Fish consumption recommendations

Recommendations according to Canada’s Food Guide

Canada’s Food Guide recommends eating a variety of nutritious foods every day. This recommendation applies to several types of foods, including protein foods. Fish and seafood are examples of protein foods that can be eaten as part of a healthy diet.

Canada’s Food Guide also suggests choosing foods that contain healthy fats, in particular fatty fish. For example:

• Trout
• Herring
• Salmon
• Mackerel
• Arctic char

To make sure you get the best nutritional value from fish, choose fresh or frozen fish or seafood that has not been fried or breaded. Canned fish with little or no added salt is also a good choice. Use low-fat cooking methods such as poaching, grilling or baking.

Eating two servings of fatty fish a week provides the equivalent of 300 to 500 mg of omega-3 fatty acids a day. This is the amount recommended by the World Health Organization.

The following fishes and seafood contain very little mercury. They can be eaten in unlimited amounts.

Here are the species of fish and seafood that can be eaten in unlimited amounts:

• Game fish
  • American shad
  • Smelt (rainbow smelt)
  • Lake whitefish
  • Brook trout (speckled trout)
  • Other types of trout (except lake trout)
  • Atlantic tomcod
  • Atlantic salmon
• Marine fish
  • Haddock
  • Anchovy
  • Capelin
  • Pollock
  • Herring
  • Atlantic mackerel
  • Hake
  • Plaice (sole)
  • Sardine
  • Salmon
  • Redfish
  • Tuna (canned)
• Molluscs
  • Oyster
  • Mussel
  • Clam
  • Scallop
• Crustaceans
  • Crab
  • Shrimp
  • Lobster
• Farmed fish
  • Salmon
  • Tilapia
  • Trout
  • Other farmed fish

Eating game fish

If you eat game fish regularly, you can consult the Guide de consommation du poisson de pêche sportive en eau douce [Guide to eating freshwater game fish; available in French only]. This very detailed guide shows recommended maximum amounts based on fish species, size and fishing site.

Consumption of some types of fish is restricted because of their mercury content. They can be eaten but in limited amounts. Make sure you only eat the amounts shown in the table. These recommended maximum amounts apply to people who eat fish frequently and regularly. They are valid in most cases unless advised otherwise by public health or environment authorities.

For the consumption of large marine fish such as swordfish, shark, fresh or frozen tuna, marlin, orange roughy, and escolar, it is recommended to limit intake to 150 g per week. 

The following recommendations apply to people who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, people who are breastfeeding and young children:

• Do not eat species of wild fish that are most likely to be contaminated frequently. It’s preferable to choose fish and seafood that can be eaten in unlimited amounts. You can also consult the Guide de consommation du poisson de pêche sportive en eau douce [Guide to eating freshwater game fish; available in French only]
• Do not eat raw or partially cooked fish or seafood. Thorough cooking prevents diseases caused by certain microbes or parasites these foods may be contaminated with.
• Limit the amount of canned albacore tuna (white tuna) (not to be confused with canned light tuna [skipjack tuna, yellowfin tuna, albacore or bigeye tuna], which can be eaten in unlimited amounts) to no more than:
  • 300 g a week for people who are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • 150 g a week for children age 5 to 11
  • 75 g a week for children age 1 to 4
• Limit the amount of fresh or frozen tuna (including bluefin tuna), shark, swordfish, orange roughy, marlin and escolar to no more than:
  • 150 g a month for people who are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • 125 g a month for children age 5 to 11
  • 75 g a month for children age 1 to 4