Essential EatingWell Seafood Guide

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Good fish choices for your family and the planet.

Sources: Environmental Defense/Oceans Alive, Linus Pauling Institute, Seafood Watch, Monterey Bay Aquarium

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Shrimp [1]

Best Choices

Anchovies
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Rich
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Catfish (farmed)
Healthy Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Environmentally benign

Caviar (U.S. farmed)
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Rich
Harvest notes: Environmentally benign

Clams
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Cod (Pacific)
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Crab (except king and blue)
Healthy Concerns: Mercury contamination, limit to 1 meal/week
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Flounder (Pacific)
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Halibut (Pacific)
Health Concerns: Mercury contamination, limit to 2 meals/month
Omega-3s: Good
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Herring
Healthy Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Rich
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Mackerel (except king)
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Rich
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Mahi-Mahi (dorado)
Health Concerns: Mercury contamination, limit to 1 meal/week
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Mussels
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Good
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Oysters (farmed)
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Very good
Harvest Notes: Environmentally benign

Pollock
Health Concerns: (Pacific Pollock) PCB residues, limit to 1 meal/week
Omega-3s: Good
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Salmon (wild)
Health Concerns; No advisory
Omega-3s: Rich
Harvest Notes: Well managed (some endangered)

Sardines
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Rich
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Shrimp (U.S. farmed, U.S. or Canadian wild caught)
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Good
Harvest Notes: Environmentally benign/Abundant

Sole (Pacific, English/Dover)
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Squid
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Good
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Striped bass (farmed)
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Very good
Harvest Notes: Environmentally benign

Sturgeon (farmed)
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Rich
Harvest Notes: Environmentally benign

Tilapia (farmed, U.S. and Central America)
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Environmentally benign (U.S.), ecologically destructive (foreign)

Trout (rainbow, farmed)
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Very good
Harvest Notes: Environmentally benign

Tuna (canned, light)
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Tuna (yellowfin, farmed)
Health Concerns: Mercury contamination, limit to 3 meals/month
Omega-3s: Good
Harvest Notes: Environmentally benign

Caution Advised

Crab (king)
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Regionally overfished

Lobster (Maine/American)
Health Concerns: Mercury contamination: limit to 2 meals/month
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Regionally overfished

Lobster (spiny/rock)
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Regionally overfished

Monkfish
Health Concerns: Mercury contamination, limit to 2 meals/month
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Overfished

Oysters (wild)
Health Concerns: PCB residues, limit to 3 meals/month
Omega-3s: Very good
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Salmon (farmed)
Health Concerns: PCB, dioxin and pesticide residues, limit to less than 1 meal/month
Omega-3s: Rich
Harvest Notes: Farms are ecologically destructive

Scallops
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Abundant/Regionally overfished

Sea bass (wild)
Health Concerns: Mercury contamination, limit to 1 meal/week
Omega-3s: Very good
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Tuna (canned, white)
Health Concerns: Mercury contamination, limit to 3 meals/month
Omega-3s: Very good
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Tuna (steaks)
Health Concerns: Mercury contamination, limit to 1 meal/month
Omega-3s: Very good
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Worst Choices

Bluefish
Health Concerns: PCB, mercury and pesticide contamination, Avoid
Omega-3s: Very good
Harvest notes: Overfished

Caviar (wild sturgeon)
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Rich
Harvest Notes: Severely overfished

Chilean Sea Bass
Health Concerns: Mercury contamination, limit to 2 meals/month
Omega-3s: Very good
Harvest Notes: Severely overfished, destructive harvest

Cod (Atlantic)
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Severely overfished

Crab (blue)
Health Concerns: Mercury contamination, PCB residues, limit to 1 meal/month
Omega-3s: Good
Harvest Notes: Recovering

Flounder (Atlantic)
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Severely overfished

Grouper
Health Concerns: Mercurycontamination, limit to 1 meal/month
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Severely overfished

Haddock
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Severely overfished/Recovering

Halibut (Atlantic)
Health Concerns: Mercury contamination, PCB residues, limit to 2 meals/month
Omega-3s: Good
Harvest Notes: Severely overfished

Mackerel (king)
Health Concerns: High levels of mercury contamination, Avoid
Omega-3s: Rich
Harvest Notes: Abundant

Marlin
Health Concerns: High levels of mercury contamination, Avoid
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Severely overfished

Orange Roughy
Health Concerns: Mercury contamination, limit to 1 meal/month
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Severely overfished/Destructive harvest

Pacific Rockfish (Pacific snapper)
Health Concerns: Mercury contamination: limit to 1 meal/month
Omega-3s: Good
Harvest Notes: Severely overfished/Destructive harvest

Shark
Health Concerns: High levels of mercury contamination, Avoid
Omega-3s: Rich
Harvest Notes: Severely overfished/Destructive harvest

Shrimp (wild, foreign)
Health Concerns: No advisory
Omega-3s: Good
Harvest Notes: Destructive harvest

Snapper (red)
Health Concerns: Mercury contamination, limit to 1 meal/month
Omega-3s: Good
Harvest Notes: Severely overfished/Destructive harvest

Sole (Atlantic)
Health Concerns: PCB residues, limit to 1 meal/month
Omega-3s: Modest
Harvest Notes: Severely overfished/Destructive harvest

Swordfish
Health Concerns: High levels of mercury contamination, Avoid
Omega-3s: Very good
Harvest Notes: Regionally overfished/Destructive harvest

Tilefish
Health Concerns: High levels of mercury contamination, Avoid
Omega-3s: Good
Harvest Notes: Severely overfished

Tuna (bluefin)
Health Concerns: Mercury contamination, limit to 1 meal/month
Omega-3s: Rich
Harvest Notes: Severely overfished/Destructive harvest