Fish Facts & Consumption
Understand how much fish is good for you to eat and why
Overview
Alaska health officials recommend eating fish twice a week for health benefits. Pregnant women, those who may become pregnant, nursing mothers, and children should choose fish carefully to avoid too much mercury, which can harm brain development. Smaller, younger fish are safer as they have less mercury. Adult men and women not at risk of pregnancy can eat as much Alaska fish as they want. Those who eat five or more fish meals a week can check the fish consumption point system below for more details:
Fish Consumption CalculatorFacts & Data
Benefits of Fish Consumption
Benefits of Fish Consumption
- Fish is an excellent source of lean protein, and provides essential nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, iron, selenium and vitamins A, C and D
- Women who eat fish while pregnant and breastfeeding give their babies the omega-3 fatty acids they need for optimal brain, eye and nerve development
- Fish is brain food. One study found that mothers who ate more fish during pregnancy had babies with higher IQs and fewer behavioral problems than mothers who ate little or no fish
- Eating seafood at least once or twice per week, especially those higher in omega-3 fatty acids, reduces risk of death from coronary heart disease by as much as 36%
Contaminants in Fish
Contaminants in Fish
Mercury
Almost all fish contain some level of mercury, a toxic element that occurs naturally in the earth's crust. Long-lived or predatory fish like shark have more mercury than small fish that are lower in the food chain. Too much exposure to mercury can harm the developing nervous system of unborn babies and growing children. State health officials are monitoring Alaska residents and have not found any cases of unsafe mercury exposures resulting from consumption of Alaska fish.
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, and organochlorine pesticides such as DDT. When these chemicals are released into the environment, it takes a long time for them to break down. When POPs get into an animal or a human they can go to the fatty tissues and stay there for a long time, instead of getting metabolized or excreted from the body. While POPs concentrations in fish may be very low, ongoing frequent fish consumption can lead to an accumulation of POPs over time in human tissue.
Good Advice for Everyone
Good Advice for Everyone
- Eat fish at least twice a week
- Eat smaller, younger fish. They generally have less mercury than those that are long-lived and eat other fish. Larger fish are often breeding females, so keeping them in the ocean helps sustain fish populations and helps prevent over-fishing
- Eat a variety of fish and other seafood
- Choose fish high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in mercury more often like:
- Wild Alaska salmon
- Black cod, also known as sablefish
- Herring
- Sardines
- Canned chunk light tuna