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The following Seafood Watch Pocket Guides are dated January 2012. The next update will be in July — updates are issued twice a year. Print them, fold them, and carry them with you when you shop. There's also an Android/iPhone app. Click the image above to check for updates.
Accessed 9 May 2012.

SeafoodWatch Buyer’s Guide, January 2012 (Expires July 2012) [PDF]. This chart was created for chefs, suppliers & other seafood professionals who need a reference tool with SeafoodWatch recommendations in one place. In comparison, the SeafoodWatch pocket guides have shorter lists of seafood for specific regions of the U.S., making them ideal for use by consumers.

Source:
The Super Green List: Connecting Human and Ocean Health
Seafood Watch,
Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Accessed 9 May 2012.

[...]
Good for You,
Good for the Oceans
Combining the work of conservation and public health organizations, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has identified seafood that is "Super Green," meaning that it is good for human health and does not harm the oceans. The Super Green list highlights products that are currently on the Seafood Watch "Best Choices" (green) list, are low in environmental contaminants and are good sources of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. [...]

Contaminants in Seafood
Seafood contaminants include metals (such as mercury, which affects brain function and development), industrial chemicals (PCBs and dioxins) and pesticides (DDT). These toxins usually originate on land and make their way into the smallest plants and animals at the base of the ocean food web. As smaller species are eaten by larger ones, con-
taminants are concentrated and accumulated. Large predatory fish — like swordfish and shark — end up with the most toxins. You can minimize risks by choosing seafood carefully. Use [the] Super Green list and learn more about contaminants in seafood on the EDF website.

The Super Green list includes seafood that meets the following three criteria:

  • Low levels of contami-
    nants (below 216 parts per billion [ppb] mercury and 11 ppb PCBs)
  • The daily minimum of omega-3s (at least 250 milligrams per day [mg/d])*
Check SeafoodWatch®
for updates
* The Best of the Best:
   September 2010
Albacore Tuna
(troll- or pole-caught, from the U.S. or British Columbia)
Freshwater Coho Salmon
(farmed in tank systems, from the U.S.)
Oysters (farmed)
Pacific Sardines
(wild-caught)
Rainbow Trout (farmed)
Salmon
(wild-caught, from Alaska)
** Other Healthy
     "Best Choices"
Arctic Char (farmed)
Barramundi (farmed, from the US)
Crayfish
(farmed, from the U.S.)
Dungeness Crab
(wild-caught, from California, Oregon or Washington)
Longfin Squid
(wild-caught, from the U.S. Atlantic)
Mussels (farmed)

*The "Super Green" list is based on dietary require-
ments for an average woman of childbearing age (18- 45, 154 pounds) eating 8 ounces of fish per week. The list also applies to men and children; children should eat age-appropriate portions to maximize their health benefits while minimizing risk. The recommendation of 250 mg of omega-3s refers to the combined level of two omega-3s of primary importance to human health: eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA).

**Other Healthy "Best Choices" are low in contami-
nants and provide a smaller amount of omega-3s (between 100 and 250 mg/d, assuming 8 ounces of fish per week)

Contaminant data are from EDF, drawn from more than 250 government databases and peer-reviewed scientific studies on seafood contaminants.

Omega-3 data are primarily from the USDA Nutrient Database.
30 September 2009
Last Update and Complete Link Check: 10 May 2012

What Fish Are Safe To Eat?
Selected Lists and Resources

This page presents selected lists and resources regarding contaminated fish and healthy fish consumption — what fish are safe to eat, what fish should be consumed in moderation, and what fish should be avoided. This information was compiled for personal use. Readers are encouraged to visit the original sites for updates.

What fish to eat, and how often...

Environmental Defense Fund, founded in 1967, works directly with businesses, government and communities to create lasting solutions to the most serious environmental problems. Their seafood guide, the Seafood Selector, covers the most common kinds of U.S. seafood to help you choose fish that are good for you and the ocean. Accessed 10.05.12.

Source:
Contaminated Fish: How many meals are safe to eat per month?

Fish is generally healthy to eat, but you should eat some types infrequently, if at all. This chart lists the most contaminated fish, and how much can safely be eaten each month (assuming no other contaminated fish is consumed). The advice is based on guidance from the Environmental Protection Agency and the latest mercury and PCB data. See the green sections below for safer seafood options. [...]

These fish are also safe to eat at least once per week: anchovies, clams, Dungeness crab, king crab (U.S.), snow crab, Pacific cod, crawfish (U.S.), Atlantic herring (Canada/U.S.), spiny lobster (Australia/Baja/U.S.), Atlantic mackerel, blue mussels, farmed oysters, Alaska pollock, canned pink/sockeye salmon, sardines, scallops, shrimp (Canada/U.S.), squid, tilapia (Latin America/U.S.). [...]

CONTAMINATED FISH
How many meals are safe to eat per month?

Maximum servings that can be safely eaten each month
Fish Name WOMEN MEN OLDER KIDS YOUNG KIDS Health Risk
Tuna, bluefin 0 0 0 0 mercury, PCBs
Walleye 0 0 0 0 mercury, PCBs
Mackerel, king 0 ½ 0 0 mercury
Marlin 0 ½ 0 0 mercury
Eel, American 1/year 1/year 0 0 mercury, PCBs
Eel, European 1/year 1/year 0 0 PCBs
Bluefish 2/year 2/year 0 0 mercury, PCBs
Weakfish 4/year 4/year 2/year 2/year PCBs
Croaker, white ½ ½ 0 0 PCBs
Shark 0 1 0 0 mercury
Swordfish 0 1 0 0 mercury
Tilefish 0 1 0 0 mercury
Croaker, Atlantic 1 1 ½ ½ PCBs
Flounder, summer 1 1 ½ ½ PCBs
Salmon, wild (WA) 1 1 ½ ½ PCBs
Sturgeon, wild (imported) 1 1 ½ ½ mercury, PCBs
Tuna, blackfin (Atlantic longline/purse/seine) 1 1 ½ ½ mercury
Tuna, blackfin (Atlantic troll/pole) 1 1 ½ ½ mercury
Perch, yellow 1 1 1 0 PCBs
Flounder, winter 1 1 1 ½ PCBs
Opah 1 1 1 ½ mercury
Salmon, farmed or Atlantic 2 1 1 ½ PCBs
Tuna, bigeye 2 1 1 ½ mercury
Chilean sea bass 2 2 1 1 mercury
Crab, blue 2 2 1 1 mercury, PCBs
Grouper 2 2 1 1 mercury
Mackerel, Spanish 2 2 1 1 mercury
Orange roughy 2 2 1 1 mercury
Seatrout, spotted/silver 2 2 1 1 mercury
Wahoo 2 2 1 1 mercury
Lingcod 3 2 2 1 mercury
Snapper, mutton 3 3 2 1 mercury
Tuna, canned white/albacore 3 3 2 1 mercury
Eel, American conger 4 3 2 1 mercury
Eel, European conger 4 3 2 1 mercury
Halibut 4+ 3 2 1 mercury
Snapper, Lane 4+ 3 2 1 mercury
Sablefish/Black Cod 4+ 4 2 2 mercury
Rockfish 4+ 4+ 3 2 mercury
Snapper (imported) 4+ 4+ 3 2 mercury
Snapper, red 4+ 4+ 3 2 mercury
Snapper, silk 4+ 4+ 3 2 mercury
Snapper, vermilion 4+ 4+ 3 2 mercury
Sole, English 4+ 4+ 3 2 PCBs
Tuna, albacore (U.S., Canada) 4+ 4+ 3 2 mercury
Tuna, yellowfin 4+ 4+ 3 2 mercury
Mahimahi 4+ 4+ 4+ 3 mercury
Monkfish 4+ 4+ 4+ 3 mercury
Salmon, wild (Alaska) 4+ 4+ 4+ 3 PCBs
Skate 4+ 4+ 4+ 3 mercury
Snapper, yellowtail 4+ 4+ 4+ 3 mercury
Tuna, canned light 4+ 4+ 4+ 3 mercury
Cod, Pacific 4+ 4+ 4+ 4 mercury
Crab, snow 4+ 4+ 4+ 4 mercury
Crab, Southern tanner 4+ 4+ 4+ 4 mercury
Hake 4+ 4+ 4+ 4 mercury
Lobster 4+ 4+ 4+ 4 mercury
Sea bass, black 4+ 4+ 4+ 4 mercury
Trout, rainbow (farmed) 4+ 4+ 4+ 4 PCBs
Wolffish 4+ 4+ 4+ 4 mercury

