Advice about Eating Fish
For Women Who Are or Might Become Pregnant, Breastfeeding Mothers, and Young Children
With the release of the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which includes dietary recommendations for children under age 2 years, FDA and EPA are reviewing the new guidelines to determine what updates to this advice may be needed.
FDA and EPA have issued advice regarding eating fish. This advice can help women who are pregnant or may become pregnant - as well as breastfeeding mothers and parents and caregivers feeding children 2 years and older - make informed choices when it comes to fish that are nutritious and safe to eat. This advice supports the recommendations of the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, developed for people 2 years and older. For advice about feeding children under 2 years of age, you can consult the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The advice features a chart that makes it easier than ever to choose dozens of healthy and safe options and includes information about the nutritional value of fish. A set of frequently asked questions & answers provides more information on how to use the chart and additional tips for eating fish.
Download the Advice in 8.5x14 legal size (PDF 472KB)
Download the Advice in 8.5x11 letter size, double-sided (PDF 693 KB)
Eating fish‡ when pregnant or breastfeeding can provide health benefits.
Fish and other protein-rich foods have nutrients that can help your child’s growth and development. As part of a healthy eating pattern, eating fish may also offer heart health benefits and lower the risk of obesity.
Nutritional Value of Fish
The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends:
- At least 8 ounces of seafood (less for young children) per week based on a 2,000 calorie diet
- Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding to consume between 8 and 12 ounces of a variety of seafood per week, from choices that are lower in mercury.
Fish are part of a healthy eating pattern and provide:
- Protein
- Healthy omega-3 fats (called DHA and EPA)
- More vitamin B12 and vitamin D than any other type of food
- Iron which is important for infants, young children, and women who are pregnant or who could become pregnant
- Other minerals like selenium, zinc, and iodine.
Choose a variety of fish that are lower in mercury.
While it is important to limit mercury in the diets of women who are pregnant and breastfeeding and young children, many types of fish are both nutritious and lower in mercury.
This chart can help you choose which fish to eat, and how often to eat them, based on their mercury levels.
What is a serving? As a guide, use the palm of your hand.
For an adult
1 serving = 4 ounces
Eat 2 to 3 servings a week from the "Best Choices" list (OR 1 serving from the "Good Choices" list).
For children, a serving is 1 ounce at age 2 and increases with age to 4 ounces by age 11.
If you eat fish caught by family or friends, check for fish advisories. If there is no advisory, eat only one serving and no other fish that week.*
This advice supports the recommendations of the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, developed for people 2 years and older, which reflects current science on nutrition to improve public health. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans focuses on dietary patterns and the effects of food and nutrient characteristics on health. For advice about feeding children under 2 years of age, you can consult the American Academy of Pediatrics.
‡ THIS ADVICE REFERS TO FISH AND SHELLFISH COLLECTIVELY AS "FISH" / ADVICE REVISED JULY 2019
* Some fish caught by family and friends, such as larger carp, catfish, trout and perch, are more likely to have fish advisories due to mercury or other contaminants. State advisories will tell you how often you can safely eat those fish.
Resources & Supporting Scientific Documents
- Questions & Answers
- Technical Information on Development of Final Updated Advice About Eating Fish
- FDA and EPA’s Response to External Peer Review on the FDA-EPA’s Technical Information (PDF - 124KB)
- External Peer Review Report of FDA-EPA’s Technical Information (PDF - 507KB)
- Related Risk Assessment
- Peer Review of the Risk Assessment
- Social Media Toolkit: FDA/EPA Advice About Eating Fish
- Photonovels for Hispanic American and Chinese American Families
Translations
PDFs of the advice are available in the following languages:
The table portion of the advice is available in Spanish (Español) below.
*Algunos pescados capturados por familiares y amigos, como la carpa grande, el pez gato, la trucha y la perca, es más probable que tengan recomendaciones de consumo debido al mercurio u otros contaminantes. Las recomendaciones estatales le dirán con qué frecuencia puede comer esos pescados en forma segura.
