Consumption of Fish and Seafood During Pregnancy
       Home> Articles > Nutrition > Consumption of Fish and Seafood During Pregnancy                                                           SEARCH

Sushi

Certain types of cooked sushi such as eel and California rolls are safe to eat when pregnant.

The FDA reports the greatest risk of seafood-borne illnesses is from raw or undercooked shellfish, particularly clams, oysters and mussels from contaminated waters. Bacteria such as Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, and viral infections (including hepatitis A) have all been found in raw seafood.

 

However, raw fish should also be avoided during pregnancy because it may contain parasites such as flukes or worms. Cooking and freezing are the most effective methods for killing the parasite larvae found in fish. The USFDA recommends cooking the fish to 140°F. The fish should appear opaque and flaky when done. Freezing the fish at - 10°F for at least 168 hours (7 days) will also kill most larvae [6]

Mercury in Fish and Seafood

Fish and seafood can be an important part of a balanced diet for pregnant women and those of childbearing age who may become pregnant. Indeed low consumption of fish was found to be a strong risk factor for preterm delivery and low birth weight in one study [7]. In addition maternal consumption of low levels of seafood may have a detrimental effect on child development [8]. Nonetheless, some large long-lived fish contain high levels of a form of mercury called methyl mercury that may potentially harm an unborn baby's developing nervous system.

Small fish absorb methylmercury from water as they feed on aquatic organisms. The longer the fish lives the more methylmercury the fish accumulates in its body. Large, long-lived, larger fish that feed on other fish (high in the food chain) accumulate the highest levels of methylmercury . In the United States the limit for methyl mercury in commercial marine and freshwater fish is 1.0 parts per million (ppm). In Canada the limit for total mercury content is 0.5 (ppm) [1,2]. Although the mercury levels found in most commonly consumed fish and seafood are well below these limits, the mercury levels found in several predator species frequently exceed 1.0 ppm
 

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Recommendations

The FDA advises that pregnant women, women who may become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children should avoid eating shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish due to high levels of mercury in these fish [1] (Table 1).

The FDA also recommends that pregnant women can safely eat an average of 12 ounces of other types of COOKED fish each week You may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week. Emphasis is placed on choosing a variety of  fish low in mercury such as shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish. [1].So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.

If no local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends are  available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don't consume any other fish during that week."[1]

Further State Recommendations
(in addition to FDA recommedations):

Washington State Department of Health [4]
Advises women of childbearing age and children under six to:

  • Avoid fresh caught or frozen tuna steaks. (Fresh or frozen tuna normally contains about .32 parts per million of mercury, but that number can go as high as 1.3 parts per million.)
  • Limit the amount of canned tuna* they eat, based on their bodyweight.
    • Women of childbearing age should limit the amount of canned tuna they eat to about one can per week (six ounces.) A woman who weighs less than 135 pounds should eat less than one can of tuna per week.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources [5]
Advises women of childbearing age to:

  • Limit tuna steaks, halibut, orange roughy to one meal per month
  • Limit cod, pollock, haddock, tuna (6ounce can) to one meal per week
  • Limit salmon and shellfish to 2 to 3 meals per week.

The Environmental Working Group lists other types of fish that may be contaminated by mercury, as well as by PCBs, include bluefish and striped bass, and freshwater fish (such as salmon, pike, trout, walleye) from contaminated lakes and rivers.
Their expanded list is available online: Brain Food: What Women Should Know About Mercury Contamination in Fish (PDF file)

 

Mercury Levels in Seafood Species[3]
The following tables provide the mean and range of mercury levels in a variety of fish and shellfish

TABLE 1. Large Fish That Can Contain High Levels of Methylmercury[1,3]

SPECIES MEAN (PPM) RANGE (PPM)
Shark 0.988 ND - 4.54
Tilefish (Gulf of Mexico) 1.45 0.65-3.73
Swordfish 0.976 ND - 3.22
King mackerel 0.73 0.23 - 1.67

