Mercury and Methylmercury Main Page

See also Mercury Concentrations in Fish: FDA Monitoring Program

The table is sorted by MERCURY CONCENTRATION MEAN (PPM) from fish with lowest levels of mercury to highest levels of mercury. You may also sort the table by SPECIES in alphabetical order.

SPECIES MERCURY CONCENTRATION

MEAN (PPM) MERCURY CONCENTRATION

MEDIAN (PPM) MERCURY CONCENTRATION

STDEV (PPM) MERCURY CONCENTRATION

MIN (PPM) MERCURY CONCENTRATION

MAX (PPM) NO. OF SAMPLES SOURCE OF DATA SCALLOP 0.003 ND 0.007 ND 0.033 39 FDA 1991-2009 CLAM 0.009 0.002 0.011 ND 0.028 15 FDA 1991-2010 SHRIMP 0.009 0.001 0.013 ND 0.05 40 FDA 1991-2009 OYSTER 0.012 ND 0.035 ND 0.25 61 FDA 1991-2009 SARDINE 0.013 0.010 0.015 ND 0.083 90 FDA 2002-2010 TILAPIA 0.013 0.004 0.023 ND 0.084 32 FDA 1991-2008 SALMON (CANNED) 0.014 0.010 0.021 ND 0.086 19 FDA 1993-2009 ANCHOVIES 0.016 0.011 0.015 ND 0.049 15 FDA 2007-2009 SALMON (FRESH/FROZEN) 0.022 0.015 0.034 ND 0.19 94 FDA 1991-2009 CATFISH 0.024 0.005 0.056 ND 0.314 59 FDA 1991-2010 SQUID 0.024 0.017 0.023 ND 0.07 36 FDA 2005-2009 POLLOCK 0.031 0.003 0.089 ND 0.78 95 FDA 1991-2008 CRAWFISH 0.033 0.035 0.012 ND 0.051 46 FDA 1991-2007 SHAD 0.038 0.033 0.045 ND 0.186 15 FDA 2007-2011 MACKEREL ATLANTIC (N.Atlantic) 0.05 N/A N/A 0.02 0.16 80 NMFS REPORT 1978 MULLET 0.050 0.014 0.078 ND 0.27 20 FDA 1991-2008 WHITING 0.051 0.052 0.030 ND 0.096 13 FDA 1991-2008 HADDOCK (Atlantic) 0.055 0.049 0.033 ND 0.197 50 FDA 1991-2009 FLATFISH [2] 0.056 0.05 0.045 ND 0.218 71 FDA 1991-2009 BUTTERFISH 0.058 N/A N/A ND 0.36 89 NMFS REPORT 1978 CRAB [1] 0.065 0.05 0.096 ND 0.61 93 FDA 1991-2009 CROAKER ATLANTIC (Atlantic) 0.069 0.06 0.049 ND 0.193 90 FDA 2002-2011 TROUT (FRESHWATER) 0.071 0.025 0.141 ND 0.678 35 FDA 1991-2008 HERRING 0.078 0.042 0.128 ND 0.56 27 FDA 2005-2012 HAKE 0.079 0.067 0.064 ND 0.378 49 FDA 1994-2009 JACKSMELT 0.081 0.05 0.103 0.011 0.5 23 FDA 1997-2007 MACKEREL CHUB (Pacific) 0.088 N/A N/A 0.03 0.19 30 NMFS REPORT 1978 WHITEFISH 0.089 0.067 0.084 ND 0.317 37 FDA 1991-2008 SHEEPSHEAD 0.090 0.08 0.050 ND 0.17 8 FDA 1992-2007 LOBSTER (Spiny) 0.093 0.062 0.097 ND 0.27 13 FDA 1991-2005 PICKEREL 0.095 0.091 0.100 ND 0.31 16 FDA 1991-2007 LOBSTER (NORTHERN / AMERICAN) 0.107 0.086 0.076 ND 0.23 9 FDA 2005-2007 CARP 0.110 0.134 0.237 ND 0.271 14 FDA 1992-2007 COD 0.111 0.066 0.152 ND 0.989 115 FDA 1991-2010 PERCH OCEAN 0.121 0.102 0.125 ND 0.578 31 FDA 1991-2010 TUNA (CANNED, LIGHT) 0.126 0.077 0.134 ND 0.889 545 FDA 1991-2010 BUFFALOFISH 0.137 0.12 0.094 0.032 0.43 17 FDA 1992-2008 SKATE 0.137 N/A N/A 0.04 0.36 56 NMFS REPORT 1978 TILEFISH (Atlantic) 0.144 0.099 0.122 0.042 0.533 32 FDA 1994-2004 TUNA (FRESH/FROZEN, SKIPJACK) 0.144 0.15 0.119 0.022 0.26 3 FDA 1993-2007 PERCH (Freshwater) 0.150 0.146 