Catches to Reel In, Catches to Toss Back
Here’s your guide to the types of seafood you can have often and those to limit or avoid. For a shorter version listing just the most popular and purer catches, click here.
Some notes on this chart:
- The chart is organized by safety: Seafood in the “Reel In!” column is the safest and purest, with little to no contaminants, such as mercury and PCBs. “Go Easy” items contain a little more mercury or other contaminants and so forth. The rest of the information (the three last columns) is about environmental sustainability. Most of the fish in the “Reel In!” column are being caught (or farmed) in ways that minimize their impacts on the environment. But once in a while, you’ll find a fish like shad, which is perfectly safe but isn’t sustainable.
- The cut- off points (Reel In!/Go Easy/Limit/Toss Back) are based on those of the Natural Resources Defense Council. This organization errs on the side of caution, basing their recommendations on mercury levels appropriate for pregnant women. So women who are not pregnant (or ever going to be) and adult men can probably get away with more servings from the last three groups. Unfortunately, the research isn’t clear on this yet, so we have to go with the information that’s available so far.
- Sustainability information is adapted from Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. For more detailed information on each type of fish, go to SeafoodWatch.org. Blank spaces in the chart mean that the category does not apply to a particular species. For instance, Seafood Watch did not find a “Most Environmentally Sustainable” option for Alaskan pollock, but there is an “Acceptable Alternative.”
- Species in blue are fatty fish rich in health- promoting omega- 3s. Have any of these from the “Reel In!” column three times a week.
- Before going fishing or eating fish caught locally, check your local county or the EPA advisory (fishadvisoryonline.epa.gov and click “Advisories Where You Live”) to ensure that they’re safe to eat and not contaminated.
- “Trawling,” “longlining,” “purse seining,” and other fishing techniques are explained on pages 135 and 136 of The Pescetarian Plan (the book).
Reel In
These are the purest, cleanest choices and are your seafood staples on the Pescetarian Plan. For portion sizes, go to chapter 5. Remember to have three omega- 3- rich seafood dishes weekly— those choices are highlighted in gray. The “Acceptable Alternative” column may have some environmental concerns but are a better option than those in the “Avoid” column.
| Pescetarian Plan Seafood Staples | Most Environmentally Sustainable | Acceptable Alternative | Avoid: Not EnvironmentallySustainable |
| Arctic char | Farmed in the U.S., Canada, Norway, Iceland |
— |
— |
| Catfish (U.S. farm-raised) Note: Avoid wild-caught, it may be high in contaminants | Farmed in the U.S. |
— |
— |
| Clams | Farmed world-wide | Wild surfclams from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic |
— |
| Cod, Atlantic (Also called scrod or whitefish) |
Hook-and-line caught from Iceland, Norway and Russian | Same regions, but caught by bottom longline, gillnet, trawl; Danish seine; or hook-and-line from U.S. Gulf of Maine | Trawl-caught from the U.S. or Canada |
| Cod, Pacific (Also called Alaska cod, gray cod, true cod) |
Caught by bottom long-line, jig or trap from the U.S | Trawl-caught from the U.S. | Imported wild-caught from the Pacific |
| Crab | Dungeness crab caught by trap from California, Oregon or Washington; Kona crab wild-caught from Australia; Stone crab trap-caught from the U.S. Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico | Blue crab or king crab caught by trap from the U.S.; Kona crab wild-caught from Hawaii; Dungeness crab trap-caught from Alaska, Jonah crab trap-caught from the U.S. Atlantic; or Snow crab from Alaska or Canada. | King crab from RussiaAtlantic rock crab |
| Flatfish/flounder (Includes dab, hirame, plaice and sole) |
Wild-caught in the U.S. Pacific | — | Wild-caught in the U.S. Atlantic |
| Haddock (Also called scrod) |
Hook-and-line caught in the U.S. Atlantic | Trawl-caught in the U.S. Atlantic; wild-caught in the Iceland Atlantic; Canadian haddock caught by bottom trawl | — |
| Pescetarian Plan Seafood Staples | Most Environmentally Sustainable | Acceptable Alternative | Avoid: Not EnvironmentallySustainable |
| Herring, Atlantic (Also called sardine, slid, sperlin, pilchard, brit) |
