General Health Information
on Eating Fish

Fish Advisory FAQs

What health benefits do I get from eating sport fish?

Health experts recommend that regular consumption of fish be included as part of a healthy diet. Fish are generally low in fat and high in protein. Fish contain a number of vitamins and minerals, and are the primary food source for long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids are important during fetal brain and eye development and may help to prevent heart disease in adults.

Should I stop eating fish?

We are NOT recommending that you stop eating sport fish, except where "do not eat" is shown in the advisory. Eating fish regularly offers several health benefits. You will gain those benefits, and reduce your exposure to possible contaminants, if you follow this fish advisory information carefully to:

• choose safer places to fish;
• pick safer species to eat;
• trim and cook your catch correctly; and
• follow the recommended meal frequency

What about eating tuna fish?

U.S. EPA and FDA have issued an advisory for women of child-bearing age and children. The FDA recommends that women of child-bearing age and children limit their intake of fish, including store bought fish and canned tuna, to two average meals per week (12 ounces of fish per week for an adult woman.

Albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.

Because tuna steak generally contains higher levels of mercury than canned light tuna, when choosing two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of tuna steak per week.

For more information about FDA's fish consumption advice, including information about tuna consumption, see http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/admehg3.html

How can I reduce my health risk?

Choose smaller fish (within the legal size limit). Smaller fish within a species tend to have fewer contaminants than older, larger fish, and are sometimes tastier and more tender.

Choose leaner fish. Fish that are higher in fat -- Channel Catfish and Carp, for example -- will likely have more fat and may have higher levels of PCBs and similar chemicals in their bodies. Yellow Perch, Sunfish, and Crappie are examples of lean fish.

Trim and cook your fish properly. This is important because all meal advice given in the advisory assumes that this has been done. Proper preparation reduces your exposure to organic chemicals like PCBs and certain pesticides. More than 50 percent of these contaminants can be eliminated by trimming fatty areas before cooking and by cooking fish in ways that allow fat to drip away. Mercury levels cannot be reduced by trimming because mercury binds to protein (the meat portion) of the fish.

What groups are most sensitive to contaminants?

The most sensitive groups are unborn children and children age fifteen and under. This also includes women of child-bearing age. Unborn and young children are especially sensitive to contaminants because their organs and systems are not yet fully developed. They are less able than an adult to deal with toxic substances. Contaminants in fish can be hard to detect and can affect your baby more than they affect you.

What should I do if I think that I've had too much mercury from eating fish?

If you think you have been eating fish with too much mercury regularly, you should see your doctor. Your doctor can take a hair or a blood sample and can find out if there is too much mercury in your system. Mercury you eat today will stay in your body for somewhere between a month to three months, so the sample will tell you if you've been eating too much mercury over the past few months. Your doctor can also give you advice about what you can do to lower the amount of mercury in your body. Because a major source of mercury is contaminated fish, following these guidelines and limiting your fish consumption to those fish known to be lower in mercury should help to lower the amount of mercury in your body.

Duval County Health Department
900 University Blvd. N.
Jacksonville, FL 32211
253-1000

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