Advice about Eating Fish | FDA

Advice about Eating Fish | FDA
Skip to FDA Search
Skip to in this section menu
Skip to footer links
Food
Resources for You (Food)
Consumers
Advice about Eating Fish
Consumers
In this section
FDA and EPA have issued
advice regarding eating fish
This advice can help those who might become or are pregnant or breastfeeding as well as parents and caregivers who are feeding children make informed choices when it comes to the types of fish that are nutritious and safe to eat. This advice supports the recommendations of the
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
The advice features a
chart
that makes it easy to choose dozens of healthy and safe options and includes information about the nutritional value of fish. A set of
frequently asked questions & answers
provides more information on how to use the chart and additional tips for eating fish.
This advice refers to fish and shellfish collectively as “fish.”
Read the full advice below or
download in PDF
This chart can help you choose which fish to eat, and how often to eat them, based on their mercury levels.
Enlarge in PDF
Supporting Materials
Education Resources for Consumers and Educators
En español and Additional Translations
Fish provide
key nutrients
that support a child’s
brain development
Learn which nutrients in fish support child development
Eating fish can provide other
health benefits
too.
Learn more about health benefits
The
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
recommends eating fish
as part of a
healthy eating pattern
Learn more about Dietary Guidelines and fish
Choose a variety of fish that are
lower in mercury
Learn which fish are lower in mercury
Fish provide key nutrients that support a child’s brain development.
Fish are part of a
healthy eating pattern
and provide key nutrients during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and/or early childhood to support a
child’s brain development
Omega-3 (called DHA and EPA) and omega-6 fats
Iron
Iodine (during pregnancy)
Choline
Choline also supports development of the
baby’s spinal cord
. Fish provide iron and zinc to support
children’s immune systems
. Fish are a source of other nutrients like protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and selenium too.
Eating fish can provide other health benefits too.
Fish intake during pregnancy is recommended
because moderate scientific evidence shows it can help your baby’s cognitive development.
Strong evidence shows that eating fish, as part of a healthy eating pattern,
may have heart health benefits
healthy eating pattern
consists of choices across all food groups (vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, and protein foods, which includes fish), eaten in recommended amounts, and within calorie needs. Healthy eating patterns include foods that provide vitamins, minerals, and other health-promoting components and have no or little added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium.
Healthy eating patterns
that include fish may have other benefits too. Moderate scientific evidence shows that eating patterns relatively higher in fish but also in other foods, including vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, low- or non-fat dairy, lean meats and poultry, nuts, and unsaturated vegetable oils, and lower in red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, and refined grains are associated with:
Promotion of bone health – decreases the risk for hip fractures
Decreases in the risk of becoming overweight or obese
Decreases in the risk for colon and rectal cancers
The
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
recommends eating fish as part of a healthy eating pattern.
The
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
recommends:
At least 8 ounces of seafood (less for children
) per week based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Those who are pregnant or breastfeeding consume between
8 and 12 ounces per week
of a variety of seafood from choices that are
lower in mercury
Choose a variety of fish that are lower in mercury.
While it is important to limit mercury in the diets of those who are pregnant or breastfeeding and children, many types of fish are both nutritious and lower in mercury.
This chart can help you choose which fish to eat, and how often to eat them, based on their mercury levels.
What is a serving
? As a guide, use the palm of your hand.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding:
1 serving is 4 ounces
Eat 2 to 3 servings a week from the "Best Choices" list
(OR 1 serving from the "Good Choices" list).
Childhood:
On average, a serving is about:
1 ounce at age 1 to 3
2 ounces at age 4 to 7
3 ounces at age 8 to 10
4 ounces at age 11
Eat 2 servings a week from the “Best Choices” list.
Enlarge in PDF
View Text Version
En español
What about fish caught by family or friends?
Check for
fish and shellfish advisories
to tell you how often you can safely eat those fish. If there is no advisory, eat only one serving and no other fish that week. Some fish caught by family and friends, such as larger carp, catfish, trout and perch, are more likely to have fish advisories due to mercury or other contaminants.
This advice supports the recommendations of the
Dietary Guidelines for American
, which reflects current science on nutrition to improve public health. The
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
focuses on dietary patterns and the effects of food and nutrient characteristics on health.
* There is
moderate scientific evidence of a relationship
between the eating pattern as a whole and the potential health benefit.
§For some children, the amounts of fish in the
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
are higher than in this FDA/EPA advice. The
Dietary Guidelines for Americans
states that to consume those higher amounts, children should only be fed fish from the “Best Choices” list that are even lower in mercury – these fish are anchovies, Atlantic mackerel, catfish, clams, crab, crawfish, flounder, haddock, mullet, oysters, plaice, pollock, salmon, sardines, scallops, shad, shrimp, sole, squid, tilapia, trout, and whiting.
Advice revised October 2021
Supporting Information
Questions & Answers
Technical Information on Development of the Advice about Eating Fish
FDA and EPA’s Response to External Peer Review on the FDA-EPA’s Technical Information
External Peer Review Report of FDA-EPA’s Technical Information
FDA Closer to Zero Action Plan
Text Versions of the Best Choices, Good Choices, and Choices to Avoid Lists of Fish
Fish
Best Choice, Good Choice, or Choice to Avoid?