— | Wild-caught in the U.S. Atlantic | — |
| Herring, Lake (Also called northern cisco, tulibee) |
— | Wild-caught in Lake Superior | — |
| Mackerel, Atlantic (Also called Boston mackerel, caballa, common mackerel, saba)Note: Not King Mackerel, which is high in contaminants. |
Wild-caught in Alaska | Wild-caught in the U.S. | — |
| Mackerel Pacific Note: Not King Mackerel |
Not enough sustainability information available on this fish | ||
| Mullet, Striped (Also called jumping mullet, jumping jack, Popeye mullet) |
Wild-caught in the U.S. Atlantic or U.S. Gulf of Mexico | — | — |
| Mussels (Blue, black, green or muurugai) |
Farmed world-wide | — | — |
| Oyster | Farmed world-wide | Wild-caught in U.S. Gulf of Mexico and Canada | — |
| Pollock, Alaska (Also called imitation crab, surimi, kanikama) |
— | Wild-caught in Alaska | — |
| Pollock, Atlantic (Also called Boston bluefish, blue cod, blue snapper, coalfish, saithe) |
Caught by gillnet or purse seine in Norway | Caught by Danish seine or trawl in Norway; Caught by set gillnet in Iceland; Caught in the U.S. or Canada | Caught by Danish Seine or trawl in Norway |
| Pescetarian Plan Seafood Staples | Most Environmentally Sustainable | Acceptable Alternative | Avoid: Not EnvironmentallySustainable |
| Salmon, wild-caught (canned, fresh or frozen) | Alaskan Chinook, Coho, Chum, Keta, King, Pink, Red, Silver, Sockeye and Sake salmon caught by drift gillnet, purse seine, or troll | Coho salmon wild-caught in British Columbia; Chinook, coho, chum, keta, king, pink, red, silver, sockeye or sake from California, Oregon, or Washington caught by drift gillnet, purse seine or troll | — |
| Salmon roe | Best: Alaskan, caught by drift gillnet, purse seine or troll. | — | — |
| Sardines, Atlantic | — | — | Wild-caught in the Mediterranean |
| Sardines, Pacific | Wild-caught in the U.S. | — | — |
| Scallops, bay | Farmed world-wide | Diver-caught in the Mexican State of Baja California Sur in the Magdalena Bay | — |
| Scallops, sea | Diver-caught in the Mexican States of Baja California Sur in Laguna Ojo de Liebre and Guerrero Negro; dredge-caught in Alaska | Dredged from the U.S. or Canadian Atlantic; diver-caught in Sechura Bay, Peru | — |
| Shad, American | — | — | Wild-caught in the U.S. Atlantic |
| Pescetarian Plan Seafood Staples | Most Environmentally Sustainable | Acceptable Alternative | Avoid: Not EnvironmentallySustainable |
| Shrimp /Prawns (Though technically different, markets and restaurants use the terms interchangeably)NOTE: Because shrimp are high in cholesterol, limit to twice a week. |
Freshwater prawn farmed in the U.S.; pink shrimp wild-caught in Oregon; shrimp farmed in recirculating systems or inland ponds in the U.S.; spot prawns wild-caught in the Canadian Pacific | Northern shrimp wild-caught in the U.S. and Canadian Atlantic; rock shrimp wild-caught in the U.S.; shrimp wild-caught in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico or south Atlantic; shrimp farmed in open-pen systems in the U.S.; shrimp farmed in fully recirculating systems in Thailand; spot prawn wild-caught in the U.S. Pacific | Imported shrimp (including from Mexico) farmed in open systems; imported wild-caught shrimp |
| Squid (Calamari)NOTE: Because squid is very high in cholesterol, limit to once a week. |
Trawl-caught in the U.S. Atlantic | Wild-caught imported Argentine shortfin squid; wild-caught imported Japanese flying squid; wild-caught jumbo squid from the Gulf of California; Californian market squid caught by purse seine; shortfin squid trawl-caught from the U.S. Atlantic | — |
| Tilapia | Farmed in the U.S. | Farmed in Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecaudor, Honduras | Farmed in China or Taiwan |
| Trout (lake) (Also called char, laker, mackinaw, namaycush, salmon trout, togue) |
— | Wild-caught from Lake Superior or Lake Huron | Wild-caught from Lake Michigan |
| Trout, rainbow (Also called golden trout, steelhead, steelhead trout) |
Farm-raised in the U.S. | — | — |
| Whiting (Also called red, silver, ling or squirrel hake) |
— | Wild-caught from the U.S. Atlantic | — |
| Whitefish, lake | Trap-netted in Lake Michigan; wild-caught in Lake Superior or Lake Huron | Wild-caught in Lake Erie; caught by set gillnet in Lake Michigan; round whitefish wild-caught in Lake Huron or Lake Michigan | — |
Go Easy
Eat no more than six ounces, no more than six times a month.