It's safe to eat 4 or more meals of the following, per month:

These advisories are for:
WomenAges 18-75, with a body weight of 144 pounds and a meal size of 6 ounces (a little more than one-third pound) of fish before cooking.
MenAges 18-75, with a body weight of 172 pounds and a meal size of 8 ounces (one-half pound) of fish before cooking.
Older kidsAges 6-12, with a body weight of 67 pounds and a meal size of 4.5 ounces (a little more than one-quarter pound) of fish before cooking.
Young kidsAges 0-6, with a body weight of 32 pounds and a meal size of 3 ounces (a little less than one-quarter pound) of fish before cooking.

Young children are especially sensitive to the effects of seafood contaminants, since their nervous systems are still developing. If your child’s body weight or average meal size is drastically different from that assumed above, please adjust the consumption advisory accordingly.

For example, larger portions contain more contaminants, so fewer meals may be eaten safely every month. Similarly, children with lower body weights may be harmed by smaller quantities of contaminants and should consume fewer meals per month than in the table above.

TeensFollow the advisory above that most closely matches individual body weight and meal size.

For young adults ages 12 to 18, choose the consumption advisories for either children or adults, depending on the individual's body weight and typical meal size.

Greenpeace

On 16 June 2008, Greenpeace released a 60-page report entitled Out of Stock: Supermarkets and the Future of Seafood, in which authors Beth Hunter and Sarah King examine the sustainability of fish and seafood stocks; they argue in favor of responsible procurement to preserve biodiversity and maintain the future viability of the seafood industry. They present a Red List of 15 species or groups of species so reduced in numbers that they are no longer commercially viable and should not be eaten or sold.

Oceans contain the planet's most diverse ecosystems and are home to an estimated 90 per cent of the Earth's living organisms, many of which are essential to human survival. Earth's oceans are in peril because global fishing operations take 2.5 times more fish and seafood than is sustainable. Ninety per cent of large, commercially valuable species such as cod, tuna and swordfish have vanished from the oceans, and 27 million tonnes of marine life are caught incidentally and thrown overboard dead or dying each year.1 [PDF]

The 15 Red List species or groups of species include the following:

  • Atlantic cod
  • Atlantic haddock (scrod)
  • Atlantic halibut
  • Atlantic salmon (farmed)
  • Atlantic sea scallops
  • Chilean seabass
  • Greenland halibut (turbot)
  • Hard shell clams (Arctic surf clams)
  • New Zealand hoki (blue grenadier)
  • Orange roughy
  • Sharks
  • Skates and rays
  • Swordfish
  • Tropical shrimps & prawns
  • Tuna—bluefin, yellowfin, bigeye

Their second report, Out of Stock, Out of Excuses: Ranking retailers on seafood sustainability, was released on 22 May 2009; it ranked major supermarket chains on the basis of seven criteria deemed important fostering sustainability by stopping the commercial sale of Red List species. The report documented the severe threat to the sustainability of seafood and underscored the responsibility of Canadian supermarkets to help protect vulnerable fish stocks.

On 2 June 2010, Greenpeace released their 2010 edition, entitled Taking Stock: Ranking supermarkets on seafood sustainability. There has been some progress, they report, but not nearly enough.

