Seafood Choices: Tradeoffs between Omega-3 and Mercury

On EWG web site, it has published a report on seafood choices.  We eat fish or shellfish for the benefits of omega-3s.^[1] However, seafood are also high in mercury.^[4] Therefore, we need to choose fish based on its omega-3 and mercury levels.  Depending on your age, weight, and gender, EWG makes the following recommendations on what kinds of seafood to eat or avoid.  Calculation are based on 4 oz. serving size.  Note that sustainability is also considered in EWG's recommendations, which is based on the Seafood Watch from Monterey Bay Aquarium.^[2,6]

Species	Weekly Mercury	Sustainability	Max Servings per Week
Salmon	13%	Best Choice: Wild Alaska	3
Sardines	20%	Best Choice: Pacific	3
Mussels	8%	Best Choice: farmed	3
Rainbow Trout	13%	Best Choice: farmed	3
Atlantic Mackerel	10%	Best Choice: Not Trawled	3
Pollock/ Imitation Crab	15%	Good Alternative*	3
Shrimp	8%	Variable*	3
Tilapia	5%	Best Choice: Equador, U.S., Canada	3
Catfish	5%	Best Choice: Farmed U.S.	3
Scallops	10%	Good Alternative*	3
Pangasius (Swai, Basa, Tra)	5%	Good Alternative	3
Clams	8%	Best Choice	3
Canned Light Tuna	31%	Variable*	3
Flatfish (Plaice, Sole, Flounder)	31%	Good Alternative*	3
Orange Roughy	145%	Avoid*	0
Shark	224%	Avoid*	0
Swordfish	227%	Variable*	0

: Very High Omega-3s, Low Mercury, Sustainable
: High Omega-3s, Low Mercury
: Low Mercury But Also Low Omega-3s
: Mercury Risks Add Up (Pregnant Women And Children Should Limit Or Avoid)
: Avoid (Mercury Levels Too High To Eat Regularly)

Acknowledgement

This article was based on a  report from EWG.^[3]

References

1. Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Travel and Health)
2. Seafood Watch 2013  (Travel to Wellness)
3. EWG’s Consumer Guide to Seafood: Executive Summary
4. Mercury Exposures and Autoimmune Diseases  (Travel to Wellness)
5. Study: Mislabeled shrimp at restaurants, grocers
• Oceana said it found about 30 percent of 143 shrimp products bought from 111 vendors were not what the label said. 
6. There Aren’t Plenty of Fish in the Sea