Rockfish: Nutrition, Benefits, Mercury & How to Cook It

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Rockfish is a group of more than 100 fish species of the genus Sebastes, and in the U.S. it's sold mostly as wild-caught fish from the Pacific coast, in mild, lean white fillets with a fine, delicate flake.11112 It's a wild fish with fins and scales, so it meets the standard I follow for seafood, and since it carries more selenium and more omega-3s than cod, halibut, sole or tilapia, it earns a regular place on your plate, about one serving a week alongside wild salmon and sardines.131438

Your body was designed to calm inflammation once it has done its job, and it builds the tools for that work out of the omega-3 fats you eat, while selenium powers the enzymes that protect your cells along the way.54 When that resolution falls short, inflammation lingers, and researchers now recognize unresolved inflammation as a common thread in heart disease, metabolic disease and diseases of the brain.5 That makes what's missing from your plate a root cause worth fixing first, and a fillet of wild rockfish brings omega-3s, selenium and complete protein together, which is food as medicine at its most practical.3 It's also one more reason I put a wild fish on the plate before any capsule.15

If calmer inflammation is one of the reasons you're adding more fish to your week, the free protocol below builds every meal around the foods that help, with wild fish three times a week.16

Did you know?

• Rockfish are among the longest-lived fish in the sea, and some in the Gulf of Alaska may live more than 200 years.1

• Rockfish eggs are fertilized and develop inside the mother, and about four to five weeks later she gives birth to live larvae about the size of an eyelash.112

• U.S. fishermen landed 136 million pounds of Pacific ocean perch in 2024, more than ten times the 13 million pounds of its Atlantic cousin, the Acadian redfish.222

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Is rockfish good for you?

The standard I follow for seafood is simple: choose wild, ocean-caught fish, and make sure it has fins and scales.13 I lay it out in The Biblio Diet, and it comes straight from Leviticus: "These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat" (Leviticus 11:9).17 Rockfish passes on both counts. The Orthodox Union's kosher fish list includes the rockfishes, along with Pacific ocean perch, chilipepper and bocaccio, and it lists striped bass as well, so both fish that go by this name have fins and scales.14 U.S. rockfish is also caught wild, from Alaska to California, which puts it comfortably on a biblical diet.2

My number one prescription for healing your cell membranes is at least three servings a week of omega-3-rich fish, in palm-size portions of about 4 to 6 ounces.9 Wild salmon and sardines carry most of those meals because they're the richest in omega-3s, and rockfish fits in beside them as a lean, mild white fish that brings extra selenium and variety to your week.163 Our guide to the fish you should never eat schedules the federal Good Choices tier, where rockfish sits, at about one 4-ounce serving a week.824

Wild-caught fish delivers complete protein together with ready-made EPA and DHA,18 and rockfish adds vitamin B12, vitamin D and phosphorus to the same fillet.3 Fish oil capsules have a mixed track record in trials, while eating fish itself does beautifully, and my own body responds far better to wild-caught salmon than it does to capsules. On days when you don't eat fatty fish, though, I still think there are benefits to taking an omega-3 supplement.15

What is rockfish?

Rockfish live everywhere from the shallows near shore to waters more than 1,500 feet deep, and they feed on plankton, small crustaceans and other fish.1 They grow slowly and live long lives, and Pacific ocean perch, one of the best known, can reach 98 years and doesn't start reproducing until it's about 10.2

The FDA's accepted market name for the whole genus is "rockfish," though West Coast fish counters also sell these fish as Pacific ocean perch, rock cod or Pacific snapper.1122021 On the Atlantic side, the Acadian redfish caught from Maine to New York belongs to the same genus and is often sold as ocean perch.22 In November 2025, Congress directed the FDA to work with the fishing industry on a new market name for 18 of the Pacific species, and the industry has asked over the years for "snapper," so while the agency weighs it, the name on the label may change.1123

On the East Coast, the same word points to a different fish. In Maryland and other Mid-Atlantic states, "rockfish" is the everyday name for striped bass, Morone saxatilis, which Maryland made its state fish in 1965.1119 Striped bass is its own species with its own nutrition, though it also has fins and scales and sits on the same FDA and EPA Good Choices list, and this page covers the Pacific rockfish.1424

On the plate, rockfish is lean and medium-firm with a fine flake, and its flavor is delicate, mild and slightly sweet or nutty, depending on the species.122021 The raw flesh runs from white to pink and turns white as it cooks, so it behaves like a classic white fish, the kind that takes on lemon, herbs and spices without competing with them.122

