12 Unhealthy Fish You Need to Avoid and Why

Last Updated on January 7, 2021

This goes back to the fact that less than 2 percent of imported seafood like shrimp, catfish, crab and many others, do actually go under inspection rules before they are sold. For this reason, it is better and safer to opt for domestic seafood.

What can you eat instead? You can always make good and healthy choices. About 70 percent of domestic shrimp is from the Gulf of Mexico. The latter relies heavily on it for economic reasons. So, this is a good choice you can make instead of opting for the imported one.

Another good choice will be that of Pink shrimp coming from Oregon where the fisheries are certified under the stringent Marine Stewardship Council guidelines.

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#6 – Atlantic flatfish

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Planet Sea Fishing

It’s better to leave these fish at the sea. These species are caught off the Atlantic coast and they include a group of flounder, sole, and halibut. Due to contamination levels and heavy fishing in the 1800s, they’ve made their way to this list and are presented among the fish you’d better stay away from.

Food and Water Watch says that these fish are 1 percent low which makes them far from being considered sustainable for long-term fishing.

What can you eat instead? Even if the Pacific Halibut is doing well, still you are strongly recommended to replace this group of fish with other white-fleshed fish, like the domestic farmed catfish or tilapia.

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#7 – Atlantic salmon (both
wild-caught and farmed)

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Anchorage Daily News

If there was ever a fish you should never eat, this is it ‘’ Atlantic salmon’’. Why? First, because it’s illegal due to the low stock which is said to be a result of farmed salmon.

The latter is very polluting as when thousands of fish cram into pens, diseases and parasites come to grow and cannot be fought unless antibiotics and pesticides are used. Again, some fish may run away and compete with other native fish for survival which will likely lead to a decline in native population.