Can You Eat Seafood During Pregnancy? | Real FDA Guidelines

Yes, low-mercury seafood like salmon and shrimp is generally considered safe in pregnancy when fully cooked and limited to 8 to 12 ounces per week.

For years, the simplest answer to seafood during pregnancy was a firm “no.” The word mercury loomed large, and many expecting mothers figured the safest plate was one with no fish at all. That blanket advice has quietly shifted as researchers looked closer at the trade-offs.

The short answer is that you can eat seafood during pregnancy, but the details matter. Sticking with low-mercury options, keeping portions within the FDA’s recommended range, and cooking everything thoroughly turn seafood from a worry into a solid source of protein and healthy fats. Here’s what the guidelines actually say and how to apply them meal by meal.

Why the Guidelines Changed

Early warnings about mercury in fish led many women to drop seafood from their diets entirely. But the pendulum may have swung too far. Moderate evidence from the FDA suggests that eating fish during pregnancy can support a baby’s cognitive development.

The omega-3 fatty acids in salmon, sardines, and trout are hard to get from other foods in the same concentration. These fats play a meaningful role in fetal brain and eye development. The goal is substitution, not elimination.

Instead of avoiding seafood, the current approach encourages pregnant women to eat a variety of low-mercury fish. The key is knowing which species are safe and how much is too much. The FDA’s framework sorts seafood into three clear categories.

That table covers the main distinctions, but there are a few finer points worth understanding before you plan your weekly menu.

Why the “No Seafood” Myth Sticks

The fear around seafood and pregnancy feels intuitive. Mercury sounds like a poison, and the recommendation to avoid shark or swordfish sticks in memory more easily than the long list of safe options. This is where the psychology of risk can lead women astray.

When you see a list of “do not eat” items, it’s tempting to assume all fish carry similar risks. But the data tells a different story. The FDA analyzed mercury levels across dozens of fish species and found clear patterns:

• Larger, predatory fish accumulate more mercury. Shark, swordfish, and king mackerel sit higher on the food chain and build up mercury over their long lifespans. They are the ones to skip entirely.
• Smaller, shorter-lived fish stay low in mercury. Salmon, shrimp, sardines, and tilapia eat plankton or small plants and do not accumulate significant mercury. They are safe to eat regularly.
• Canned light tuna is safer than white albacore tuna. Light tuna is typically from smaller skipjack tuna, which have lower mercury levels. Albacore is a larger species and should be limited.
• Cooking method does not affect mercury content. Mercury binds to protein in the fish muscle and is not reduced by grilling, baking, or poaching. Choosing the right species matters more than cooking technique.
• Eating a variety lowers cumulative risk. Rotating between salmon, pollock, shrimp, and catfish ensures you get different nutrients while keeping any single source of trace mercury well within safe limits.

Once you see the pattern, the “no seafood” worry starts to fade. The goal is to eat fish that give you the benefits without the risk, and the list of safe options is actually quite long.

Building Your Low-Mercury Seafood Menu

The easiest way to feel confident about seafood in pregnancy is to memorize the short list of high-mercury fish and forget about them. Everything else on the Best Choices list is fair game. The Mayo Clinic breaks down the exact portions for pregnant women in its 8 to 12 ounces weekly guide.

Mayo Clinic notes that regular consumption of low-mercury fish can support fetal brain and eye development thanks to omega-3 fatty acids. That makes salmon, trout, and sardines especially worthwhile additions to your rotation. A three-ounce serving of cooked salmon provides over a gram of omega-3s.

If you are not a fish fan, milder options like tilapia, cod, and pollock are nearly undetectable in flavor and still count toward your weekly target. Two to three servings spread across the week is the sweet spot.

One note on canned tuna: albacore “white” tuna is higher in mercury than “light” tuna. The FDA recommends limiting albacore to one serving (about 6 ounces) per week. If you prefer tuna sandwiches, stick with light tuna for your regular meals.

The Raw Seafood Safety Rule

The question of sushi often comes up alongside general seafood safety. The rule here is different from the mercury question because the risk is not chemical but bacterial. The NHS strongly advises pregnant women to completely avoid raw shellfish.

Raw oysters, clams, mussels, and undercooked scallops can carry harmful bacteria like Vibrio, norovirus, and hepatitis A, which are more likely to cause severe illness during pregnancy. Sushi-grade fish that has been flash-frozen reduces parasite risk but does not eliminate all bacterial risks, so fully cooked fish is the safer bet.

Cooked shellfish like shrimp, lobster, crab, and scallops are perfectly fine as long as they are cooked until opaque and firm. The same goes for crab cakes, cooked shrimp cocktail, and baked or broiled fish. If it is fully cooked, the safety profile changes completely.

Toxoplasmosis is another concern linked to undercooked meat and seafood. Cooking seafood to an internal temperature of 145°F or until the flesh flakes easily kills the parasite. A food thermometer is a helpful tool during pregnancy if you cook fish at home.

Navigating Canned Tuna and Oily Fish

Canned tuna creates confusion because it comes in two main forms with different safety profiles. Light tuna is made from smaller skipjack tuna and is listed as a Best Choice by the FDA. Albacore white tuna comes from a larger species and carries more mercury.

The practical rule is simple: feel free to eat light tuna two to three times per week, but limit albacore to once a week. If you eat a tuna sandwich for lunch, check the label. “Light tuna” and “chunk light” are your go-to options for regular meals.

Oily fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines are excellent for omega-3s, but the NHS advises limiting them to two portions per week (roughly 10 ounces total). This is not because of mercury — in fact, these are low-mercury fish. The concern is low levels of pollutants like PCBs that can accumulate in fatty fish. For most women, staying under the two-portion limit keeps the balance in favor of the benefits.

If you eat a mix of low-mercury fish and stick to the FDA serving guidelines, you are already naturally within or close to the oily fish limit without tracking it separately. The two sets of guidelines overlap more than they conflict.

The Bottom Line

The evidence supports eating seafood during pregnancy, not avoiding it. Choosing low-mercury options like salmon, shrimp, and light tuna, keeping total intake between 8 and 12 ounces per week, and cooking all seafood fully gives you the nutritional upside without the mercury worry.

Your obstetrician or midwife can help you match the FDA-recommended 8 to 12 ounces of low-mercury options to your overall pregnancy diet and any specific concerns about local fish or allergies you may have.