Staff Writer, Scripps Howard News Service
Published February 5, 2004
Fish are an excellent source of protein, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, which help prevent heart disease. But elevated levels of mercury, PCBs, dioxin, pesticides and flame-retardants have been found in some species of fish, making it difficult for consumers to know what's safe and what's not.
Deciding which fish are safe to eat is especially important to pregnant women because some contaminants accumulate in the human body over time and can affect the developing fetus.<.p>
Here's what some experts advise pregnant women and women who plan to have children:
Fish OK to eat 2-3 meals per week, assuming each meal is about 8 ounces - Farmed catfish, farmed trout (rainbow), anchovies, clams, Mid-Atlantic blue crab, fish sticks (usually made from Pacific pollock), flounder (Pacific and Atlantic), wild Pacific salmon, wild Alaskan salmon, canned Alaskan salmon.
Fish OK to eat 1 meal per week - Pacific cod, Atlantic cod, crab (Dungeness, blue, Stone), king crab, imitation crab, haddock, hake (Pacific and Atlantic), herring, mahi mahi, mussels, oysters, Pacific pollock, pompano, sardines, scallops, tilapia (farmed in the U.S.), canned chunk light tuna.
Fish OK to 1 meal per month - Bluefish, crab (Gulf Coast blue), grouper, Pacific and Atlantic halibut (Alaskan halibut can be eaten more frequently), lobster, Atlantic pollock, rockfish, tuna steaks.
Do not eat: King mackerel, orange roughy, shark, red snapper, swordfish, tilefish (sometimes sold as "white snapper" or "golden snapper"), canned white albacore tuna.
Canned white albacore tuna is on average three times higher in mercury than canned chunk light tuna. To more precisely gauge how much canned tuna it's safe for you to eat based on your weight, try the tuna calculator at
www.ewg.org/issues/mercury/20031209/calculator.php.
Missing fish: Shrimp, the most popularly consumed seafood in the United States, are generally low in mercury, but data on other contaminants are lacking. For advice on locally caught freshwater fish, check with your state health department, environmental protection agency, or fish and game commission.
This advice is based on an average-sized woman who is pregnant or plans to have children. Men and some women may eat more fish; children should generally eat smaller servings.