While a sea change is beginning behind seafood counters, a walk through most supermarkets still reveals an array of overfished, destructively fished or farmed, and in many cases illegally sourced seafood. And this includes stores of even our top ranked chains. This is why Greenpeace is urging retailers to keep up the momentum and act faster to remove Redlist seafood from sale, adopt policies to avoid having such products line their shelves in the future, communicate sustainability requirements to their suppliers, and help customers adjust their tastes – choosing sustainable seafood rather than more popular but unsustainable options.
  

Fish in Some Streams Accumulate Mercury
Toxic Substances Hydrology Program, U.S. Geological Survey.
(18.11.09; last modified 17.02.12) Accessed 10 May 2012.

Know Which Fish Is Safe to Eat - ABC News
Dr. Marie Savard explains the dangers of mercury and how it affects the body. (21.08.09)

Like many environmental contaminants, mercury undergoes bioaccumulation. Bioaccumulation is the process by which organisms (including humans) can take up contaminants more rapidly than their bodies can eliminate them, thus the amount of mercury in their body accumulates over time. If for a period of time an organism does not ingest mercury, its body burden of mercury will decline. If, however, an organism continually ingests mercury, its body burden can reach toxic levels. The rate of increase or decline in body burden is specific to each organism. For humans, about half the body burden of mercury can be eliminated in 70 days if no mercury is ingested during that time. Biomagnification is the incremental increase in concentration of a contaminant at each level of a food chain (fig. 4). This phenomenon occurs because the food source for organisms higher on the food chain is progressively more concentrated in mercury and other contaminants, thus magnifying bioaccumulation rates at the top of the food chain. The bioaccumulation effect is generally compounded the longer an organism lives, so that larger predatory game fish will likely have the highest mercury levels. Adding to this problem is the fact that mercury concentrates in the muscle tissue of fish. So, unlike organic contaminants (for example PCBs and dioxins) which concentrate in the skin and fat, mercury cannot be filleted or cooked out of consumable game fish.

 Fig.4 Mercury (Hg) biomagnifies from the bottom to the top of the food chain. Even at very low input rates to aquatic ecosystems that are remote from point sources, biomagnification effects can result in mercury levels of toxicological concern.

Figure 6. Mercury cycling pathways in aquatic environments are very complex. The various forms of mercury can be converted from one to the next; most important is the conversion to methylmercury (CH3Hg+), the most toxic form. Ultimately, mercury ends up in the sediments, fish and wildlife, or evades back to the atmosphere by volatilization. Reprinted with permission from Mercury Pollution: Integration and Synthesis, Carl J. Watras, John W. Huckabee, Eds. © Lewis Publishers, CRC Press (1994).
  

Consumer Guide to Mercury in Fish

National Resources Defense Council is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, membership organization, founded in 1970, with a mission of safeguarding "the Earth: its people, its plants and animals and the natural systems on which all life depends. NRDC is the nation's most effective environmental action group, combining the grassroots power of 1.2 million members and online activists with the courtroom clout and expertise of more than 350 lawyers, scientists and other professionals".

Source:
NRDC: Mercury Contamination in Fish - Consumer Guide to Mercury in Fish
National Redources Defense Council Accessed 30 September 2009.
NRDC provides a great deal of useful information with respect to mercury contamination.
See Also: Intro | Effects | Sources | Protect Yourself | For Medical Professionals

PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY

Consumer Guide to Mercury in Fish
The list below shows the amount of various types of fish that a woman who is pregnant or planning to become pregnant can safely eat, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. People with small children who want to use the list as a guide should reduce portion sizes. Adult men, and women who are not planning to become pregnant, are less at risk from mercury exposure but may wish to refer to the list for low-mercury choices.

Protecting yourself -- and the fish: Certain fish, even some that are low in mercury, make poor choices for other reasons, most often because they have been fished so extensively that their numbers are perilously low. These fish are marked with an asterisk (read more below).

This list applies to fish caught and sold commercially. For information about fish you catch yourself, check for advisories in your state.