Anchovy
Best Choice
Atlantic croaker
Best Choice
Atlantic mackerel
Best Choice
Black sea bass
Best Choice
Butterfish
Best Choice
Catfish
Best Choice
Clam
Best Choice
Cod
Best Choice
Crab
Best Choice
Crawfish
Best Choice
Flounder
Best Choice
Haddock
Best Choice
Hake
Best Choice
Herring
Best Choice
Lobster, American and spiny
Best Choice
Mullet
Best Choice
Oyster
Best Choice
Pacific chub mackerel
Best Choice
Perch, freshwater and ocean
Best Choice
Pickerel
Best Choice
Plaice
Best Choice
Pollock
Best Choice
Salmon
Best Choice
Sardine
Best Choice
Scallop
Best Choice
Shad
Best Choice
Shrimp
Best Choice
Skate
Best Choice
Smelt
Best Choice
Sole
Best Choice
Squid
Best Choice
Tilapia
Best Choice
Trout, freshwater
Best Choice
Tuna, canned light (includes skipjack)
Best Choice
Whitefish
Best Choice
Whiting
Best Choice
Bluefish
Good Choice
Buffalofish
Good Choice
Carp
Good Choice
Chilean sea bass/Patagonian toothfish
Good Choice
Grouper
Good Choice
Halibut
Good Choice
Mahi mahi/dolphinfish
Good Choice
Monkfish
Good Choice
Rockfish
Good Choice
Sablefish
Good Choice
Sheepshead
Good Choice
Snapper
Good Choice
Spanish mackerel
Good Choice
Striped bass (ocean)
Good Choice
Tilefish (Atlantic Ocean)
Good Choice
Tuna, albacore/white tuna, canned and fresh/frozen
Good Choice
Tuna, yellowfin
Good Choice
Weakfish/seatrout
Good Choice
White croaker/Pacific croaker
Good Choice
King mackerel
Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELS
Marlin
Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELS
Orange roughy
Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELS
Shark
Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELS
Swordfish
Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELS
Tilefish (Gulf of Mexico)
Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELS
Tuna, bigeye
Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELS
En español
Consejos sobre el consumo de pescado
Embarazo y lactancia: El Consumo de Pescado (Infografía)
Niños: El Consumo de Pescado (Infografía)
Kit de herramientas para redes sociales: Consejos de la FDA y la EPA sobre el consumo de pescado
El consumo de pescado: una guía para las familias hispanoamericanas
Seguridad de los alimentos para mujeres embarazadas, sus bebés por nacer y niños menores de cinco años
Versiones de texto de las mejores opciones, buenas opciones y opciones a evitar listas de peces
PESCADO
Mejores opciones, Buenas opciones, o Opciones a evitar
Almeja
Mejores opciones
Arenque
Mejores opciones
Atún, enlatado claro (incluye el bonito)
Mejores opciones
Bacalao
Mejores opciones
Bagre o pez gato
Mejores opciones
Boquerón o anchoa
Mejores opciones
Caballa
Mejores opciones
Caballa del Pacífico
Mejores opciones
Calamar
Mejores opciones
Camarón
Mejores opciones
Cangrejo
Mejores opciones
Cangrejo de río
Mejores opciones
Corvina
Mejores opciones
Eglefino
Mejores opciones
Eperlano
Mejores opciones
Gado o abadejo
Mejores opciones
Langosta, americana o espinosa
Mejores opciones
Lenguado
Mejores opciones
Lisa o pargo
Mejores opciones
Lucio
Mejores opciones
Merlán o pescadilla
Mejores opciones
Merluza
Mejores opciones
Ostra
Mejores opciones
Palometa
Mejores opciones
Perca, de agua dulce y de mar
Mejores opciones
Pescado blanco
Mejores opciones
Platija o lenguado
Mejores opciones
Raya
Mejores opciones
Róbalo
Mejores opciones
Sábalo
Mejores opciones
Salmón
Mejores opciones
Sardina
Mejores opciones
Solla
Mejores opciones
Tilapia
Mejores opciones
Trucha, de agua dulce
Mejores opciones
Vieira
Mejores opciones
Anjova
Buenas opciones
Atún, albacora/blanco, enlatado y
fresco/congelado
Buenas opciones
Atún, aleta amarilla
Buenas opciones
Bacalao negro
Buenas opciones
Bagre búfalo (o bagre boca chica)
Buenas opciones
Blanquillo o lofolátilo (Océano Atlántico)
Buenas opciones
Caballa española
Buenas opciones
Carpa
Buenas opciones
Chopa
Buenas opciones
Corvina blanca/Corvina del Pacífico
Buenas opciones
Corvinata real/trucha de mar
Buenas opciones
Dorado/pez delfín
Buenas opciones
Halibut o fletán
Buenas opciones
Lubina rayada (del mar)
Buenas opciones
Lutjánido o pargo
Buenas opciones
Mero
Buenas opciones
Perca de mar chilena/Merluza negra
Buenas opciones
Pez roca
Buenas opciones
Rape
Buenas opciones
Atún de ojos grandes o patudo
Opciones a evitar: los más altos niveles de mercurio
Blanquillo o lofolátilo (Golfo de México)
Opciones a evitar: los más altos niveles de mercurio
Macarela rey o caballa
Opciones a evitar: los más altos niveles de mercurio
Pez aguja o marlin
Opciones a evitar: los más altos niveles de mercurio
Pez espada
Opciones a evitar: los más altos niveles de mercurio
Reloj anaranjado, raya o pez emperador
Opciones a evitar: los más altos niveles de mercurio
Tiburón
Opciones a evitar: los más altos niveles de mercurio
Additional Translations
Translations of Fish Names
عربي (Arabic)
简体中文 (Chinese, Simplified)
中國傳統 (Chinese, Traditional)
Français (French)
Hmoob (Hmong)
ខ្មែរ (Khmer)
한국어 (Korean)
Português (Portuguese)
Tagalog (Tagalog)
Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
Resources to Use FDA/EPA’s Fish Advice
Content current as of:
03/05/2024
Regulated Product(s)
Food & Beverages
Back to
Top