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Seafood and Your Health

Increasingly, sustainable seafood is becoming as much a health issue as an environmental one. As more people turn to seafood as a healthy source of protein – demand is projected to grow to over 1 billion pounds in the U.S. alone by 2020 – ensuring that fish and shellfish are free of toxic contaminants and unnecessary chemicals will certainly play a large role in the decision to purchase seafood.

With this in mind, Seafood Choices Alliance aims to provide the seafood industry, consevation community and seafood lovers everywhere with the information they need to make smart seafood choices. This page is updated monthly with relevant news stories, academic and government publications, and balanced information on the issues related to seafood and human health. Please email us if there is something we've missed!

(Un)Safe Sushi?

On January 23, the New York Times published a report regarding high levels of mercury in tuna from several of the city's sushi restaurants and retailers: "Recent laboratory tests found so much mercury in tuna sushi from 20 Manhattan stores and restaurants that at most of them, a regular diet of six pieces a week would exceed the levels considered acceptable by the Environmental Protection Agency" (click here to see the full article).

The original New York Times article is creating ripples throughout the seafood, restaurant and retail sectors, not the least of which because there are many important and widely recognized health benefits associated with seafood consumption, including preventing heart disease and stroke, and lowering blood pressure (see, for example, CNN's report Weighing the Latest Facts on Seafood Safety). At the same time, bluefin tuna populations (often prized as the source for the highest-quality sashimi) worldwide are in poor shape; as the species is being overfished in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Pacific oceans, many conservationsits argue we should not be eating bluefin anyway.

Subsequent reporting by the New York Times:

  • "National study finds high levels of mercury in tuna" (January 24) cites a report from the international conservation group Oceana that found levels of mercury in fresh tuna in stores and restaurants across the United States.
  • "More Testing of Seafood to Address Mercury Concerns" (January 30) reports that restaurants and retailers in different parts of the U.S. have started testing seafood in response to concerns about mercury in seafood, and the Environmental Protection Agency is beginning to examine the mercury content in fish sold in the New York City region.

Bottom line: The New York Times investigation raises an important red flag about the level of mercury in fish, particularly bluefin tuna. No agency regularly tests seafood for toxicity or contaminants. Certain segments of the population - inlcuding pregnant/ nursing women and young children - need to be careful about avoiding fish with high levels of mercury. For the rest of the general population, information about the health risks and benefits as well as a species' eco-impact should be weighed when determining what seafood to eat.

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Balancing the Benefits and Risks

Seafood is the major source of human exposure to methylmercury. The National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine unveiled a report in October 2006, Seafood Choices: Balancing Benefits and Risks, that reviewed the scientific evidence on seafood's benefits and risks.

"Consumers need better guidance on making seafood choices," said Malden C. Nesheim, professor emeritus and provost emeritus, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., and chair of the committee that wrote the report.

Key findings of the study inlcude:

  • Much of the evidence on seafood's health benefits and risks is preliminary or insufficient. Reliable data on the distribution of some contaminants is lacking, and there is little evidence on how beneficial effects of seafood might counteract some of the risks from contaminants.
  • Eating fish and shellfish may reduce people's overall risk for developing heart disease. It is not certain whether this is because substituting the lean protein of seafood for fatty cuts of meat reduces consumers' intake of saturated fat and cholesterol or because of the protective effects of omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in relatively high amounts in many fish species. Americans generally consume too much saturated fat and cholesterol and too little of "good fats" such as the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA in fish.
  • Because methylmercury can disrupt neurodevelopment in the fetus, the report supports current recommendations that women who are pregnant or wish to become pregnant avoid consumption of lean, predatory fish such as swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and tilefish, and limit their consumption of albacore, or "white," tuna.
  • Lean fish are good sources of protein, are low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and provide moderate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.
  • Fatty fish such as salmon are good sources of protein and provide the highest amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. They also contain higher levels of saturated fat and cholesterol and can accumulate higher amounts of pollutants such as dioxin and PCB, depending upon the source. Their methylmercury burden is lower than that of many lean fish.
  • Shellfish and crustaceans are good sources of protein and low in saturated fat, although some contain moderate amounts of cholesterol. They present the greatest risk of microbial infection if eaten raw.

