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Mackerel

Pacfic mackerel, © Amadeo Bachar
Recommended servings per month
Contaminant | Men | Women | Kids 6-12 | Kids 0-5 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
King mackerel (US) | Mercury | < 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Atlantic mackerel (US and Canada, North Atlantic- purse seine) | Mercury | 4+ | 4+ | 4+ | 4+ |
Atka mackerel (US - Alaska) | Mercury | 4+ | 4+ | 4+ | 4+ |
Spanish mackerel | Mercury | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Eco details:
- Mackerel mature quickly, making them resilient to fishing pressure.
- The type of fishing gear usually used to catch mackerel — purse seines and gillnets — result in low to moderate bycatch.
- Atlantic and Spanish mackerel populations have both rebounded as a result of stronger regulations.
- However, you should limit how much Spanish mackerel you eat because of mercury contamination (see below).