Fish For Your Health

                                      

Pregnant or nursing women who eat fish that is high in omega-3 fatty acids will pass these nutrients to their babies and support healthy brain and eye development.

How Much Fish to Eat?

Health experts recommend that women eat 8-12 ounces per week and children (ages 2-6) eat 2 ounces per week. Three ounces of fish is about the size of a deck of cards.

Best Choices (Lowest in Mercury and Highest in Fats)

Eating as little as 6 ounces per week of these fish provides the recommended amount of healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
anchovy, herring, mackerel (Atlantic, jack, chub), rainbow trout (farm raised), salmon (wild or farm raised), sardine, shad (American), whitefish.

Excessive mercury can pass through the placenta or mother's milk and harm your baby.  Do not eat fish from the high mercury category.  If you eat 4 ounces from the moderate category, don't eat any more fish from this category until the next week.

Lowest Mercury Contamination (12 ounces per week)

catfish (farm raised), clam, cod, crab, flatfish (flounder, plaice, sole), haddock, herring, mackerel (Atlantic, jack, chub), mullet, oyseter (cooked), pollock, rainbow trout (farm raised), salmon (wild or farm raised), sardine, scallop, shrimp, squid, tilapia, tuna (canned Skipjack or Light), whitefish. 

Moderate Mercury Contamination (4 ounces per week)

bass (saltwater, black), buffalo fish, carp, grouper, halibut, lobster (northern, Maine, Atlantic), mahi mahi (Dolphin-fish), perch (freshwater), Pompano (Florida), sablefish, sea trout (weakfish), snapper, Spanish mackerel (S. Atlantic), tilefish (Atlantic), tuna (canned Albacore, Yellowfin, or White), white croaker (Pacific).

High Mercury/PCB Contamination (Do Not Eat)

bass (striped), bluefish, Chilean sea bass, golden snapper, jack (Amberjack, Crevalle), king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, sea lamprey, shark, Spanish mackerel (Gulf of Mexico), swordfish, tilefish (Gulf of Mexico), tuna (all fresh or frozen), walleye (Great Lakes)

Before Eating Fish that You Catch

Do Not Eat Raw Fish

When pregnant, avoid eating raw oysters, raw fish (sushi) or refrigerated smoked fish.  Do not feed raw fish to infants or children.