Fishing · Reference · Basic
Mercury and Contaminants in Your Own Catch
Your own fish is not automatically safe fish. What FDA and EPA say when there is no advisory for the waterbody, and why cooking does not fix mercury.
This is for educational purposes only. Not professional medical, electrical, or safety advice.
Warning
Cooking does not remove mercury. For pregnant or breastfeeding people and children with no advisory for the waterbody, FDA and EPA advise one serving of that fish and no other fish that week.
- 01
Check the advisory for that water
Contaminant advice is written per waterbody and per species. Look up the advisory for the actual lake, river or shoreline you are fishing rather than relying on a general 'fish is healthy' rule.
- 02
When there is no advisory
FDA and EPA's advice for fish caught by family or friends with no advisory, for people who might become or are pregnant or breastfeeding and for children, is to eat one serving of that fish and no other fish that week.
- 03
Size the serving honestly
An adult serving is 4 ounces before cooking. Children's servings are smaller and depend on age.
- 04
Know what cooking does not fix
Cooking does not remove mercury. Trimming skin and fat can reduce some other contaminants, but it is not a universal remedy.
- 05
Do not let scarcity decide the serving
In a genuine emergency a calorie is a calorie, but this guide is about the ordinary case where a household eats its own catch several times a week. Rotate species and waterbodies rather than eating the same large predatory fish every day.