Rockfish nutrition facts

Figures are from USDA FoodData Central entry 175131 (rockfish, Pacific, mixed species, cooked, dry heat), scaled from 100 grams to a 3-ounce (85-gram) serving, with % Daily Value based on FDA adult reference values.3

Protein is the first thing rockfish gives you. My guideline for most people is at least 30 to 40 grams of protein three times a day,25 and a 6-ounce cooked fillet brings about 38 grams of complete protein, with every essential amino acid your body needs to build and repair its tissues.318 With no carbohydrate and only 1.62 grams of fat per 100 grams, rockfish is a very lean way to reach that target, and it sits comfortably among the high-protein foods you can build a meal around.3

Rockfish stands out most for its selenium, with 76.2 micrograms in 100 grams cooked, 139% of the daily value, more than the same amount of halibut (55.4), tilapia (54.4), cod (37.6) or flounder and sole (32.6).326272829 That's more than a full day's selenium in a 3-ounce serving, and it makes rockfish one of the easiest selenium foods to put on your plate.3

Rockfish is a lean fish, so its omega-3s come in a smaller package than salmon's, yet it still brings more than cod, halibut, flounder, sole or tilapia. Per 100 grams cooked, it carries 345 milligrams of EPA plus DHA, against 300 in flounder and sole, 235 in halibut, 158 in cod and 135 in tilapia, while wild Atlantic salmon carries about 1,840, more than five times as much.32926282730 That's why salmon and sardines anchor the omega-3 side of your week while rockfish brings the most of the white fish in the chart below. I count on wild fish for my own omega-3s, too, because genetic testing showed me that my body doesn't convert the plant omega-3s in flax, chia and walnuts well, so I need to eat a lot of wild-caught fish.31

Rockfish also brings 4.6 micrograms of vitamin D per 100 grams, almost four times as much as cod, along with vitamin B12 and phosphorus.328 The table below sets it beside other popular fish, gram for gram:

USDA FoodData Central entries 175131, 174201, 171956, 174197 and 171998.326282930

How rockfish works in your body

Think of every cell in your body as wrapped in a thin, flexible skin made largely of fat, a skin your body keeps rebuilding a little at a time from the fats you eat. The omega-3s in a rockfish fillet are some of the best building material you can send it.

Your cells really do take these fats in: in a 12-month randomized trial in which neither the people nor the researchers knew who got what, 204 adults took capsules of either placebo or EPA and DHA in amounts matching one, two or four oily-fish meals a week, and the omega-3s were built into their red blood cells, immune cells and platelets, with more of them at the higher intakes.32 Once those fats are in place, your cells turn them into resolvins, protectins and maresins, a family of compounds that actively bring inflammation to an end, help clear the area and support tissue repair.5 On my show, I describe resolvins as the molecules that actively shut inflammation off in your body,15 and it's a clear picture of a body designed to heal, which finishes the job itself once you give it the raw materials.

In my clinical practice, the omega-3 index is one of the top 10 tests I run on everybody.9 It's a blood test that looks at how many omega-3s you have in your cells and your blood, so it shows you whether those building materials are reaching your cells.33

The selenium in the same fillet works right alongside the omega-3s. Your body builds it into selenoproteins, a family of proteins that includes the glutathione peroxidase enzymes that protect your cells from oxidative damage, and it uses selenium to turn thyroid hormone into its active form.4 Follow a rockfish fillet from your plate to your cells and you can see each step:

Health benefits of rockfish, ranked by the research

Is rockfish high in mercury? How often to eat it

In FDA testing, rockfish are grouped with the saltwater basses, including striped and black sea bass, and the 101 samples in that group averaged 0.167 parts per million (ppm) of mercury, so the figure blends several fish rather than describing rockfish alone.40 For comparison, fresh or frozen salmon averaged 0.022 ppm, sardines 0.013, cod 0.111, halibut 0.241 and swordfish 0.995.40 Fish sold as ocean perch, a name also used for some rockfish, averaged 0.121 ppm and sits on the FDA and EPA's Best Choices list.4024 Rockfish's mercury also comes packaged with plenty of selenium, and in that survey of 17 Northeast Atlantic species, redfish (Sebastes) among them, every species carried, on average, more selenium than mercury, molecule for molecule, a surplus the researchers suggest may help offset mercury's toxic effects.337

That level puts rockfish on the FDA and EPA's Good Choices list. For people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, they advise 2 to 3 servings a week from the Best Choices list or 1 serving a week from the Good Choices list, with a serving of 4 ounces before cooking, and children's servings are smaller, from 1 ounce at ages 1 to 3 up to 4 ounces at age 11.24 During pregnancy, breastfeeding and the early childhood years, our fish guide keeps you on the Best Choices list, and for adults in general it uses that once-a-week rhythm for Good Choices fish, so rockfish is a fish to schedule into your week.8