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Scientific Consensus Elusive

Some health experts say contaminants in farmed fish gets an unfair amount of focus. The same level of scrutiny, they say, is not paid to other sources of protein (such as poultry or beef) in the human diet. Seafood is also not without many important nutritional and health benefits, such as reduced risk of heart disease and improved brain function.

However, for this reason the focus on contaminants in seafood should be all the more important, as more people in both developed and developing countries come to rely on seafood in the future as a healthy choice.

Weigh the risks and benefits of eating seafood for yourself by beginning with the following studies and websites. For additional information, be sure to view the links section below.

  • A study from the Child and Family Research Institute (published March 2008 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition) concludes the typical North American diet is deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in fish, and this may pose a risk to infant neurological development.
  • Research from the University of Hawaii (published in May 2007 in the Journal of American Cardiology) questions the health benefits of eating fish and suggests that "fish-eating is not beneficial for health; it’s just not as bad as beef-eating."
  • In October 2006, the U.S. Institute of Medicine (a National Academy of Science) reported on the risks and benefits of eating seafood, concluding that consumers need better guidance.
  • A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association ("Fish Intake, Contaminants, and Human Health") concluded that the benefits of fish intake exceed the potential risks.
  • Another study, published December 2006 in Environmental Health Perspectives ("Separation of Risks and Benefits of Seafood Intake") concluded that the adverse effects of methylmercury exposure from seafood are likely to be underestimated.
  • Meanwhile, the USDA's 2005 dietary recommendations advise the consumption of more fish to live "longer, healthier, and more active lives."

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So what are the good choices when it comes to eating seafood?

The National Academy of Science report above noted the high omega-3 and low methylmercury content of salmon, oysters, rainbow trout, pollock and scallops. Seafood Choices Alliance amends this advice as follows:

Salmon – The report lumps Atlantic and Pacific and wild and farmed varieties together. Because of environmental concerns with the way most salmon is farmed, the Alliance only recommends wild Pacific salmon from Alaska and California at this time as the best environmental and healthy choices. And don't forget about flash frozen and canned salmon (which is primarily pink or sockeye salmon) when fresh wild salmon is not available.

Oysters – Both Pacific and Eastern oysters rate high in omega-3 fatty acids, although the NAS report indicated slightly higher levels found in the former. Farmed oyster varieties are the best choice from an environmental perspective.

Rainbow Trout – This species is the most common in the U.S. market. Rainbow trout raised in freshwater ponds or raceways earns high marks from an environmental perspective, too. Farmed rainbow trout is also a good substitute for farmed salmon.

Pollock – The Alaska pollock fishery is one of the largest food fisheries in the world, and in 2005 was certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. Most pollock is sold as either fillets or as surimi. It’s also the fish most often used in retail breaded and battered fish items.

Scallops – Both sea scallops and their smaller cousin, the bay scallop, are a good choice for omega-3 fatty acids. Look for scallops farmed on suspended lines (which have minimal environmental impact) wild bay scallops from New England, or wild sea scallops caught without using dredges.

Visit our Smart Choices for more information about the best environmental choices in seafood.

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Links

Click here to see our list of other seafood and health reports

Fish Fax (May 18, 2007): Shining a Light on Food Security

Fish Fax (February 14, 2007): Contaminants Found in Some Chinese Farmed Fish

Kid Safe Seafood takes a cautionary approach where children's health is concerned. The KidSafe Seafood list highlights fish that can be safely eaten at least once a week by children age three and older.

Oceans Alive, part of Environmental Defense, provides the scoop on the benefits and risks associated with eating fish and shellfish. The site includes a list of the Eco-Best seafood choices.

Tips for buying and handling seafood safely:

More Seafood and Health links in Resources.

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Last updated April 2, 2008.