On Food and Cooking

grams per week. Even tuna, currently the most
popular seafood in the United States after
shrimp, may join the list of fish that are best
eaten only occasionally. The fish least likely
to accumulate mercury and other toxins are
smaller, short-lived fish from the open ocean
and from farms with a controlled water
supply. They include Pacific salmon and
soles, common mackerel, sardines, and
farmed trout, striped bass, catfish, and tilapia.
Sport fishing in freshwater or near large
coastal cities is more likely to land an
unwholesome catch contaminated by runoff or
industrial discharge.

Fat Contents    of  Common  Fish

Low-Fat

Fish    (0.5–

3%)

Moderately

Fatty   Fish    (3–

7%)

High-Fat

Fish    (8–

20%)

Cod Anchovy Arctic  char

Flounder Bluefish Carp