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Is it safe to eat saltwater fish?
Consumption Guidelines for Ocean Fish
and Shellfish
Fish can be an important part of a healthy diet,
but some ocean fish and shellfish contain varying levels of pollutants
like mercury, PCBs and dioxins and may pose a potential health risk.
Because of this, the N.H. Department of Environmental Services recommends
the following guidelines for eating saltwater fish:
Bluefish and Striped Bass: You can safely
eat two 8-ounce meals per month.
Swordfish, Shark, Tilefish, King Mackerel:
Pregnant and nursing women, women who may get pregnant and children
under age 7 should avoid eating these fish. Everyone else can safely
eat two 8-ounce meals each month.
Lobster Tomalley (green substance in the lobster): Do not eat. All other parts of the lobster are safe to eat.
Canned Tuna (6-ounce can): Pregnant and
nursing women and women who may get pregnant, can safely eat one
can of "white" or two cans of "light" tuna per
week. ("White" tuna has more mercury than "light"
tuna.) Children under 7 can safely eat one-half can of "white"
or one can of "light" tuna per week. For everyone else,
no limit as part of a balanced diet.
All Other Ocean Fish and Shellfish (including
canned fish and shellfish): Pregnant and nursing women, women
who may get pregnant and children under 7 can safely eat two 8-ounce
meals per week. For all others, there are no limits as part of a
balanced diet.
Stick to the lowest weekly or monthly limits when combining freshwater
fish, ocean fish and shellfish. Do not add limits. For example,
a woman who is pregnant and eats two cans of light tuna per week
is advised not to consume any additional meals of ocean fish or
freshwater fish.
The pamphlet, Is It Safe to Eat the Fish We
Catch? Mercury & Other Pollutants in Fish and the insert,
Fish Consumption Advisory for Freshwater Fish, Ocean Fish and
Shellfish, publications of the N.H. Department of Environmental
Services, provide additional background. Click
here to download copies from the DES website.
To request this publication, or to find more
information regarding the health effects of mercury or details on
specific advisories, contact:
N.H. Department of Environmental Services
(603) 271-3994
www.des.state.nh.us/eoh/hra
PSchnepper@des.state.nh.us
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