If you catch your own rockfish, the local advice matters more than any national average. Where there's no advisory for the water you fish, the FDA and EPA's advice for pregnancy, breastfeeding and children is one serving of fish caught by family or friends that week and no other fish.24 On the California coast, the state's advisory names four high-mercury rockfish species for women 18 to 45 and children to pass up, and it allows seven others once a week for those groups and up to four servings a week of those seven for women 46 and older and for men.41

Our fish guide's goal is more fish on your plate, not less, and a weekly rockfish dinner beside salmon and sardines is a delicious way to get there.8

How to buy rockfish

U.S. rockfish is wild-caught, and NOAA calls the American catch a smart seafood choice because it's sustainably managed and responsibly harvested.21220 Several West Coast stocks had to be rebuilt to get there: canary rockfish was declared overfished in 2000 and rebuilt by 2015, and bocaccio was rebuilt in 2017.1220 Rockfish conservation areas still close the waters where protected species mix with the fish being caught, and a few slow-growing species, such as the yelloweye rockfish of Puget Sound, remain protected.2042

The rockfish raised on farms is a different species, the black rockfish (Sebastes schlegeli) of East Asia, and in a Japanese study the fats in farmed and wild adult black rockfish were very similar.43 I advise choosing wild, ocean-caught fish over farmed,1813 and with U.S. rockfish, wild is what you get.2

At the counter, ask for the species and the country.8 On the West Coast, "Pacific snapper" or "rock cod" on a sign usually means rockfish, while any fish sold as "red snapper" across state lines must be the true red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, a different fish.11 If you live near the coast, a dock or fish counter that can tell you the species and where it was caught is a great place to buy, and many will fillet a whole fish for you, which saves you handling its spiny fins (the safety section explains why).

These are the signs of fresh, well-kept fish, from the FDA's buying guide:10

• It smells fresh and mild, never fishy, sour or like ammonia.10

• It's kept refrigerated or on a thick bed of fresh ice, ideally in a case or under a cover.10

• A whole fish has clear, shiny eyes, firm flesh and red gills.10

• A fillet is firm, springs back when you press it, and shows no darkening or drying at the edges.10

• Any time-and-temperature indicator on the package shows it was stored properly.10

• Frozen fillets come in a package that isn't open, torn or crushed, with no frost or ice crystals, and the fish is hard, not bendable.10

How to cook and use rockfish

Rockfish is one of the easiest fish to cook, because its mild flavor takes on whatever you pair it with, from lemon and herbs to chili, lime and ginger, and its lean, medium-firm flesh with a fine flake suits baking, broiling, grilling, poaching or a hot pan.122 Lean fillets can dry out if you leave them too long, so a spoonful of olive oil, avocado oil or ghee and an early check keep them moist. The number to remember is 145°F at the thickest part, when the flesh has turned opaque white and separates easily with a fork.102

A broiled fish even has a place in the Gospels. After the resurrection, Jesus asked his disciples whether they had anything to eat, "And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them" (Luke 24:42-43).17

Rockfish recipes

Each of these uses wild rockfish with olive oil, avocado oil or ghee, fresh herbs and plenty of produce, and each works with fresh fillets or frozen ones thawed in the refrigerator.

Rockfish tacos with mango salsa

Chili-lime rockfish with a sweet, juicy mango salsa and crunchy cabbage makes an easy weeknight taco that the whole family can build at the table.

Lemon-baked rockfish with garlic and parsley

This is the simplest way to cook rockfish: a hot oven, lemon, garlic and good olive oil, with steamed vegetables on the side.

Ginger-lime broiled rockfish with fresh mango chutney

Fresh ginger, lime and black pepper season the fish, and a quick mango chutney, sweetened if you like with a little raw honey stirred in off the heat, brings it all together.

Fish to rotate with rockfish

If your counter is out of rockfish, halibut, cod and sole cook the same way in every recipe here, and our guide to the best fish to eat lays out the full rotation. Keep wild salmon and sardines on your three omega-3 nights each week, and rockfish becomes the mild white fish you enjoy beside them.9

Rockfish side effects and who should be careful

Rockfish is a safe fish for most people once it's cooked through, and there are only a few things to know.

Fish allergy. If you're allergic to fish, leave rockfish off your plate. A rockfish allergy can also stand on its own: in one documented case, a teenager in Japan had a severe reaction to Pacific ocean perch while eating many other fish without trouble.44 If you ever notice swelling of your lips or throat, hives or trouble breathing after eating fish, treat it as an emergency and call 911.

