17 Fish You Should Never Eat, Plus Safer Seafood Options

The data in our articles is NOT intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. Our team includes accredited nutritionists and dietitians, certified health education specialists, a well as certified intensity and condition specialists, personal trainers and corrective exert specialists. Our team aims to be not only thorough with its research, but besides objective and unbiased. This article is based on scientific tell, written by experts and fact checked by our train editorial staff. note that the numbers in parentheses ( 1, 2, etc. ) are clickable links to medically peer-reviewed studies. The data in our articles is NOT intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a modify health care professional and is not intended as aesculapian advice.

With hard-and-fast editorial sourcing guidelines, we only link to academic inquiry institutions, reputable media sites and, when research is available, medically peer-reviewed studies. note that the numbers in parentheses ( 1, 2, etc. ) are clickable links to these studies .
fish can serve as either a power food or an inflammatory, toxic nightmare for your torso, all depending on what fish you choose. That why it ’ s so authoritative to pay attention to ( and avoid ) the pisces you should never eat .
It ’ randomness fabulously authoritative to get ample omega-3 fatty acid fatty acids, and certain fish can serve as potent sources. But due to issues like mine, sewage and dodo fuel emissions, grave metals like mercury are winding up in the water and construct up in our fish. unfortunately, low-level mercury poisoning from contaminated seafood is a real terror and can lead to devastating effects on health .
not entirely that, but some fish have besides been so overfished that they are on the verge of collapse, which can have damaging effects on the ocean ecosystem. fortunately, there are healthy, first gear contaminant choices with stable populations that serve as much chic choices .
Let ’ s take a count at fish you should never eat, plus a few healthy options for well pisces to eat .

Fish You Should Never Eat

1. Tilapia

Did you know that in some regards, eating tilapia is worse than eating bacon ? In fact, the shift to eating more grow fish like tilapia is leading to highly inflammatory diets, according to a 2008 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association .
Wake Forest University School of Medicine researchers say tilapia is one of the most widely consumed fish in America. The trouble with that ? It contains very low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acid fatso acids and, possibly worse, very high levels of incendiary omega-6 fatty acid fatso acids. Sustaining high levels of inflammation in the body can worsen symptoms of autoimmune disorders and may be linked to chronic conditions like heart disease, cancer and diabetes .
If you must eat this fish, avoid tilapia from China, where farm practices are particularly distressing. Better sources are the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands, Ecuador and Peru .
Of course, wild-caught tilapia is preferable to farmed pisces but is very heavily to find .

2. Atlantic Cod

historically, Atlantic tease is a species proven to be vitally significant to feeding the New World civilization and early colonization of the Caribbean Sea. But the heavy fish over the last thousand years has taken its toll. In the recently 1990s, catastrophe strike : the fishery collapsed .
Although the female gull releases more than a hundred millions of eggs, entirely a few are able to survive to adulthood. According to Oceana, scientists agree that North Atlantic food webs have basically changed as a result of the Atlantic Cod collapse, and the species is presently considered vulnerable to extinction .
If you ’ re a fan of pod liver oil, make sure it ’ s not sourced from Atlantic collect. alternatively, opt for alaskan cod caught with a longline, pot or jig .

3. Atlantic Flatfish (Atlantic halibut, flounder and sole)

due to historical overfishing and gamey contaminant levels, these flatfish species have secured their slot on the list of fish you should never eat .
In 2014, Oceana, the largest ocean conservation group in the populace, conducted an probe using data from the National Marine Fisheries Service. It identified the nine worst fisheries in the U.S. based on “ wasted by-catch. ”
They found that commercial fishermen in the U.S. throw about 2 billion pounds of “ by-catch ” overboard each class. That ’ randomness equivalent to about half a billion seafood meals. The California gillnet fishery that targets halibut was identified as one of the worst. According to the reputation, if you ’ ve eat U.S. halibut, there ’ s a good casual it came from this damage fishery .

4. Caviar

Beluga sturgeon are ancient pisces that are highly sought for their fish eggs, aka caviar. In fact, this fish grows to be very large, can live to be 100 years erstwhile and can carry several hundred pounds of caviar, which can be deserving improving to $ 3,500 a beat .
According to Oceana, the fish that produces this prize caviar is in major trouble :

It is completely gone from several seas/rivers in which it used to live, and scientists fear that it is critically endangered. In other words, it is very highly vulnerable to extinction across its entire scope. Without farther security and enforcement of existing efforts, we may everlastingly lose one of the biggest, most matter to fishes in the world .

If you absolutely can not give up caviar, Seafood Watch recommends caviar from blue sturgeon raised in recirculating aquaculture systems in the U.S. as a more sustainable alternative .