PPM=parts per million
ND=Not detectable  - mercury concentration below detection level (Level of Detection (LOD)=0.01ppm)


TABLE 2. Fish or Shellfish That May at Times Contain High Levels of Mercury [3]
 
SPECIES MEAN (PPM) RANGE (PPM)
Bass (Chilean) 0.386 0.085 - 2.180
Mackerel Spanish
 (Gulf of Mexico)
0.454 0.070 - 1.560
Halibut 0.252 ND -1.520
Snapper 0.189 ND - 1.366
Lobster Northern (American) 0.31 0.05 - 1.31
Tuna all (Fresh or frozen) 0.383 ND - 1.30
Grouper (All species) 0.465 0.053 - 1.205
Monkfish 0.180 0.020 - 1.020
Bass
(Sea bass/ Striped Bass/ Rockfish)
0.219 ND - 0.960
Orange Roughy 0.554 0.296 - 0.855

PPM=parts per million
ND=Not detectable  - mercury concentration below detection level (Level of Detection (LOD)=0.01ppm)
 

TABLE 3. Fish and Shellfish With Much Lower Levels of Mercury[3]
Pocket size this table
 
SPECIES MEAN (PPM) RANGE (PPM)
Tuna (canned) 0.118 ND - 0.852
Pollock 0.041 ND - 0.78
Trout Seawater 0.256 ND - 0.744
Sablefish 0.220 ND - 0.700
Trout Freshwater 0.072 ND - 0.678
Crab
(Blue, King, and Snow)
0.060 ND- 0.610
Cod 0.095 ND - 0.420
Squid 0.070 ND - 0.400
Anchovies 0.043 ND - 0.340
Catfish 0.049 ND - 0.314
Carp 0.14 0.01 - 0.27
Oysters 0.013 ND - 0.250
Scallop 0.050 ND - 0.22
Salmon (Fresh or frozen) 0.014 ND - 0.190
Herring 0.044 ND - 0.135
Tilapia 0.010 ND - 0.070
Crawfish 0.033 ND - 0.051
Clam ND ND
Shrimp ND ND
Salmon (Canned) ND ND
Clam ND ND

PPM=parts per million
ND=Not detectable  - mercury concentration below detection level (Level of Detection (LOD)=0.01ppm)

FOR MORE SEAFOOD CONSUMPTION ADVISORIES SEE:

 

REFERENCES
1. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration An What You Need to Know About Mercury in Fish and Shellfish. 2004 EPA and FDA Advice For: Women Who Might Become Pregnant Women Who are Pregnant Nursing Mothers Young Children
Accessed:8/23//06

2. Food Safety Facts on Mercury and Fish Consumption.
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Accessed:10/4//02

3. Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish
FDA/Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition
Accessed:8/23//06

4. Mercury & Other Contaminants
Washington State Department of Health
Accessed:10/4//02

5. Choose Wisely- a healthy guide for eating fish in Wisconsin, 2002(PDF file) Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Accessesed:8/23/06

6.USFDA. 8/21/1987. Food preparation - raw, marinated or partially cooked fishery products. In: "Retail Food Protection Program Information Manual", part 6, chapter 1, number 2-403. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Retail Food Protection Branch.

7. Olsen SF and Secher NJ. Low consumption of seafood in early pregnancy as a risk factor for preterm delivery: prospective cohort study. BMJ. 2002 Feb 23;324(7335):447. PUBMED

8.Hibbeln JR. et al.,  Maternal seafood consumption in pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes in childhood (ALSPAC study): an observational cohort study. 2007 17;369(9561):578-85. PUBMED

Created: 10/01/2002
Update: 11/2/2004
Update: 8/23/2006
Update: 8/30/2007

Suggested Reading
Oceans ALIVE
Seafood WATCH

 
 

Home | About | Disclaimer | Privacy | Contact

Copyright © 2007 by Focus Information Technology. All rights reserved.