Mercury in fish: What fish are safe to eat?

Advice on Eating Fish

From the North Carolina Division of Public Health

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Most fish are good to eat and good for you—high in protein and other nutrients, and low in fat. But some kinds of fish contain high amounts of mercury, which can cause health problems in people, especially children. People should avoid eating those fish. To help you make the healthiest choices, North Carolina offers the following advice. For more information, see www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/fish/ or call the CARE-LINE at 1-800-662-7030.

Avoid or limit fish consumption based on the following:

Eat Fish LOW in mercury:

Ocean fish:

Black drum
Canned light tuna
Cod
Crab
Croaker
Flounder
Haddock
Halibut
Herring
Jacksmelt
Lobster
Mahi-mahi
Ocean perch
Oysters
Pollock
Pompano
Red drum
Salmon (canned, fresh or frozen)
Scallops
Sheepshead
Shrimp
Skate
Southern kingfish (sea mullet)
Spot
Speckled trout (spotted sea trout)
Tripletail
Whitefish
White grunt

Freshwater fish:

Bluegill Sunfish
Farm-raised catfish
Farm-raised trout
Farm-raised crayfish
Tilapia
Trout

Avoid Fish HIGH in mercury:

Ocean fish:

Albacore (white) tuna** fresh or canned
Almaco jack
Banded rudderfish
Cobia
Crevalle jack
Greater amberjack
South Atlantic grouper (gag, scamp, red and snowy)
King Mackerel
Ladyfish
Little tunny
Marlin
Orange roughy
Shark
Spanish mackerel
Swordfish
Tilefish
Tuna, fresh or frozen**

Freshwater fish:

Blackfish (bowfin)*
Black crappie***
Catfish (caught wild)*
Jack fish (chain pickerel)*
Largemouth bass (statewide)
Walleye from Lake Fontana and Lake Santeetlah (Graham and Swain counties)
Warmouth*
Yellow Perch*

*High mercury levels have been found in blackfish (bowfin), catfish, jack fish (chain pickerel), warmouth, and yellow perch caught south and east of Interstate 85.

**Different species from canned light tuna

***High mercury levels have been found in black crappie caught south and east of Interstate 95.