Is tuna high in mercury?

Fortunately, parents and kids need not give up tuna altogether. There are two main kinds of canned tuna: chunk light and solid or chunk white (albacore). All canned white tuna is albacore. Its mercury levels are almost three times higher than the smaller skipjack tuna, used in most canned light tuna products. read more

Species of fish that are long-lived and high on the food chain, such as marlin, tuna, shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish (Gulf of Mexico) contain higher concentrations of mercury than others. read more

Another plus: Light tuna isn’t as high in mercury as albacore tuna, Maqbool says—it packs about half the mercury of albacore. Mercury is the primary concern in big fish like tuna. Pollution releases mercury into the air, and as it accumulates in the ocean, fish absorb it from the waters and their mercury stores build up, according to the FDA. read more