5. Chilean Seabass

actually named the Patagonia toothfish, seafood distributors started marketing this deep-sea marauder fish as “ Chilean seabass ” because it sounded less intimidating. It worked. now common on menu around the U.S., Chilean seabass overfishing has left this species in serious perturb .
digression from overfishing, its high mercury levels are besides debatable. furthermore, harvesting the fish from Chile is besides plagued by hapless management and by-catch problems .

6. Eel

Monterey Bay Aquarium ’ s Seafood Watch places eel on the “ Avoid ” tilt on its sushi guide because it ’ south slow to mature and has been overfished in many parts of the world, bringing some populations to crack up .
This is leaving even asian countries looking to American eels, which are threatened among U.S. populations, besides. That ’ s a problem because eels are incredibly crucial when it comes to protecting our water supplies. In the Delaware River, for exemplify, eels are an integral separate of spreading mussel populations that serve as natural water filters .
aside from the issues with overfishing, eels tend to readily absorb and memory harmful chemicals and contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls ( PCBs ) and flame retardants. In certain states like New Jersey, river eels are so contaminate even adults are advised to eat no more than one eel a year .

7. Farmed Salmon

Americans consume a fortune of salmon. unfortunately, the majority is the insalubrious kind. In fact, most salmon marketed as “ Atlantic ” salmon is farmed, meaning that fish are raised in conditions much ridden with pesticides, feces, bacteria and parasites .
What ’ s more, studies show that farm salmon is more likely to contain harmful contaminants like PCBs, which are pollutants linked to insulin immunity, fleshiness, cancer and stroke. They ’ rhenium besides often treated with antibiotics and tend to be higher in incendiary omega-6 fatty acid fatty acids .
For a better alternative, skip the Atlantic salmon and choose for wild-caught Alaskan salmon rather .

8. Imported Basa/Swai/Tra/Striped Catfish (Often Labeled “Catfish”)

Although these fish are popping up as trendy raw menu items all over the United States, what you ’ re likely getting is a fish called pangasius or swai pisces, a much cheaper option that wholesales for around $ 2 per pound .
A 2016 analyze found 70–80 percentage of pangasius samples were contaminated by Vibriobacteria — the microbes behind most cases of shellfish poisoning. additionally, aside from destroying important river life and wetlands, this pisces factory farming method acting results in fish swim in godforsaken and sludge. They ’ re besides normally treated with a broad range of antibiotics, in accession to pesticides and disinfectants.

If you see swai, basa, striped catfish or any character of imported catfish on the menu, run. And take it as a polarity that the restaurant international relations and security network ’ t taking seafood safety or sustainability seriously .

9. Imported Farmed Shrimp

Is shrimp full for you ? When it comes to farmed prawn, which accounts for about 90 percentage of the shrimp we consume, the answer is a resounding “ no. ”
In 2009, italian researchers discovered that 4-hexylresorcinol, a food additive used to prevent discoloration in prawn that could reduce sperm count in men and increase breast cancer risk in women .
not only that, but all but one of the pesticides used globally in shrimp production are banned for function in U.S. shrimp farms. Shrimp grow ponds are besides treated with harmful chemicals and pesticides such as malachite green, rotenone and organotin compounds, all of which can have damaging effects on health .
Plus, an Associated Press investigation uncovered a bondage network in Thailand dedicated to peeling prawn sold around the global. In 2007, Thailand alone exported about $ 1.24 billion to the United States, according to Food and Water Watch .
If you must eat shrimp, Monterey Bay ’ s Seafood Watch recommends the U.S. grow translation or alaskan shrimp .

10. Imported King Crab

About 75 percentage of king crab sold in the U.S. is imported from Russia, where unsustainable fish practices are common. Although alaskan king gripe legs legally can lone be called that if they ’ rhenium harvested from Alaska, far-flung mislabeling is the average. For exemplify, many crimson king crabs caught in Russia under questionable practices are marketed as alaskan king crab leg .
Because you should avoid imported king cancer at all costs, it ’ second important to be completely certain of where those crab legs came from before you order them. If the pronounce makes claims like “ imported ” and “ Alaskan, ” something is clearly wrong. You can besides check out Seafood Watch ’ s complete crab recommendations for more information .

11. Orange Roughy

One of the longest support marine fish species, orange roughy can live to be 150 years erstwhile. by and large known as “ slimehead ” within the scientific community, seafood marketers had other ideas for this fish and gave the species a more appetizing list. The conclusion resultant role was a hard overfished species .
Since orange roughy don ’ t reach sexual maturity until at least 20 years old, they are very slow to recovery. According to Oceana : “ The highly long life and the late senesce at adulthood imply that a decimate population may take a half century or longer before it can recover. ”
beyond that, the orange roughy is besides known to have higher mercury levels, which can be dangerous if consumed in large amounts .

