Is Mahi Mahi High in Mercury?
As a wild-caught fish, the mercury levels in Mahi vary according to the size of the fish. The bigger the fish, the more likely it has a higher mercury concentration (source: PubMed). Later in this article, I cover how to choose the best Mahi fish, and how to cook it the healthiest way.
Mahi Mahi mercury levels have been measured over the years in a number of scientific studies. On average, Mahi Mahi is thought to have low to moderate mercury levels.
The FDA measured an average of 0.178 PPM (parts per million) of mercury in Mahi Mahi, on average. To put this in perspective, 0.1PPM is considered ‘low’, so it sits just above this level, into the ‘moderate’ category (source: FDA).
The Environmental Defense Fund also goes a step further, specifying mercury levels in Mahi Mahi according to how it’s caught and where it’s fished. Mahi Mahi comes in as having “moderate” mercury across the board (source: EDF).
Finally, the American Pregnancy Association also class Mahi Mahi in the “lower mercury” category (source: APA).
How much mahi you can safely eat while pregnant depends on these mercury levels:
Is Wild Mahi Mahi OK in pregnancy?
Theoretically, all Mahi species are “wild” because they are not yet commercially farmed, unlike other large fish like salmon.
As a result of years of being caught as a tuna bycatch, some people also mistakenly believe that Mahi is a species of tuna, which it is not. Despite the fact that they are frequently discovered in tuna-catch areas, they are entirely different fish.
In this article, I only refer to wild-caught Mahi, which is likely the only variety that can be found in stores or at fish markets. Unless, of course, you were fortunate enough to catch one yourself.
Is mahi mahi a clean fish to eat?
According to the Environmental Defense Fund, imported longline mahi-mahi, also known as dolphinfish, is one of the least environmentally friendly fish.