Text Version (English and en Español)
Fish * |
Best Choice, Good Choice, or Choice to Avoid? |
---|---|
Anchovy | Best Choice |
Atlantic croaker | Best Choice |
Atlantic mackerel | Best Choice |
Black sea bass | Best Choice |
Butterfish | Best Choice |
Catfish | Best Choice |
Clam | Best Choice |
Cod | Best Choice |
Crab | Best Choice |
Crawfish | Best Choice |
Flounder | Best Choice |
Haddock | Best Choice |
Hake | Best Choice |
Herring | Best Choice |
Lobster, American and spiny | Best Choice |
Mullet | Best Choice |
Oyster | Best Choice |
Pacific chub mackerel | Best Choice |
Perch, freshwater and ocean | Best Choice |
Pickerel | Best Choice |
Plaice | Best Choice |
Pollock | Best Choice |
Salmon | Best Choice |
Sardine | Best Choice |
Scallop | Best Choice |
Shad | Best Choice |
Shrimp | Best Choice |
Skate | Best Choice |
Smelt | Best Choice |
Sole | Best Choice |
Squid | Best Choice |
Tilapia | Best Choice |
Trout, freshwater | Best Choice |
Tuna, canned light (includes skipjack) | Best Choice |
Whitefish | Best Choice |
Whiting | Best Choice |
Bluefish | Good Choice |
Buffalofish | Good Choice |
Carp | Good Choice |
Chilean sea bass/Patagonian toothfish | Good Choice |
Grouper | Good Choice |
Halibut | Good Choice |
Mahi mahi/dolphinfish | Good Choice |
Monkfish | Good Choice |
Rockfish | Good Choice |
Sablefish | Good Choice |
Sheepshead | Good Choice |
Snapper | Good Choice |
Spanish mackerel | Good Choice |
Striped bass (ocean) | Good Choice |
Tilefish (Atlantic Ocean) | Good Choice |
Tuna, albacore/white tuna, canned and fresh/frozen | Good Choice |
Tuna, yellowfin | Good Choice |
Weakfish/seatrout | Good Choice |
White croaker/Pacific croaker | Good Choice |
King mackerel | Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELS |
Marlin | Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELS |
Orange roughy | Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELS |
Shark | Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELS |
Swordfish | Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELS |
Tilefish (Gulf of Mexico) | Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELS |
Tuna, bigeye | Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELS |
PESCADO * |
Mejores opciones, Buenas opciones, o Opciones a evitar |
Boquerón o anchoa | Mejores opciones |
Corvina | Mejores opciones |
Caballa | Mejores opciones |
Róbalo | Mejores opciones |
Palometa | Mejores opciones |
Pez gato o bagre | Mejores opciones |
Almeja | Mejores opciones |
Bacalao | Mejores opciones |
Cangrejo | Mejores opciones |
Cangrejo de río | Mejores opciones |
Platija o lenguado | Mejores opciones |
Eglefino | Mejores opciones |
Merluza | Mejores opciones |
Arenque | Mejores opciones |
Langosta, americana y espinosa | Mejores opciones |
Lisa o pargo | Mejores opciones |
Ostra | Mejores opciones |
Estornino del Pacífico | Mejores opciones |
Perca, de agua dulce y de mar | Mejores opciones |
Lucio | Mejores opciones |
Platija o lenguado | Mejores opciones |
Gado o abadejo | Mejores opciones |
Salmón | Mejores opciones |
Sardina | Mejores opciones |
Vieira | Mejores opciones |
Lacha | Mejores opciones |
Camarón | Mejores opciones |
Raya | Mejores opciones |
Pejerrey | Mejores opciones |
Lenguado | Mejores opciones |
Calamar | Mejores opciones |
Tilapia | Mejores opciones |
Trucha, de agua dulce | Mejores opciones |
Atún, enlatado claro (incluye el bonito) | Mejores opciones |
Pescado blanco | Mejores opciones |
Merluza | Mejores opciones |
Pez azul o anjova | Buenas opciones |
Bagre búfalo (o bagre boca chica) | Buenas opciones |
Carpa | Buenas opciones |
Perca de mar chilena/Merluza negra | Buenas opciones |
Mero | Buenas opciones |
Halibut o fletán | Buenas opciones |
Dorado/pez delfín | Buenas opciones |
Rape | Buenas opciones |
Gallineta o pescado de roca | Buenas opciones |
Bacalao negro | Buenas opciones |
Chopa | Buenas opciones |
Lutjánido o pargo | Buenas opciones |
Caballa española | Buenas opciones |
Perca rayada (de mar) | Buenas opciones |
Blanquillo o lofolátilo (Océano Atlántico) | Buenas opciones |
Atún, albacora/blanco, enlatado y fresco/congelado | Buenas opciones |
Atún, aleta amarilla | Buenas opciones |
Corvinata real/trucha de mar | Buenas opciones |
Corvina blanca/Corvina del Pacífico | Buenas opciones |
Macarela rey o caballa | Opciones a evitar |
Aguja | Opciones a evitar |
Reloj anaranjado, raya o pez emperador | Opciones a evitar |
Tiburón | Opciones a evitar |
Pez espada | Opciones a evitar |
Blanquillo o lofolátilo (Golfo de México) | Opciones a evitar |
Atún de ojos grandes o patudo | Opciones a evitar |
*Algunos pescados capturados por familiares y amigos, como la carpa grande, el pez gato, la trucha y la perca, es más probable que tengan recomendaciones de consumo debido al mercurio u otros contaminantes. Las recomendaciones estatales le dirán con qué frecuencia puede comer esos pescados en forma segura.