Tuna

Recommendations
Eco-Best Yellowfin from the U.S. Atlantic caught by troll/pole Albacore from U.S. or Canada	Eco-OK Imported bigeye/yellowfin caught by troll/pole Canned white/albacore Canned light tuna	Eco-Worst Imported bigeye/yellowfin tuna caught by longline Bluefin tuna Albacore tuna (imported longline)

Recommendations

These fish have high levels of contaminants

These fish have moderate levels of contaminants

Albacore, bigeye, yellowfin and skipjack are resilient to fishing pressure because they grow quickly and reproduce often.
Bluefin tuna, on the other hand, grow slower and take longer to reproduce. This, coupled with their exorbitant value in the sushi market, has led to severely depleted populations.
Bigeye and yellowfin, also known as ahi, are common in sushi. Both types, along with bluefin, are high in mercury and should be eaten infrequently, if at all. (Our expert on mercury in tuna sushi.)
Most tuna are caught by purse seines or longlines, which have moderate-to-high bycatch of seabirds, sea turtles and marine mammals.
Pole-and-line caught tuna is less common but is a better environmental choice.

Serving = 100 g of raw edible food, wild species.

Source:

Some kinds of tuna are high in mercury, a serious health risk for kids and women of childbearing age.

Avoid bluefin tuna, since it's both high in mercury and is being depleted by overfishing.
When buying canned tuna, choose 'light' skipjack tuna over 'white' albacore tuna. Not only does 'light' have three times less mercury, it's less expensive too. Find out more about mercury in canned tuna.

This guide is produced in collaboration with the Monterey Bay Aquarium.