LEAST MERCURY
Enjoy these fish:
Anchovies
Butterfish
Catfish
Clam
Crab (Domestic)
Crawfish/Crayfish
Croaker (Atlantic)
Flounder*
Haddock (Atlantic)*
Hake
Herring
Mackerel (N. Atlantic, Chub)
Mullet
Oyster
Perch (Ocean)
Plaice
Pollock
Salmon (Canned)**
Salmon (Fresh)**
Sardine
Scallop*
Shad (American)
Shrimp*
Sole (Pacific)
Squid (Calamari)
Tilapia
Trout (Freshwater)
Whitefish
Whiting		 MODERATE MERCURY
Eat six servings or less per month:
Bass (Striped, Black)
Carp
Cod (Alaskan)*
Croaker (White Pacific)
Halibut (Atlantic)*
Halibut (Pacific)
Jacksmelt (Silverside)
Lobster
Mahi Mahi
Monkfish*
Perch (Freshwater)
Sablefish
Skate*
Snapper*
Tuna (Canned chunk light)
Tuna (Skipjack)*
Weakfish (Sea Trout)		 HIGH MERCURY
Eat three servings or less per month:
Bluefish Grouper* Mackerel (Spanish, Gulf) Sea Bass (Chilean)* Tuna (Canned Albacore) Tuna (Yellowfin)*
HIGHEST MERCURY
Avoid eating:
Mackerel (King)
Marlin*
Orange Roughy*
Shark*
Swordfish*
Tilefish*
Tuna
(Bigeye, Ahi)*
* Fish in Trouble! These fish are perilously low in numbers or are caught using environmentally destructive methods. To learn more, see the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Blue Ocean Institute, both of which provide guides to fish to enjoy or avoid on the basis of environmental factors.

** Farmed Salmon may contain PCB's, chemicals with serious long-term health effects.

Sources for NRDC's guide:
The data for this guide to mercury in fish comes from two federal agencies: the Food and Drug Administration, which tests fish for mercury, and the Environmental Protection Agency, which determines mercury levels that it considers safe for women of childbearing age.

About the mercury-level categories:
The categories on the list (least mercury to highest mercury) are determined according to the following mercury levels in the flesh of tested fish.

Least mercury: Less than 0.09 parts per million

Moderate mercury: From 0.09 to 0.29 parts per million

High mercury: From 0.3 to 0.49 parts per million

Highest mercury: More than .5 parts per million

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Urban Poling

Selected Resources
Health Canada
Fish Consumption Advisories
Environment Canada.

For up-to-date information on current advisories in various regions across Canada and/or contacts for the responsible agencies...

Fisheries and
Oceans Canada
Fact Sheet - Benefits and Risks of Consuming Fish and Shellfish
(Last modified 2005-09-01)
A Guide to Eating Fish for Women, Children and Families
City of Ottawa, ON, CA [PDF]
Environmental
Protection Agency
Fish Facts & Consumption
Advisories by State
AK AL AR AZ CA CO
CT DC DE FL GA HI
IA ID IL IN KS KY
LA MA MD ME MI MN
MO MS MT NC ND NE
NH NJ NM NV NY OH
OK OR PA RI SC SD
TN TX UT VA VT WA
WI WV WY National
Source: EPA: National Listing of Fish Advisories (NLFA)
Food and Drug Administration


The Marine Conservation Society’s Pocket Good Fish Guide tells you which fish are the best sustainable choices, which fish you should avoid completely, and the fish you can eat just occasionally to reduce pressure on their stocks. Accessed 9 May 2012.

Download the FREE MCS Good Fish Guide iPhone App...

The Marine Conservation Society's definitive guide to sustainable seafood. This App tells you which fish are good to eat, and which to avoid based on whether they come from well managed, sustainable stocks or farms. Includes almost every fish you could hope to find in UK shops, restaurants and markets.

If you are concerned about de-
clining fish stocks and the welfare of our seas the Marine Conservation Society FISHONLINE website can help you identify which fish are from well managed sources and/or caught using methods that minimise damage to marine wildlife and habitats.

Intraspec.ca : Tools for Personal Development — Readings, writings and research on matters of health and well-being.

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