Pregnant, What Fish Is Ok to Eat?

Commercially caught fish from safe environments have better controlled environments so you can eat closer to 12 oz a week.

Salmon, talapia, crab, shrimp, lobster, sea bass, sole, flounder, haddock, halibut, ocean perch, cod, canned tune (safer than fresh), farm raised trout, small ocean fish, farm raised fish, canned fish and seafood all are okay if well cooked and in moderation are all safe in moderation (approx 12 oz a week).

6 ozs of cooked fresh freshwater fish caught by family and friends is generally okay (as the contamination content of the water is not known).

Avoid fish from contaminated waters (industrial runoff, sewage leakage) or countries with less than standard cleanliness guidelines, and avoid tropical fish like, grouper, mahimahi and amberjack.

According to the EPA guidelines for pregnant and nursing women, ones to absolutely stay away from is sushi (raw) due to possible contamination and larger ocean fish such as swordfish, king mackeral, tilefish and shark due to high levels of methyl mercury.

Shell fish have lots of bacteria, so make sure they are prepared very carefully and cooked well and they too should be okay in moderation.

Smoked fish have preservatives, so those are good to stay away from.

All of this info came from my "what to expect while you're expecting" book by pregnancy experts.

They are all okay to eat in moderation and as long as they are completely cooked and not raw. I eat fish like crazy. I eat tuna straight out of the can and I absolutely love shrimp!

Just make sure you don't eat any deep sea fish like tuna (some kinds you can eat but i forget which), swordfish, shark and mackerel. Deep sea fish contains high amounts of mercury and can be toxic. Salmon is okay to eat once a week in moderation. I would avoid shellfish like crab, lobster and shrimp. I heard those has more to do with allergy for your baby or something. Maybe you can confirm with your doc to make sure?

Also check the Monterey aquarium website - they have a great list of what is sustainably harvested, as well as what is high in mercury. I ate salmon, crab, lobster and shrimp while pregnant.

They just came out with a "dirty dozen" list that you can find right here on Mamapedia. You got a lot of good advice on fish with high levels of mercury but there are other toxins that are not really tested for in other countries like the shrimp in south east Asia. I would really look at where the fish is coming from in addition to the obvious mercury issues.