New facts about fish

2. Which fish is healthier: farm-raised or wild?

“Both wild and farmed fish can be good choices,” says Goldburg. Wild fish are generally caught in the ocean by fishermen using nets, lines, or traps, while farmed species are raised in underwaterpens kept along the coast or even in tanks on land. Farmed fish tend to be lower in mercury because they’re fed a controlled diet. Shellfish like mussels and American shrimp are particularly good when farmed because they eat a plant-based diet that contains very little mercury. But farmed carnivorous species such as salmon are fattened up with large amounts of wild-caught fish, which may contain the carcinogens PCBs (industrial compounds that pose neurological risks) and dioxin. With these fish, you’re better off eating the wild varieties, which consume a more varied diet.