fish they eat.

Remember the younger and smaller the fish the safer since the amount of mercury increases every time a larger fish eats a small fish. Fish contain vital nutrients including omega 3 fatty acids protein vitamins and minerals such as iron. Most of these fish low in mercury species live on the sea floor and their flesh is white. That makes it best to avoid eating large fish such as shark swordfish tilefish and king mackerel.

These figures are measured in micrograms of mercury per 4 ounces of. That s because it s a great source of protein micronutrients and healthy fats. All fish contain trace amounts of mercury. Some fish however contain high amounts of mercury enough to damage a fetus or newborn.

They are a lean low calorie source of protein. Whitefish is a fishery term that refers to multiple fish species like cod whiting and caspian kutum. Fish and shellfish concentrate mercury in their bodies often in the form of methylmercury a highly toxic organic compound of mercury. Seafood prepared from white fish is rich in proteins fats sodium potassium vitamins selenium magnesium and calcium.

For most people the small amounts in fish do not pose a health problem. However some types of fish can contain high levels of mercury. As small fish are eaten by larger fish up the food chain concentrations of mercury and pops increase so that large predatory deep ocean fish tend to contain the highest levels.