5 Ways to Eliminate Health and Environmental Risks in Fish

As much as we hear about the health benefits of eating fish, we hear about the associated dangers. It can be easy to scare ourselves off one of the most delicious, versatile and healthy dishes in the recipe book! There are some health issues associated with eating fish, but there are health risks associated with eating just about everything … while there has never been concern about mercury in bacon, thousands more people have died or become seriously ill from eating smoked pork than from eating fish. So today we are looking at how to enjoy your seafood order without concern about the risks of eating fish.

1. Eat fish twice a week
   Eating excessive amounts of fish has been associated with an increased risk of mercury poisoning, especially if you favor species higher up the food chain, like shark, or bottom-feeders, like catfish. Simply limit your fish intake to two times per week, and you can enjoy your fish without worrying about mercury.
   
2. Switch species
   As we hinted above, if you switch to a pelagic species of fish, or one that is lower down the food chain in your seafood order, you will get less mercury.
3. Know where your fish are caught
   Knowing where your fish are caught allows you to make a much more informed decision about how often you should eat them. Companies that publicize their catch areas generally have a more reliably healthy product.
4. Look for farmed fish sometimes
   There is nothing that can beat the delicious freshness of wild-caught fish. However, if every person in the world were to eat two servings of wild-caught fish per week, we would quickly run out of fish in the ocean. Switch out your wild-caught seafood order sometimes with farmed fish, and give the environment a helping hand by creating more demand for farmed species and better research into growing tasty fish!
5. Check your species
   If you are concerned about the impact that by-catch has on the environment, check out the marine conservation website for advice on which species are associated with turtle and dolphin accidental catches, and which species are overfished.