0.112 ND 0.325 19 FDA 1991-2007 MONKFISH 0.161 0.139 0.095 ND 0.289 11 FDA 1994-2007 LOBSTER (Species Unknown) 0.166 0.143 0.099 ND 0.451 71 FDA 1991-2008 SNAPPER 0.166 0.113 0.244 ND 1.366 67 FDA 1991-2007 BASS (SALTWATER, BLACK, STRIPED, ROCKFISH) [3] 0.167 0.094 0.194 ND 0.96 101 FDA 1991-2010 MAHI MAHI 0.178 0.18 0.103 ND 0.45 29 FDA 1991-2005 MACKEREL SPANISH (S. Atlantic) 0.182 N/A N/A 0.05 0.73 43 NMFS REPORT 1978 SCORPIONFISH 0.233 0.181 0.139 0.098 0.456 6 FDA 2006-2007 WEAKFISH (SEA TROUT) 0.235 0.157 0.216 ND 0.744 46 FDA 1991-2005 HALIBUT 0.241 0.188 0.225 ND 1.52 101 FDA 1992-2009 CROAKER WHITE (Pacific) 0.287 0.28 0.069 0.18 0.41 15 FDA 1997 TUNA (CANNED, ALBACORE) 0.350 0.338 0.128 ND 0.853 451 FDA 1991-2009 BASS CHILEAN 0.354 0.303 0.299 ND 2.18 74 FDA 1994-2010 TUNA (FRESH/FROZEN, YELLOWFIN) 0.354 0.311 0.231 ND 1.478 231 FDA 1993-2010 TUNA (FRESH/FROZEN, ALBACORE) 0.358 0.36 0.138 ND 0.82 43 FDA 1992-2008 SABLEFISH 0.361 0.265 0.241 0.09 1.052 26 FDA 2004-2009 BLUEFISH 0.368 0.305 0.221 0.089 1.452 94 FDA 1991-2009 TUNA (FRESH/FROZEN, ALL) 0.386 0.34 0.265 ND 1.816 420 FDA 1991-2010 TUNA (FRESH/FROZEN, Species Unknown) 0.410 0.334 0.308 ND 1.3 122 FDA 1991-2010 GROUPER (ALL SPECIES) 0.448 0.399 0.278 0.006 1.205 53 FDA 1991-2005 MACKEREL SPANISH (Gulf of Mexico) 0.454 N/A N/A 0.07 1.56 66 NMFS REPORT 1978 MARLIN 0.485 0.39 0.237 0.1 0.92 16 FDA 1992-1996 ORANGE ROUGHY 0.571 0.562 0.183 0.265 1.12 81 FDA 1991-2009 TUNA (FRESH/FROZEN, BIGEYE) 0.689 0.56 0.341 0.128 1.816 21 FDA 1993-2005 MACKEREL KING 0.73 N/A N/A 0.23 1.67 213 GULF OF MEXICO REPORT 2000 SHARK 0.979 0.811 0.626 ND 4.54 356 FDA 1991-2007 SWORDFISH 0.995 0.87 0.539 ND 3.22 636 FDA 1990-2010 TILEFISH (Gulf of Mexico) 1.123 N/A N/A 0.65 3.73 60 NMFS REPORT 1978

Source of data: FDA 1990-2012 , "National Marine Fisheries Service Survey of Trace Elements in the Fishery Resource" Report 1978, "The Occurrence of Mercury in the Fishery Resources of the Gulf of Mexico" Report 2000

ND-mercury concentration below detection level (Level of Detection (LOD)=0.01ppm)

N/A-data not available

†The following species have been removed from the tables:

Bass (freshwater) – not commercial

‡Standard deviation data generated from data 1990 to 2012.

1Includes: Blue, King, Snow

2Includes: Flounder, Plaice, Sole

3Includes: Sea bass (black, Striped), Rockfish

NOTE: On February 8, 2006, technical changes were made to the data that was posted on January 19, 2006. The changes corrected data or more properly characterized the species of fish or shellfish sampled. On October 6, 2014, technical changes were made to allow viewers to review the list in order of mercury levels and in alphabetical order by fish species.

Mercury Concentrations in Fish: FDA Monitoring Program