12. Shark

Sharks are normally found on fish you should never eat lists for several reasons. As bosses of the sea, they are very gamey on the food chain. That translates to higher mercury levels you should avoid in both foods and supplements .
But apart from that, most shark species, which are slow to mature and don ’ t have a batch of offspring, are badly depleted. This is partially due to a high demand for shark fins in asian cuisine, a well as the fact that sharks are often caught incidentally by the thousands and discarded as waste by tuna and swordfish longline fishers .

13. Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

Although Atlantic bluefin tuna is a highly sought sushi ingredient, it ’ south best to say “ no thanks ” to this democratic fish. Often referred to as Hon Maguro on sushi menu, this plainly means bluefin tuna, which should be avoided at all costs. A better sushi option would be katsuo/skipjack tuna caught through Pacific troll or pole and line methods alone .
Atlantic bluefin tuna lands on the fish you should never eat land for a few reasons. First, it ’ south been overfished to the point of near extinction. however, due to its high gear demand for sushi, fisheries managers are silent allowing commercial fish to target it .
deplorably, bluefin tuna numbers are at precisely 2.6 percentage of historic population levels. apart from the obvious population break down and extinction menace, this is besides a large marauding fish that harbors higher levels of mercury .

14. Swordfish

Mercury is the main concern when it comes to avoiding swordfish. This large, predatory fish contains elevated levels .
In fact, the mercury in this fish is indeed high that the Environmental Defense Fund recommends women and children avoid it raw. For men, the recommendation is to eat no more than one serving a month .

15. King Mackerel

Mackerel is surely packed with healthy omega-3 fatty acid. But when it comes to certain types of mackerel, you could be getting more than you bargained for. That ’ randomness surely the case with king mackerel, as the Food and Drug Administration warns women and children to outright avoid it. You may want to avoid spanish mackerel, excessively, which has besides been shown to harbor lift mercury levels .
fortunately, Atlantic mackerel is high in omega-3 fatty acid, first gear in mercury and is rated a peak choice in terms of health and sustainability .

16. Grouper

Grouper is on the list when it comes to fish you should never eat due to its reasonably high mercury levels. This species is besides highly vulnerable to overfishing .
Grouper is besides the common target of seafood fraud. In 2015, an investigations found that more than a third base of 19 restaurants in Atlanta sold pangasius ( besides known as “ vietnamese catfish ” ) as grouper .
Testing besides found that “ grouper ” for sale is actually much king mackerel or whitefin weakfish, a cheaper option. between one-fifth to more than one-third of the halibut, grouper, cod and Chilean seabass samples were mislabeled .

17. Sturgeon

Although Beluga sturgeon are particularly targeted for their eggs, other sturgeon are at hazard american samoa well. Some even appear on restaurant menu. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, sturgeon are “ more critically endangered than any other group of species. ”

Healthier Fish Options

The best fish options are ones that come from sustainable fisheries, are low in contaminants and eminent in omega 3 fatty acids. Monterey Bay Aquarium ’ s Seafood Watch calls this the “ Super Green List. ”
The fish that fit this healthiest fish bill include :

Wild-caught Alaskan salmon

When you choose wild-caught Alaskan salmon, you get to enjoy the on-key pink-orange health benefits. In accession to being rich in heart-healthy fats, salmon is a great source of protein, B vitamins, potassium and selenium .

Pacific Sardines

Sardines serve as one of the highest omega-3 fatty acid fatso acid sources on the planet. Because they are a fish lower on the food chain, pollute levels are low. Sardines are besides brimming with necessity nutrients, including vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium and selenium.

Atlantic mackerel

This buttery fish is besides high in health omega-3 fatty acid fatty acids, along with protein, niacin, selenium and vitamin B12. Keep in mind that mackerel is much sold preserved in tons of salt, so be sure to soak it and rinse well before cooking and eating to reduce sodium levels .

Better Seafood Choices

Although they do contain moderate amounts of mercury, these fish besides provide between 100 and 250 milligrams per day in omega-3 fatty acid and are classified as “ good choices ” by Seafood Watch :

• Albacore Tuna (troll- or pole-caught, from the U.S. or British Columbia)
• Sablefish/Black Cod (from Alaska and Canadian Pacific)

Related: 15 Best Fish to Eat, Plus Recipe Ideas

Final Thoughts

• Finding safer seafood can be challenging and requires you to consider many factors, including sustainability, nutritional value, mercury levels and the risk of contamination with pollutants, pesticides or harmful chemicals.
• In addition to avoiding the fish you should never eat listed above, you can also use the handy seafood guide app from Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch to find more sustainable choices.
• Be sure to also support Seafood Watch restaurants and business partners to source and put your dollars behind more sustainable, healthy seafood.
• You can also sign up for news from Food and Water Watch. The nonprofit watchdog group keeps a close eye on the seafood industry.
• Finally, when you do eat fish, opt for things like wild-caught Alaskan salmon, Pacific sardines and Atlantic mackerel.

reference : https://nutritionline.net
Category : Healthy