Your guide to oily fish
Friday 17 February 2006
A guide to oily and non-oily fish types and information about safe maximum consumption levels, based on what lifestage you are at. Remember, we should all try and eat at least two portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily.
Oily fish: who should eat what?
| Oily fish | White fish | Tinned tuna** | Marlin, shark, swordfish | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Girls (under 16) | Up to 2 portions* a week | No limit | No limit on tinned | Do not eat |
| Boys (under 16) | Up to 4 portions a week | No limit | No limit on tinned | Do not eat |
| Pregnant women and those who may become pregnant | Up to 2 portions a week | No limit | Up to four medium-sized cans | Do not eat |
| Breastfeeding women | Up to 2 portions a week | No limit | No limit on tinned | Up to one portion a week |
| Women who are not intending, or can't become pregnant | Up to 4 portions a week | No limit | No limit on tinned | Up to a portion a week |
| Men | Up to 4 portions a week | No limit | No limit on tinned | Up to a portion a week |
*A portion = 140g
** Fresh tuna counts as oily fish, but tinned tuna as white because the oils are lost in the canning process
What's an oily fish?
We've compiled a list to help you differentiate between types of oily and non-oily fish.
| Oily / fatty fish | White / non-oily fish |
|---|---|
| Salmon Trout Mackerel Herring Sardines Pilchards Kipper Eel Whitebait Tuna (fresh only) Anchovies Swordfish Bloater Cacha Carp Hilsa Jack fish Katla Orange roughy Pangas Sprats |
Cod Haddock Plaice Coley Whiting Lemon sole Skate Halibut Rock Salmon/Dogfish Ayr Catfish Dover sole Flounder Flying fish Hake Hoki John Dory Kalabasu Ling Monkfish Parrot fish Pollack Pomfret Red and grey mullet Red fish Red Snapper Rohu Sea bass Sea bream Shark Tilapia Turbot Tinned tuna Marlin |
Recent surveys have shown that some other fish and crab may also have similar levels of dioxins and PCBs as oily fish. These fish are: sea bream, turbot, halibut, dog fish or huss, and sea bass.
Anyone who regularly eats a lot of fish should consider choosing a wider variety - eating less crab and these five species, and more that have lower levels of pollutants, such as red snapper, haddock, coley or hake.
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