| Type | Most Environmentally Sustainable | Acceptable Alternative | Avoid: Not EnvironmentallySustainable |
| Bass, Black (Also called Atlantic sea bass, black perch, rock bass) |
— | Wild-caught in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic | — |
| Bass, Striped (Also called greenhead, rockfish, striper, Suzuki) |
Hook-and-line caught in the U.S. Atlantic; Farmed in the U.S. | Caught by gillnet or pound net in the US. Atlantic | — |
| Halibut | Wild-caught Pacific halibut (also called “Alaskan halibut”) caught in the U.S. Pacific | California halibut caught by hook-and-line or bottom trawl; Greenland turbot (also called “Greenland halibut”) wild-caught in the U.S. or Canadian Pacific | Atlantic halibut (also called “Hirame’) wild-caught in the U.S. Atlantic; California halibut caught by set gillnet in the U.S. Pacific |
| Lobster | California spiny lobster or red lobster wild-caught in California; Caribbean spiny lobster wild-caught in Florida; Spiny lobster wild-caught in Baja California or Mexico | American/Maine lobster trap-caught in the Northeast U.S. or Canada; Caribbean spiny lobster wild-caught in the Bahamas | Caribbean spiny lobster wild-caught in Brazil |
| Mahi mahi (Also called dorado or dolphinfish) |
Troll or poll-and-line-caught in the U.S. Atlantic | Caught by long-line in the U.S.; troll or pole-in-line caught in the U.S. Pacific, Hawaii or imported | Imported long-line caught |
| Monkfish | — |
— |
Wild-caught in the U.S. Atlantic |
| Type | Most Environmentally Sustainable | Acceptable Alternative | Avoid: Not EnvironmentallySustainable |
| Rockfish (Also called Rock cod, Pacific snapper, red snapper, Pacific ocean perch) |
Aurora, darkblotched, rough- eye, splitnose, widow, and yellowtail wild-caught in Wash- ington, Oregon, California | Hook-and-line or jig caught in the Pacific | Trawl-caught in the Pacific |
| Sablefish (Also called black cod, butterfish, gindara, sable) |
Wild-caught in Alaska or the Canadian Pacific | Wild-caught in California, Oregon or Washington | — |
| Salmon, farmed in the U.S. or South America * | Salmon farmed in tank (closed) systems in the U.S. | — | Salmon farmed in open-pens, worldwide |
| Snapper | — | Gray snapper wild-caught in Hawaii or elsewhere in the U.S.; pink, red or ruby snapper hook-and-line caught in Hawaii; silk snapper wild-caught in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, U.S. S. Atlantic or U.S. Caribbean | Red snapper wild-caught in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico or wild-caught imported; vermillion snapper wild-caught in the U.S. |
| Tuna, canned, light: skipjack | Worldwide troll or pole-and-line | — | Worldwide caught by purse seine |
* Although low in mercury, some studies show that farm-raised salmon have high levels of persistent organic pollutants (chemicals described on page TK). Those raised in the U.S. and South America tend to have lower levels, but even so, choose wild salmon as much as possible.
Limit
If you like the seafood on this list, limit to no more than three times per month.
| Type | Most Environmentally Sustainable | Acceptable Alternative | Avoid: Not EnvironmentallySustainable |
| Bluefish | — | Wild-caught in the U.S. Atlantic | — |
| Chilean sea bass | — | — | Wild-caught in the Southern Ocean |
| Grouper (Also called mero, seabass) |
— | Black or red grouper wild-caught in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico or South Atlantic; Hawaiian grouper hook-and-line caught in Hawaii | Wild-caught in the U.S. Atlantic; Gag, snowy, warsaw yellowedge grouper wild-caught in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico |
| Spanish mackerel | Wild-caught in the U.S. Atlantic or U.S. Gulf of Mexico | — | — |
| Tuna, albacore, fresh, frozen or canned (Also called white) |
Troll or pole-and-line caught in the U.S. or CanadianPacific or Canadian | Troll or poll-and-line caught elsewhere in the world; longline-caught in Hawaii | Longline—caught worldwide (except in Hawaii); wild-caught in the North Atlantic |
| Tuna yellowfin fresh/frozen or canned(Also called ahi, maguro, canned light) | Troll and poll-and-line caught in the U.S. Atlantic or Pacific | Longline-caught in the U.S. Atlantic or Hawaii; troll or pole-and-line caught worldwide except the U.S. Atlantic and Pacific | Wild-caught worldwide except troll or poll-and line; Longline-caught worldwide (except U.S. Atlantic and Pacific); Worldwide purse seine caught; |
Toss Back
These species tend to be highest in mercury. In fact, the first four are so high that the Food and Drug Administration recommends that pregnant women, women of childbearing age, and small children avoid them entirely. Mercury levels in the remaining seafood on this list are sufficiently
high that the Natural Resource Defense Council also recommends avoiding them. Until research clarifies the effects of these higher mercury levels on the rest of the population, it’s probably wise for all of us to give them a pass.
King mackerel
Shark
Swordfish
Tilefish
Marlin
Orange roughy
Bigeye tuna