Researchers also observed differences in mercury levels between species with bigeye tuna having higher concentrations than yellowfin tuna or longfinned albacore. Nearly all fish and shellfish absorb and accumulate methylmercury. Similar to bluefin tuna, bigeye are able to change their internal body temperature depending … Canned white and yellowfin tuna are higher in mercury, but still okay to eat. Mercury concentrations tended to be greater in bigeye tuna than in yellowfin tuna. By eating 2.5 ounces of any of the tested samples, a woman of childbearing age would exceed the daily mercury … Although there are many other factors which effect a tuna’s mercury content, the general rule is the bigger the tuna is, the more mercury is in them. Larger, long living fish such as swordfish and bigeye tuna accumulate the highest levels and pose the greatest risk. If you or your kids regularly eat canned tuna, stick to light or skipjack tuna, and limit it to less than two servings a week. Samples of white tuna had 0.217 to 0.774 ppm of mercury and averaged 0.427 ppm. The term tuna encompasses several species of fish, including skipjack, albacore, yellowfin, and bigeye. Mercury levels range from 0.003 parts per million in scallops to 1.123 …

Both types, along with bluefin, are high in mercury and should be eaten infrequently, if at all. Bigeye and yellowfin, also known as ahi, are common in sushi. Bigeye tuna are similar in appearance to yellowfin tuna, as both have yellow fins and metallic blue bodies; however, the bigeye’s eyes are larger and their finlets have black edges. Moreover, within a single species, the mercury levels can vary depending on the geographic origin of the tuna caught, sometimes reaching three times as much as other individuals or more. They found that mercury concentrations in yellowfin tuna increased about 5.5 percent per year between 1998 and 2008. Skipjack is the most commonly consumed species. Tuna is the most common source of mercury exposure in the country. The battle, raging for two years, sheds light on the unsettled and contentious issue of seafood safety, particularly for large, long-lived fish like tuna and swordfish that tend to accumulate mercury. They found that mercury levels were highest in bigeye and bluefin tuna, two of the biggest tuna species, and that the lowest levels were found in skipjack tuna, one of the smallest tuna species. Bigeye tuna … Most tuna are caught by purse seines or longlines, which have moderate-to-high bycatch of seabirds, sea turtles and marine mammals. Levels in bigeye tuna increased about 3.9 percent per year from 2002 to 2008. The importance of that advice was underscored earlier this year by a study that found that mercury levels in yellowfin tuna had increased at an annual rate of almost 4 percent from 1998 through 2008. Canned light tuna is the better, lower-mercury choice, according to the FDA and EPA.