17 Fish You Should Never Eat, Plus Safer Seafood Options

Fish can serve as either a power food or an inflammatory, toxic nightmare for your body, all depending on what fish you choose. That why it’s so important to pay attention to (and avoid) the fish you should never eat.

It’s incredibly important to get ample omega-3 fatty acids, and certain fish can serve as potent sources. Due to issues like mining, sewage and fossil fuel emissions, however, heavy metals, like mercury, and plastics wind up in the water and build up in our fish. Unfortunately, low-level mercury poisoning from contaminated seafood is a real threat and can lead to devastating effects on health.

It’s gotten so bad that a 2023 study conducted by Environmental Working Group scientists revealed that “eating one freshwater fish equals a month of drinking ‘forever chemicals’ water.” This is alarming considering all the dangers of these forever chemicals, aka PFAS.

As relayed by CBS News, “The total PFAS level in the freshwater fish was 278 times higher than what has been found in commercially sold fish, the study said.”

Here are some of the major findings shared by the researchers:

• PFAS are widely detected in freshwater fish across the United States.
• U.S. EPA fish testing in 2013–2015 had a median PFAS concentration of 11,800 ng/kg.
• Even infrequent freshwater fish consumption can increase serum PFOS levels.
• One fish serving can be equivalent to drinking water for a month at 48 ppt PFOS.
• Fish consumption advice regarding PFAS is inconsistent or absent in the U.S. states.

Not only that, but some fish have also been so overfished that they are on the brink of collapse, which can have detrimental effects on the ocean ecosystem. Luckily, there are healthy, low-contaminant choices with stable populations that serve as much smarter choices.

Let’s take a look at fish you should never eat, plus a few healthier options for best fish to eat.

Fish You Should Never Eat

1. Tilapia

Did you know that in some regards, eating tilapia is worse than eating bacon? In fact, the shift to eating more farmed fish like tilapia is leading to highly inflammatory diets, according to a 2008 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.