Best Choices Good Choices

Anchovy

Atlantic croaker

Atlantic mackerel

Black sea bass

Butterfish 

Catfish 

Clam 

Cod

Crab 

Crawfish 

Flounder

Haddock

Hake

Herring 

Lobster, 

American and spiny 

Mullet

Oyster

Pacific chub 

mackerel

Perch, freshwater 

and ocean 

Pickerel

Plaice

Pollock 

Salmon

Sardine

Scallop 

Shad 

Shrimp 

Skate

Smelt

Sole 

Squid 

Tilapia 

Trout, freshwater

Tuna, canned light 

(includes skipjack)

Whitefish

Whiting

Bluefish

Buffalofish

Carp

Chilean sea bass/

Patagonian toothfish

Grouper

Halibut

Mahi mahi/dolphinfish

Monkfish

Rockfish 

Sablefish

Sheepshead

Snapper

Spanish mackerel

Striped bass (ocean)

Tilefish 

(Atlantic Ocean)

Tuna, albacore/

white tuna, canned 

and fresh/frozen

Tuna, yellowfin

Weakfish/seatrout

White croaker/

Pacific croaker

Choices to Avoid HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELS

King mackerel

Marlin

Orange roughy

Shark

Swordfish

Tilefish 

(Gulf of Mexico)

Tuna, bigeye

What about fish caught by family or friends? Check for fish and shellfish advisories to tell you how often you can safely eat those 

fish. If there is no advisory, eat only one serving and no other fish that week. 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.

Best Choices

Good Choices

Choices to Avoid

Choose a variety of fish that are lower in mercury.

While it is important to limit mercury in the diets of those who are pregnant or breastfeeding and 

children, many types of fish are both nutritious and lower in mercury.

Fish‡ provide key nutrients that 

support a child’s brain development.

ADVICE ABOUT EATING FISH

For Those Who Might Become or Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding 

and Children Ages 1 – 11 Years

‡ This advice refers to fish and shellfish collectively as “fish” / Advice revised October 2021

Childhood: 

On average, a serving is about:

1 ounce at age 1 to 3

2 ounces at age 4 to 7

3 ounces at age 8 to 10

4 ounces at age 11

Eat 2 servings a week from the “Best Choices” list.

What is a serving? As a guide, use the palm of your hand.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: 

1 serving is 4 ounces

Eat 2 to 3 servings a week 

from the “Best Choices” list 

(OR 1 serving from the “Good Choices” list).

This chart can help you choose which fish to eat, and how often to eat them, based on their mercury levels.

Fish are part of a healthy eating pattern and provide key nutrients during pregnancy, 

breastfeeding, and/or early childhood to support a child’s brain development: 

• Omega-3 (called DHA and EPA) and omega-6 fats

• Iron

• Iodine (during pregnancy)

• Choline 

Choline also supports development of the baby’s spinal cord. Fish provide iron and 

zinc to support children’s immune systems. Fish are a source of other nutrients like 

protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and selenium too.

www.FDA.gov/fishadvic

www.EPA.gov/fishadvic
A healthy eating pattern 

consists of choices 

across all food groups 

(vegetables, fruits, grains, 

dairy, and protein foods, 

which includes fish), 

eaten in recommended 

amounts, and within 

calorie needs. Healthy 

eating patterns include 

foods that provide 

vitamins, minerals, and 

other health-promoting 

components and have 

no or little added sugars, 

saturated fat, and sodium.

Eating fish can provide other health benefits too.

Promotion of bone health – 

decreases the risk for hip fractures*

Decreases in the risk of becoming overweight or obese*

Decreases in the risk for colon and rectal cancers*

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends 

eating fish as part of a healthy eating pattern.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends:

• At least 8 ounces of seafood (less for children§) 

per week based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

• Those who are pregnant or breastfeeding consume between 

8 and 12 ounces per week of a variety of seafood from 

choices that are lower in mercury.

This advice supports the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 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 some children, the amounts of fish in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are higher than in this FDA/EPA advice. The Dietary Guidelines for 

Americans states that to consume those higher amounts, children should only be fed fish from the “Best Choices” list that are even lower in mercury 

– these fish are anchovies, Atlantic mackerel, catfish, clams, crab, crawfish, flounder, haddock, mullet, oysters, plaice, pollock, salmon, sardines, 

scallops, shad, shrimp, sole, squid, tilapia, trout, and whiting.

* There is moderate scientific evidence of a relationship between the eating pattern as a whole and the potential health benefit.

‡ This advice refers to fish and shellfish collectively as “fish” / Advice revised October 2021

CONTINUED

ADVICE ABOUT EATING FISH

For Those Who Might Become or Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding 

and Children Ages 1 – 11 Years

www.FDA.gov/fishadvice www.EPA.gov/fishadvice 

Fish intake during pregnancy is recommended because moderate 

scientific evidence shows it can help your baby’s cognitive development. 

Strong evidence shows that eating fish, as part of a healthy eating 

pattern, may have heart health benefits. Healthy eating patterns that 

include fish may have other benefits too. Moderate scientific evidence 

shows that eating patterns relatively higher in fish but also in other 

foods, including vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, low- or nonfat dairy, lean meats and poultry, nuts, and unsaturated vegetable oils, 

and lower in red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened foods and 

beverages, and refined grains are associated with: