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Top 15 Contaminated Fish You Shouldn’t be Eating

Photo credit: bigstock

It used to be that eating seafood and fish regularly was a pretty safe nutritional bet. Fish was packed with protein, healthy monounsaturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids, all those good things (read more about benefits of fish oil). Unfortunately, due to our continued poisoning of the environment and the Fukushima power plant meltdown, many fish are now loaded with unsafe levels of mercury and radiation.All fish, every single fish on this planet, have some level of mercury; however, some have much higher levels than others.

Take a look at our list of the top 15 most contaminated fish on the market today. Avoid eating these or eat them in very small quantities, unless you are an expectant mother, in which case, avoid these fish entirely. However, we will list the best fish to eat at the end of this article, too, so keep reading!

1. Shark

This means any type of meat eating shark such as Longfin Mako, Shortfin Mako, Blacktip, or common Thresher shark. Because sharks are at or near the top of the food chain, they consume other types of fish as their main source of food. This means whatever mercury and contaminates are in the fish they eat accumulate in the bodies of sharks.

It’s ironic that many people eat shark products such as soups, health drinks, pill supplements, and even shark steaks, believing that shark is a healthy meat. In fact, this terrible misconception is so prevalent that one of the world’s largest insurance companies added shark steaks, while at the famous Taste of Chicago food fest, as one of their recommendations as a “healthy” food. In fact, if you read the numerous studies available on this subject, there is absolutely no scientific evidence that eating shark, or taking supplements in any way, will provide any medicinal benefits whatsoever.

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122 Comments

namora

Mar 2, 2015 at 12:28 am

The article is wrong in that solid light tuna is available but you have to look for it or pester your grocery store manager for it. Many things that used to be commonly available The large size of no mix Adams peanut butter, frozen grapefruit juice , real cost savings on each, are no longer available,Brands of light chunk tuna I have been able to find are Polar from Thailand and Dabrovia from Tunisia. The Dabrovia Tuna is not labeled “light” but it isn’t albacore and tastes like light tuna.
H J

Mar 7, 2015 at 4:36 am

trust no one
Thunderchild

Mar 10, 2015 at 4:14 pm

Bluefish a BOTTOM FEEDER?!?! Where in the world do these people get their information. That statement is totally false and it lends the rest of the article suspect in the least!
- Julian Baird
  
  Mar 23, 2015 at 10:24 pm
  
  As a recreational fisherman, I second this comment!
  - Guest
    
    Apr 21, 2015 at 7:54 pm
    
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  - Christian89
    
    Feb 16, 2017 at 4:49 pm
    
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disqus_VDMOBiuPfw

Mar 10, 2015 at 6:37 pm

This article is one massive lie. Furthermore, the fishing industry should sue the pants off this website for libel.
- kennyg7
  
  Mar 11, 2015 at 12:55 am
  
  This is disinfo u r correct. Notice there is no testing for radiation.
  - Melting Sky
    
    Mar 11, 2015 at 5:17 am
    
    Yeah, some of their details are quite off. Most of what they said is true though on the whole.
- Melting Sky
  
  Mar 11, 2015 at 5:13 am
  
  No, it is more like one massive partial truth. Some of the details are off but in general what they are saying is correct. Most of the fish on their list are predatory and do have dangerous amounts of mercury in them if eaten regularly. Their tuna information is pretty dodgy. Some tuna do have very unhealthy amounts of mercury in them particularly when you consider how often tuna is eaten by people but its quite difficult to determine which species and which region the fish in a given can came from. Heavy metals are insidious poisons in that they are cumulative and work their way up the food chain and guess what species of animal is at the very top of the world’s food chain. I’ll give you a hint. It’s the only one that can read and write.
  - disqus_VDMOBiuPfw
    
    Mar 11, 2015 at 6:49 pm
    
    How do you know what the mercury levels are and how they get concentrated as they move up the food chain? They never show the test results or describe that. I demand facts and statistics, not self serving politics.
    - UrabanoMucho
      
      Apr 8, 2017 at 7:43 pm
      
      Suggest you give up eating then
- Spacechick
  
  Mar 12, 2015 at 1:45 am
  
  They just need to sell advertising….looks like they hooked me in to read the website – hook, line and sinker! Gulp.
Randy Russell

Mar 11, 2015 at 12:42 am

Wrong, wrong wrong!!!! Where the hell do these people get their information?
chris

Mar 11, 2015 at 11:36 pm

I think the food police are a bunch of idiots because from one week to the next, they change their minds about what we shouldn’t eat. They tell us to not eat red meat because it is full of chemicals (hormones, antibiotics), which aren’t good for us, the same for pork. Chickens are stressed because they are caged and fed antibiotics and hormones, so they are bad for us. They said to eat fish instead because it is healthier for us. Now we shouldn’t eat fish because of the mercury in most of the fish available to us. They never say what the mercury levels are, and at what point they become toxic.
Also, we shouldn’t eat fruits and vegetables because they are laden with herbicides and pesticides, unless they are organic. Anything that is labeled “organic” is more highly priced than the other “bad” stuff, of course.The fact is, organic food has become a wildly lucrative business for Big Food and a premium-price-means-premium-profit section of the grocery store. Organic is very profitable, In 2012 the total size of the organic food market in the United States was about $30 billion (out of the total market for organic and natural consumer products being about $81 billion).As of 2012, most independent organic food processors in the USA had been acquired by multinational firms. (Don’t get me started on the complicated labeling system used to determine how “organic” a product is or isn’t).
I agree that organic farming is a good thing for us and the ecosystem, and I buy it when I can, but why do organic products have to cost 20-40% more? I mean, if they aren’t using expensive fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics or hormones, shouldn’t stuff be cheaper to grow and produce, especially since multinational firms have taken over the industry? (My own thinking, just saying)
I wish the FOOD POLICE WOULD LEAVE US ALONE! We are not idiots and we can make good food choices all by ourselves.
- D28acoustic
  
  Mar 19, 2015 at 8:36 pm
  
  Have you ever taken into consideration that organic farming is significantly more work, produces significantly smaller crop yields, and has a lot more waste/un-marketable products, as well as a shorter shelf-life on the produce that is marketable?
  - Hugh Jazzole'
    
    Feb 23, 2016 at 12:21 pm
    
    You are totally misinformed.Organic produce has large yields ,& lasts longer w little or no refrigeration.
    How much do the chemical companies pay you for spreading these lies
    - D28acoustic
      
      Feb 23, 2016 at 3:06 pm
      
      Are the trolls so bored that they now are trolling comments from year old articles? While I normally wouldn’t even waste my time replying, I will. I work for a large chain of grocery stores, if organic lasts longer, why exactly is it that we can’t give the stuff away before it spoils? Why is the number one source of losses in produce unsold organic fruits and vegetables? Why is half of the organic product received by our warehouse rejected due to quality? What credibility do you have that your opinion means more than a crap stain on a toilet? If you’d like I can get you some contacts for organic farmers that our corporation works with, I think they would laugh you right out of town if you try to tell them they have higher yields than farmers using gmo seed. I prefer all organic everything for your information you self inflated twat, so you can gtfo with that “what are the chemical companies paying you garbage”. You are the one who is misinformed.
      - Stevie
        
        Mar 5, 2016 at 11:28 am
        
        You’re an idiot and a dick.
      - lovin my life
        
        Jan 18, 2018 at 6:18 am
        
        Everyone, including organic farmers are trying to keep their cost down. Trying to compete with corporations that spray our food with chemicals, only because its cheaper and more profit. There are proven ways to make organic just as good as chemical food.
  - lovin my life
    
    Jan 18, 2018 at 6:16 am
    
    Sorry D2, Evidence does not support your claim. Organic just means normal growing of food without the use of chemicals. Chemicals are easier…thats for sure but not better. Certainly not safer. I agree about the longer shelf life but there are safe methods that we just don’t implement, because of cost, not because growing food with chemicals is superior, its just cheaper..Americans have got it in their heads that profits should come before humans, and your very own health. Many countries grow regular aka real, aka normal, aka organic food, very successfully, Don’t believe the propaganda so that the rich can make more profits. Only in America do we choose profits over health and humans be-ings. That is the main thing wrong with our country, profits are above humans, in health care, education, or prisons.Everything is for profit above its citizens well being…were a sick country.
- Russell Hopkins
  
  Mar 27, 2015 at 1:29 pm
  
  Isn’t it ironic that the organic foods cost more when it takes less effort and the cost of growing is less because no commercial pesticides or fertilizers are used. Yet the processed and so called dangerous foods are much cheaper. The FDA is behind most of this effort as they are in collusion with the major players in the food industry to force us to eat what will make us sick. Why? $$$$$ They make billions off the seed they use which is genetically altered. Eating this bad food causes many of our physical ailments and disease forcing us to see our family physician. This is all part of a greater threat. They genetically altered crops are killing off the honeybees which are responsible for the pollination and propagation of all fruits and vegetables. Without the bees no fruits and veggies. Acid rain, air and water pollution all add more of the toxins our bodies can’t get rid of leading to our sickened physical state. Know what’s in your food. It could save your life.
  - Marvin Zinn
    
    May 21, 2015 at 12:13 pm
    
    You have good logic. I make things simple:
    
    1. Any change from how God created it is a defect.
    2. The cheaper the food, the more money goes to doctors.
- PoorCitizen
  
  Apr 7, 2015 at 3:44 pm
  
  A word of caution. Eating many predatory fish species that are heavily contaminated with mercury WILL make you an idiot. Mercury poisoning directly affects the growth, development, and function of nervous tissue.
  
  Mercury is toxic at ALL concentrations, with the effect increasing with increasing concentration. Predatory fishes are dangerous precisely because they are predators. They consume other species, which may themselves have consumed other species. Mercury like many substances is readily accumulated in the body in its activated form and consequently will be present in higher concentrations among top predators as a result of bioaccumulation. If you eat these species, the mercury concentrated in their flesh will be absorbed into your body. It is not excreted, but builds up over time. The higher the concentration, the greater the toxicity.
  
  If you are going to be cavalier with respect to your eating habits because of political ideology, the choice is yours. However, at least be cognizant of the damage you may be doing to your children. The developing nervous systems in infants and young children are far more susceptible to the damage mercury causes to their developing nervous systems and because of their relatively smaller size, the same amount of mercury leads to a higher concentration in the body.
  
  Please don’t blame your ignorance on others. It is everyone’s responsibility to educate themselves. Be thankful that there are many, who will be glad to help you, but ultimately you have to be open-minded enough to help yourself.
  - chris
    
    Apr 7, 2015 at 10:18 pm
    
    I am not cavalier about my eating habits and political ideology has nothing to do with the choices I make. I eat as healthy as I can and I read a lot about different foods, so I do educate myself. I am always looking for healthier alternatives (I do not get my information from this website). I absolutely love fish. I have known about mercury in fish since the 70’s and I have never had any of the fish listed in this article (American eel-do people actually eat this?), because either they are not available locally where I live or they are so highly priced that I wouldn’t consider them anyway. I always look for fresh, wild caught fish and stay away from anything imported (except from Canada). I do read labels carefully. I do not have small children to worry about. My whole point here was that the information in this article is not new, it is also incomplete in that it doesn’t say what the amounts of mercury are in these fish–only that they have high levels of it. It does say that all fish contains mercury and that the FDA cannot possibly test every single fish that comes into the country, so only a very small fraction is ever tested. If that’s true, then how does the Food Police know how high the levels are in these fish? This article should have been researched better and there should be links to research studies to back up their story.The only study they reference is this: “Recent studies have shown that excessively high blood levels of mercury can be traced to high or frequent consumption of swordfish. One study was performed in San Francisco and involved 123 subjects”. Only 123 subjects out of billions of people? How is that a realistic cross-section of the population?
    
    The fact is that much of the food we eat today contains something that is probably not good for us–starches, high-fructose corn syrup, sugars, salt, hormones, antibiotics, dyes,…etc., and it is up to us to us to decide if we are going to buy these products and eat them. If we care about what we eat, the majority of us will decide to read labels, to buy organic when we can, limit processed foods and to not eat fish that is high in mercury. People make food choices based on their individual tastes and cost. The Food Police should stop making us paranoid about what we eat and drink and focus on what they can do to make our food better and safer by lobbying against companies that produce these products that are bad for us instead of writing articles about it. There is a lot of information out there educating us about what is wrong with our food, but little about what is being done to make it better.
    Last thought–everything in moderation.
    - Susan F. Thompson
      
      Apr 7, 2017 at 10:12 pm
      
      You didn’t mention to the uninformed that you do not have to stop with this article. There are many that will refer you to “eat this not that”. Not only for fish either. Then you can talk turkey.
  - Leftout
    
    Apr 26, 2015 at 3:12 pm
    
    Perhaps we should have fish farms and feed them agricultural feed, veggies and increase farming and run offs to the seas, perhaps we should just eat manna , small insects….ooops, these insects are probably contaminated from rotting humans who decided not to eat at all. Humans will adapt as Darwin proposed. Enjoy life and STFU.
stephen byrne

Mar 12, 2015 at 3:10 pm

Brought to you by the American Cattleman’s Association and the U.S. Pork Producers Council. Give me a break here! This reminds me of what Spicoli’s stoner friend said to him about the drug Spicoli was using possibly causing brain damage: “Only if you take it everyday for a month.” With all that mercury in my body, when I have a fever I’ll take my own temperature.
Alwuhush

Mar 14, 2015 at 2:12 am

Going by the photos, I wouldn’t even feed those Pacific Ocean Perch to my CAT…
- PoorCitizen
  
  Apr 7, 2015 at 3:55 pm
  
  Then you had better stop eating fish sticks, which make up a significant fraction of the fish in fish sticks.
Osama bin Login

Mar 14, 2015 at 8:57 pm

“many fish are now loaded with unsafe levels of mercury and radiation”

No. Radioactivity, not Radiation.
Radioactivity is stuff that is radioactive. Regular stuff but some of the atoms in it are ready to pop, and when it pops it shoots out a particle or two. Each of those particles is a ‘pop’ on a geiger counter. Or, the particle can fly through your body, causing a few mutations along the way. That’s the ‘radiation’ they’re trying to talk about.
From fukushima and other reactors, the big dangers are Strontium 90 and Caesium 137. Sr90 acts like regular strontium, which acts like calcium. It gets into your bones. Caesium acts like Potassium which is more in the soft tissues.
If you’re afraid of radioactivity, get a geiger counter. Far more accurate than anything you’ll read about. It’s like having a thermometer in your home, instead of reading the weather to figure out the temperature in your home.
- Julian Baird
  
  Mar 23, 2015 at 10:21 pm
  
  Great comment!
ETNIKS

Mar 15, 2015 at 3:44 am

THIS IS THE RESULT OF “THE GREEN REVOLUTION” OF CHEMICALS USED FOR GROWTH OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS.
We as a species are self destructing Big Time, and leaving a horrible world to the next generations!!!

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN FUKUSHIMA SHOULD BE A CLEAR WARNING, BUT MOST PEOPLE ARE SO STUPID ARE NOT EVEN AWARE OF THE TONS OF RADIATED WATER ENTERING THE OCEAN EVERY DAY!! People still today think Nuclear Power should be promoted. IDIOTS
- ClingintoBibleandGuns
  
  Mar 24, 2015 at 9:33 pm
  
  Saw that film good also Forks and Knives.
D28acoustic

Mar 19, 2015 at 8:50 pm

Is it just me or does this read like more of an article from an environmentalist trying to scare people off of eating fish that may or may not find themselves on the endangered list. A few of these are in fact accurate, but some are just ridiculous, and towards the end you should have noticed a trend of talking more about the fishes population problems than the health risks.
- Julian Baird
  
  Mar 23, 2015 at 10:18 pm
  
  You are so right, D28a. That’s a great guitar, by the way!
mikeyz99

Mar 20, 2015 at 12:19 am

http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp

Lists Pacific Ocean Perch as being among the lowest in mercury. Atlantic Cod as well.

You are full of crap.

Does anyone at this site ever actually check facts?
cal3301

Mar 20, 2015 at 2:36 pm

The problem is all fish have a degree of mercury, PCB’s, and various other chemicals from rain and irrigation runoff into streams. I trout fish and the state posts how many it is safe to eat a month. Most of the contaminants are found in the fatty part of the fish and are told to be removed before cooking.
tancrave

Mar 20, 2015 at 3:45 pm

i feel like they just pull fish names out of a hat and rank them
Sagesteve

Mar 22, 2015 at 1:21 pm

Let’s seeeeee…Japanese people are supposed to live the longest, right? They eat a TON of fish and it’s caught from all around the world. Hmmmmmm, enough said. This IS a “plant” article by the lefties with ulterior motives.
Ajax

Mar 24, 2015 at 1:52 pm

Mrs. Paul’s Fish Sticks is the only fish I eat! Always fresh n’ crispy! You can trust Mrs Paul! She’s got my back!
ClingintoBibleandGuns

Mar 24, 2015 at 9:29 pm

Excuse me,but I have been reading labels and avoiding Pacific fish including Alaskan
because of the radioactive crap from Japan. I figured Atlantic fish was the lesser of two evils but this article confuses me. Will someone enlighten me?
- Excelsior
  
  Apr 26, 2015 at 4:29 pm
  
  Don’t be worried about Pacific fish. Lots of testing has been done and it’s safe. The radioactive isotope Cesium, which was released in Fukushima, has been detected in some fish but it’s at levels that are 1,000s of times lower than what the FDA considers safe. Scientist had to concentrate all of their samples to even detect a trace of the element. Unless you plan on eating over two tons of tuna a year then the amount of Cesium you will get is ridiculously small.
  
  The East Coast on the other hand is a different story. Pollution being pumped into the waters is far greater than what you will find on the Pacific due to industrialization and the concentrations of pollutants being dumped into the Atlantic. Just look at the Potomac, the Delaware, and every River in New York to get an idea. There are also a far greater number of watershed in the Atlantic that have levels of mercury and other toxins in high enough numbers that any fish caught there is considered catch and release only. Mercury, pesticides, and PCBs pose a far greater danger to Atlantic fish than ones you find in the Pacific. Fish caught nearer to the coast are even more susceptible to having high concentrations of toxins. At this point, Pacific fish are generally safer to consume.
  - Chewbacka Grizelda
    
    Oct 24, 2015 at 3:02 pm
    
    You keep telling yourself that…
    - Excelsior
      
      Oct 25, 2015 at 9:01 pm
      
      I bet you think vaccines give children Autism.
      - Jane Edwards
        
        Jan 27, 2017 at 6:33 pm
        
        yes they do
      - Edward Krinsky
        
        Feb 14, 2017 at 12:42 am
        
        As medical professional, I can say you are absolutely wrong! But then again, any proof shown to you means nothing. You’ll believe what you want to, and expose your child to disease. I hope you sleep well nights,,,,,
      - Jane Edwards
        
        Feb 15, 2017 at 3:35 pm
        
        I doubt that you are a professional. There is ample evidence to show that vaccines can cause autism.How come you are unaware of this?perhaps you work for Big Pharma? LOL!!
      - vegasdude
        
        Dec 20, 2017 at 5:39 am
        
        Medical professional?? Learned LONG AGO to STAY AWAY from you guys… And I wouldnt put ANY Government Vaccine into my body anymore…. Next they’ll be putting in NanoBots.. for the people that they missed who refuse to get Chips implanted… Just watch….
  - Tracey Lin Miller
    
    Mar 28, 2017 at 5:19 pm
    
    Oh you mean the fda that tells us all kind of things are safe that are slowly killing us? hmm okay
    - Excelsior
      
      Jul 1, 2017 at 5:36 pm
      
      The FDA doesn’t tell you what’s safe. They tell you what the safe levels are to consume. They give you the numbers and you can do with them whatever the hell you want. You can eat Atlantic fish, Pacific fish, or fish pulled out of a storm drain. Or you can eat tofu your entire life. Who cares?
    - vegasdude
      
      Dec 20, 2017 at 5:33 am
      
      EXACTLY…. just like doctors prescribing Toxic Pharma… I refuse Medical prescriptions… I use HEALTHY herbs… found ones that work Lots Better than Antibiotics.. after Drs wiped out my gut flora with them battling a sinus infection… OH.. and when Fukushima radiation fallout levels starting reaching unsafe limits across the USA.. They UPPED the limits… Like W…. T….. F… ???
- Clambroth
  
  May 2, 2015 at 2:57 am
  
  Excuse me? Did you burp or something? To get a slightly hazardous dose of radiation from Pacific Ocean fish you would need to eat 2.5 tons – THAT’S TONS – of tuna a year. Even the IDIOTIC little red hen isn’t worried about that.
  - Chewbacka Grizelda
    
    Oct 24, 2015 at 3:01 pm
    
    ClingintoBibleandGuns might be from Canada. They just talk differently up there. You don’t have to yell at people you don’t know.
    - Clambroth
      
      Oct 25, 2015 at 4:08 pm
      
      Yeah, my family is Canadian
  - Tracey Lin Miller
    
    Mar 28, 2017 at 5:18 pm
    
    lmao, ignorance is bliss, stay blissful
- Marvin Zinn
  
  May 21, 2015 at 12:15 pm
  
  Yes, I buy only salmon wild near Alaska, especially no where near China. I also avoid tuna because of too much mercury in the Atlantic ocean.
  - Chewbacka Grizelda
    
    Oct 24, 2015 at 3:03 pm
    
    The radiation migrated towards Alaska. It’s already been tested in the waters just off the Alaskan shores.
- Susan F. Thompson
  
  Apr 7, 2017 at 10:02 pm
  
  Well do to the oil spills the one in the gulf makes fish and shrimp off limits to me, I live in Florida but then there was a recent spill up off the Alaska coast so that’s out. I am waiting for the testers to get me some gulf shrimp but they still haven’t found a safe base. Then there are the farmers. Some have unclean ways of feeding and raising. One just has to go online to find out. When it comes to canned fish the only one I’ve found is OK is solid white Albacore.
  I have pretty much given up fish altogether. And I grew up in Florida. But I can see the difference in the Ocean water. It’s polluted most of the time. Damn shame how we have screwed up the Planet.
- GB
  
  May 10, 2017 at 10:08 pm
  
  no I can not help. I did the same as you and now also I am confused
John Galt

Mar 25, 2015 at 2:43 am

I am sick and tired of being told everything is bad for you. The Japanese have a very heavy fish diet and their cancer rates are much lower then here. I had swordfish last night, and today for lunch I had a burger.
- Cliff Reed
  
  Apr 24, 2015 at 9:21 pm
  
  By the way, DON’T BREATH THE AIR!!!
Thomas Riggins

Mar 26, 2015 at 9:13 pm

They seem to be wrong about Swai. It is catfish (not in the US due to lobbying by US producers). It is also inspected and is as healthy and clean as US catfish. The only difference is it is cheaper and tastes better. Cf
Is Vietnamese Swai and Basa Safe? – Chef’s Resources
Wesley P. Mallett

Mar 27, 2015 at 1:44 am

this sounds like the BEEF people whote this propaganda
Pam Gigous

Mar 27, 2015 at 5:33 pm

shouldn’t be eating fish at all. They are intelligent and can feel pain, Our oceans are being destroyed because of over fishing. Start thinking more about our planet than yourself.s
- chris
  
  Apr 7, 2015 at 10:50 pm
  
  Really?? How do you know fish feel pain?? You should stop watching “Finding Nemo” The ﬁsh brain does not contain the highly developed neocortex needed to feel pain, so do not experience it in any meaningful way like humans.Fish are able to experience unconscious, basic instinctive responses.
  - Denise Parr
    
    Apr 8, 2017 at 7:36 pm
    
    You are wrong. I eat meat and fish but I also think fish are some of the most beautiful creatures alive. Just because they don’t yell oww does not mean it does not hurt or they do not feel. Proof, I have 12 large tanks, salt and fresh water. In one Lives Clark, named after Clark Gable. His tank is 50 gallons anyways Clark will swim normally while the room is empty but as soon as you enter he will immediately drop to the bottom and lay on his side like his side like he is about to die. Reason being is he wants a kiss. I stand on step stool lean over put my lips right above water and he will swim up and bump his lips to yours. No I didn’t train him don’t even Know if this type of fish can be trained but I do know any creature that interacts thinks and feels. Also I don’t think trees feel pain as we define it but they are alive and sense more than we think. I am amazed at how they will literally break water pipes. How do they know which pipes carry water? Why don’t the roots break other underground pipes ? Just because a species does not walk, talk, look, or have the same biologtcal make up that humans do does not mean that it should not be treated with respect.
- Greg
  
  Apr 22, 2015 at 2:28 pm
  
  Ok Pam.
  Does the tree feel pain also when I pick an apple or an orange to?
  Fruitcake.
  - domseekingfem
    
    Dec 25, 2016 at 10:00 am
    
    Hah=hahhhh
peter grigore

Mar 28, 2015 at 1:57 am

mercury, i heard, disappears at the first ray of sunlight. where in this us of a can someone buy catfish these days? it’s too cheap and it becomes a threat to other fish, not as tasty, but pricey.
Bill

Apr 2, 2015 at 11:52 am

This article convinced me. I’m Done! lol
Alfred Moniot

Apr 3, 2015 at 11:39 pm

You Green Tree Hugger AHs need to be NUKED!

fmr LCDR MC USNR NUKE – resigned 4 July 1978 after 8.5 years active/4.5 as a LCDR NUKE

retired expatriate MD: NBME; ABIM; ABNM; ABR w/spec comp NR
jayeffcee

Apr 5, 2015 at 3:03 pm

You guys are totally full of crap. The list you made (up) reads like a list of popular edible ocean fish. I am sure that you are also convinced that the oceans will rise 50 ft. in the next 10 years due to “climate change”, and that it is a sin to eat any but free- range chickens. Bugger off, you leftist whackos!!!
- Marvin Zinn
  
  May 21, 2015 at 12:19 pm
  
  Your objection to obvious proof will cause you great regret for medical treatment later.
  - Chewbacka Grizelda
    
    Oct 24, 2015 at 3:00 pm
    
    True that!
- bilzod
  
  Apr 7, 2017 at 7:18 pm
  
  Gee I did not know Fox News had a Fishing Channel …..What is it Jayeffcee ???+
Cliff Reed

Apr 6, 2015 at 6:45 pm

Is there enough mercury in these fish to use as a thermometer? I mean an ORAL thermometer ?
- PoorCitizen
  
  Apr 7, 2015 at 3:51 pm
  
  No and even if they were, human tissue is not confined to a specific volume like mercury in a tube, so it wouldn’t permit calibration as you see in a thermometer.
  
  Just out of curiosity. Have you ever thought about how a thermometer actually works? Reading wikipedia can do a lot for those who don’t have training in even the most basic of science.
  - Cliff Reed
    
    Apr 24, 2015 at 9:18 pm
    
    I know how a thermometer works. What I wrote is called humor.
PoorCitizen

Apr 7, 2015 at 3:27 pm

Please note! The name orange roughy refers to species of the genus Hoplostheus of the family Trachichthyidae. As the article notes it is found in deep waters and fishes heavily in southern Oceans. Unfortunately, the fish in the photo is not an orange roughy, but rather Helicolenus dacytlopterus, of the family Scorpaenidae.

Thanks to the Obama administration the FDA and NOAA have tightened regulations concerning the use common names of fishes for food products, as well as for use in federal publications mean to educate the public. In fact, it is now a crime for restaurants and fish merchants to sell mislabeled products. Given the nature of mercury poisoning and its increasing concentrations in fish flesh throughout the world as a result of pollution, this is a very good thing, even for republicans who hate regulations, since it at least allows the customer to be aware of precisely what it is they are buying and so that they can make meaningful choices with respect to risks.

Unfortunately, these regulations do not solve the problem of representatives of the news media of being largely untrained in science and thus largely incapable of accurate reporting. In this area, the reader must remain extremely vigilant and perhaps would do well to advocate on behalf of more spending on education and scientific literacy. We now live in an increasingly polluted and increasingly warming world in which because of higher temperatures, pollutants will disperse and find their way into fish tissue more readily. Consequently, education concerning environmental issues and environmental science is more important than ever, since the life of you and your family depends upon humans collectively doing things wisely and accurately.
- [email protected]
  
  Sep 22, 2015 at 2:23 pm
  
  It still has that ‘fishy’ smell to it when cooked!
Sharon L.Brooks

Apr 7, 2015 at 5:51 pm

why would Red snapper from the GULF OF MEXICO be any safer??????
1LTLos

Apr 8, 2015 at 12:35 am

I stopped reading when I got to the letters EPA If anything is a bottom feeder is an alphabet agency in this administration. Eat and enjoy!
Steve

Apr 21, 2015 at 5:46 pm

Today eggs are safe, tomorrow, they’re unsafe, fish is good for you, now it’s not, beef is good, now no more than 3 ounces twice a week….. Never ending food crap!

My great grandfather lived to 62, my grandfather lived to 79, today my dad is 86, my mom is 80. Obviously we are living longer. As my dad says, worrying about what you eat is more harmful for you than just eating it. My mom says, “Enjoy the Chicken fried steak, would you like extra gravy on that? Save room for the pie and ice cream.” Hey, it’s working for them.

Maybe all this worry about mercury, cholesterol, etc. is contributing to all the stress people have, and the stress, not the mercury is why people are keeling over from heart attacks. Just sayin’…
- Greg
  
  Apr 22, 2015 at 2:30 pm
  
  Well put Steve. Bravo.
jack reynolds

Apr 21, 2015 at 8:44 pm

Swordfish is a “tropical” fish?
- [email protected]
  
  Sep 22, 2015 at 2:25 pm
  
  I dunno…
Greg

Apr 21, 2015 at 10:29 pm

Just out of curiosity. What fish do these people recomend eating then? They just named some of the most eaten fish in this country. The way I look at it. Keep eating what you have been eating. We have been eating these fish for years. Unless of course you pull up a two headed one? Then you might want to throw it back? LOL
Steven Wegener

Apr 21, 2015 at 11:22 pm

Kinda surprised pollock isn’t on the list maybee mcdonalds payed em off
Robert Mehoff

Apr 22, 2015 at 2:21 pm

you people that think this is wrong have no common sense—-look in the fishing regulation hand book for starters in Florida it gives you mercury warning—the bigger fish get higher levels of pollutants from eating smaller fish—–I’m sure you can find the research online somewhere if you look. or if you are really worried about poison and contamination have the waters test by an independent lab—-Bcauce I know for a fact that the many rivers that feed the gulf are highly polluted. many of them have industry run off—-and some of the fish I caught hare sick and inedible their insides looked like jelly same with the meat parts—–I know for a fact they used many dispersants to clean the gulf —those are highly toxic and much of the oil sank to the bottom—-and the radiation has reached Calif.——And in the middle of the ocean there is a trash pile floating around the size of California——–So if you think about it things might be worse than they are telling you
Leftout

Apr 26, 2015 at 3:00 pm

This article was written and paid for by the International Vegetarian Society. And EPA. There are too many humans, passing methane and Co2. No humans, no nagging complainers. We need more non government funded self abortions for humans .
Vegetarians are promoting more agriculture and more run offs to the oceans that poison their fish. Abolish Vegans.
Jeffrey Madruga

Apr 28, 2015 at 6:08 pm

The epic misinformation and half-baked insinuations in this article are nothing if not hilarious, and are apparently intended mostly for DIY food fools. The only point I’d say is worthy of seconding is that “imported catfish” (aka. Swai and/or Basa) is the cheapest fish in your market, and there’s a reason for that. But do your homework folks, and *triple* check your sources and science, because there are hordes of unqualified Chicken Little’s out there more than happy to scare just for notoriety.
Anthony P.

Apr 30, 2015 at 12:45 pm

Yes, the food police are alive & well I see. Don’t eat this, don’t eat that. Apparently none of these food freaks had parents who told them “everything in moderation”.
Mary Eileen Gardner

May 2, 2015 at 2:38 am

Can’t you see that the people who write these articles condemning fish, chicken and meat are vegan. Although the fish mentioned have been proven to contain mercury I think would need to eat large quantities daily to suffer from heavy metal poisoning.
Clambroth

May 2, 2015 at 2:47 am

Really, the only thing safe to eat these days are Carp, Suckers and Snakeheads
Tara Gilbert

May 8, 2015 at 10:06 pm

umm they left out the most dangerous on,,, FISHFINGERS
zeogiannes .

May 9, 2015 at 11:53 am

Salmon which I love to catch and eat if I could, are not on this list and all of them are poisoned with PCB’s, mercury and other pesticides. More hazardous, biological and chemical wastes are dumped in all worldwide oceans, seas, rivers, streams and lakes than is publicized. Have you ever heard of MTBE, look it up and read about what it is doing to the environment and us? If you don’t believe it, you keep eating the fish and enjoy, but don’t sue and blame other people, companies and restaurants after you find out that your sick.
mikedoe

May 12, 2015 at 10:12 pm

WTF. I guess I will just stick with Mrs. Pauls.
Gary Lester

May 21, 2015 at 10:37 pm

Liar
Robert

May 29, 2015 at 5:20 am

I can tell you why I eat tuna instead of salmon, I hate the taste of salmo, and it always has a lot of tiny bones you have to pick out before you can eat it.
Olive Greenz

Jun 24, 2015 at 6:21 pm

This all sounds really awful for the fish!
sclibertymom

Jul 14, 2015 at 1:43 am

I was sure that they were referring to the 15 fish that are still alive in the Northern Pacific.
Saint Joseph

Sep 15, 2015 at 12:01 am

Hi Folks,
Having read the entire article, and some 12 comments,
I will continue to consume fish as I’ve done for decades!!!
QED.
Chewbacka Grizelda

Oct 24, 2015 at 2:59 pm

What about salmon? Are they full of radiation from Fukishima?
- [email protected]
  
  Mar 28, 2016 at 4:24 pm
  
  Farm raised salmon is ARTIFICIALLY injected with ‘SOME TYPE Of CHEMICAL” for it to have a fairly ‘pink’ complexion…I do not buy or eat Farm Raised Salmon!!!
[email protected]

Mar 28, 2016 at 4:15 pm

I NEVER eat Tilopia!!!
- [email protected]
  
  Mar 28, 2016 at 4:15 pm
  
  (sp???)
dennycrane

Jun 8, 2016 at 1:50 pm

It’s better to tell us which ones are not poison. Probably none. I had some canned pink salmon that I ate over a couple of days. The contents were salmon and water.
David H. Sterling

Jun 30, 2016 at 6:46 pm

They should have listed Atlantic Salmon and Tilapia! Both are farmed and very bad.
Hey You Guys!

Aug 31, 2016 at 11:05 pm

Tilapia, a fish used to eat the feces of Atlantic farm raised salmon, did not make this list? How did that happen?
Hey You Guys!

Aug 31, 2016 at 11:10 pm

Also, I have read some reports that basically say “why don’t these fish die if they have such high levels of mercury?” The report suggest the fish have created an antigen. And when you eat the fish, you also digest the antigen along with the Mercury. Don’t know how true this all is, but if all these Mercury laden fish are on the brink of extinction, what better way to scare the masses with a “poisoning” farce……just saying…….
Mikael George

Mar 22, 2017 at 4:57 pm

avoiding all the Pacific fish including Alaskan ! the whole pacific ocean is contaminated with Radiation ! wake up … The future looks good for good business for the Cancer society , Big pharma and Doctors .
Tyrone J.

Apr 3, 2017 at 2:25 pm

This is all junk science aka no science, someone looking for some ad revenue spread nonsense across multiple pages with no credible sources of info
Chris Horner

Apr 3, 2017 at 4:56 pm

I can’t believe that ANYONE with any sense would recommend tilapia.
Jim King

Apr 6, 2017 at 12:23 pm

People, keep it real please and provide ALL information when attempting to advocate … see this from Harvard’s finest …… https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fish/

Striking a Balance-truth

Avoiding fish is certainly one way to avoid mercury or PCBs. But is that the wisest choice, given the benefits of eating fish? Drs. Mozaffarian and Rimm put this in perspective in their analysis in the Journal of the American Medical Association. (1) First, reviewing data from the Environmental Protection Agency and elsewhere, they calculated that if 100,000 people ate farmed salmon twice a week for 70 years, the extra PCB intake could potentially cause 24 extra deaths from cancer—but would prevent at least 7,000 deaths from heart disease. Second, levels of PCBs and dioxins in fish are very low, similar to levels in meats, dairy products, and eggs. Third, more than 90 percent of the PCBs and dioxins in the U.S. food supply come from such non-seafood sources, including meats, dairy, eggs, and vegetables. So, given these limited health effects, low levels in fish, and major sources from other foods, the levels of PCBs and dioxins in fish should not influence your decision about which fish to eat (just as it does not influence your decision about whether or not to eat vegetables, meats, dairy products, or eggs, the major sources of PCBs and dioxins). One exception: if you eat local freshwater fish caught by friends or family, it makes sense to consult local advisories about the amounts of such fish you should eat.
Jim King

Apr 6, 2017 at 12:29 pm

Authors on websites like this really are frustrating as their background and research is typically influenced in persuasion by some lame editor-in-chief or a 3rd party payment source in trade for … see below. Been in this industry for years, advocated myself at Wild VS Sustainable Farmed and almost always there is a caveat somewhere affecting 1 or more persons to pursuade one way or the other. Nonetheless, seafood is heathy, sustainable, nutritious and less harmful to our atmosphere than a majority of our known farmed commodities we’ve worked with for centuries folks. Why do you believe the Asian population in general have such longetivity, focus and great retention levels?
Jim King

Apr 6, 2017 at 12:43 pm

Ha, after reading all your misinformed, misguided and selective comments on the 15 species you chose to speak on, how about explaining that Chilean Seabass was now considered a single species instead of being broken into a single, Dissostichus Mawsoni and Dissostichus Eleginoides, which in whole are NOT on brink of extinction within 5 years … nice try PETA / GP friend. Also, why do editors like yourself take such stances to dilute, discord and diminish such economic opportuntiy from other countries whom are far less fortunate by bashing their species like Basa and Swai, both of which are fabulous tasting seafood and deserve recognition in health and nutritional values. Yes, mis-labeling is a chronic issue at hand but ask John Collins from NFI what they are doing to combat this as I did at SENA17 in Boston 2 weeks ago? As usual, it’s a pending issue of discussion with ‘no’ solutions being engaged in as a start, “just an observed issue”. Shmmmh
Jim King

Apr 6, 2017 at 12:48 pm

Oh my gosh, media like yours make grateful individuals like me want to throw up in discust at your 1 sided, unofficial, un-factual, exuse for literature and advocacy. I have to go back to work .. by the way, hope you enjoy all the fecies, urinated and flatulated fed beef, pork and poultry as much as I do! Lol..
William Nelson

Apr 7, 2017 at 4:23 am

Try the sun fish, it’s really a engineered protozoa , not a fish. The sun fish is a man made amoeba contaminating the ocean’s fish with snails and tapeworms.
Jimbo99

Dec 2, 2017 at 1:03 pm

The planet is basically polluted, The fresh & saltwater is toxic. What about Grouper, because every fish listed as tainted & are what the local fish markets are selling. Even the ground/soil so produce & vegetables are tainted. I guess starvation is the alternative.

It’s becoming a Mad Max trilogy. Japan had the Fukushima (ironic the the name of the nuclear facility, right ? It’s what you are when it melts down and leaks.) tsunami & nuclear facility meltdown a few years back and nobody is reporting on that very much. Debris litters the oceans in floating islands. If you don’t see them, they must not/don’t exist.
Saka Moko

Feb 26, 2018 at 10:29 pm

Hmmmm….No mention of Salmon.Neither Atlantic or Fukushima Pacific. The Globalist scum is really narrowing down what we can eat safely.
Rallo

Mar 22, 2018 at 7:28 am

Continue to Page 2 link does not work

Top 15 Contaminated Fish You Shouldn’t be Eating

1. Shark

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