Parasites. The FDA names parasites as the main food-safety hazard for rockfish, and proper cooking or freezing takes care of them.11 Cook rockfish to 145°F, and for ceviche, crudo or sushi, use fish that has been frozen at -4°F or below for 7 days.45 In one documented case in Korea, a roundworm larva turned up during a routine endoscopy of a woman who had eaten raw rockfish 13 hours earlier, though she had no symptoms.46 Freezing takes care of parasites but doesn't kill every harmful germ, so cooking rockfish through is the safest way to enjoy it.10

Raw rockfish. If you're pregnant, an older adult, feeding a young child, or living with liver disease or a weakened immune system, skip raw rockfish and other raw seafood, as our fish guide and the FDA advise, and enjoy it cooked.810

Spiny fins. Rockfish fins carry venomous spines, so wear gloves when you clean a whole fish, or ask the counter to fillet it, and get prompt care for a puncture that swells, keeps hurting or looks infected.1

How often. The mercury section above covers how often to eat rockfish.

Interaction check: Low. None is documented at food amounts.

The bottom line

Rockfish: frequently asked questions

References

1. Monterey Bay Aquarium. Rockfish (animal guide: more than 100 species; possibly over 200 years old in the Gulf of Alaska; venomous fin spines; females give birth to live larvae).
2. NOAA Fisheries. Pacific Ocean Perch (Sebastes alutus) species profile. Last updated October 8, 2026.
3. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central: Fish, rockfish, Pacific, mixed species, cooked, dry heat. FDC ID 175131 (SR Legacy, NDB 15071; per 100 g; 3 oz = 85 g; 1 fillet = 149 g). Accessed November 5, 2026.
4. Rayman MP. Selenium and human health. Lancet. 2012;379(9822):1256-1268. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61452-9
5. Serhan CN. Pro-resolving lipid mediators are leads for resolution physiology. Nature. 2014;510(7503):92-101. doi:10.1038/nature13479
6. He K, Song Y, Daviglus ML, Liu K, Van Horn L, Dyer AR, et al. Accumulated evidence on fish consumption and coronary heart disease mortality: a meta-analysis of cohort studies. Circulation. 2004;109(22):2705-2711. doi:10.1161/01.CIR.0000132503.19410.6B
7. Zhang Y, Chen J, Qiu J, Li Y, Wang J, Jiao J. Intakes of fish and polyunsaturated fatty acids and mild-to-severe cognitive impairment risks: a dose-response meta-analysis of 21 cohort studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016;103(2):330-340. doi:10.3945/ajcn.115.124081
8. Axe J. Fish You Should Never Eat: 12 to Skip & Safer Choices. DrAxe.com. 2026 (Good Choices fish are "fish to schedule," one 4-ounce serving a week; Best Choices during pregnancy and breastfeeding and for young children; skip raw seafood in pregnancy, for young children and with liver disease or weak immunity; ask for the species and the country; skip any fish you can't trace, starting with "red snapper"; tilapia is low in omega-3s, not a fish to build a week around; more fish, not less).
9. Axe J. You Were Lied To About Fat — Your Cells Are Paying the Price. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. October 5, 2026 (Dr. Axe, solo episode: the omega-3 index in his clinical practice at 7:52; fat becomes the cell membrane at 10:42; three servings a week of omega-3-rich fish, 4 to 6 ounces, at 10:59; YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKHwG0I46k4&t=642s).
10. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Selecting and Serving Fresh and Frozen Seafood Safely (buying signs of freshness; frozen seafood: no open, torn or crushed packages, no frost or ice crystals, flesh hard and not bendable; cook most seafood to 145°F; fish is done when it separates easily with a fork). Content current as of March 5, 2024.
11. Food and Drug Administration. Consideration of Acceptable Market Name Change for Certain Rockfish (Sebastes spp.); Request for Information. Fed Regist. 2026;91(62):16200-16203. Docket No. FDA-2026-N-2741 (April 1, 2026).
12. NOAA Fisheries. Canary Rockfish (Sebastes pinniger) species profile. Last updated October 8, 2026.
13. Axe J, Rubin J. The Biblio Diet. Hachette Book Group; 2025. ISBN 9781546008439. Fish guidance ("Hooked on Fish," ebook p. 84: "Choose wild, ocean-caught fish. Make sure it has fins and scales.").
14. Chabad.org. Kosher Fish List (reprinted with permission of the Orthodox Union: scorpionfishes, including rockfishes, Pacific ocean perch, chilipepper and bocaccio; temperate basses, including striped bass or rockfish).
15. Axe J. How to Reduce Chronic Inflammation Naturally. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. August 10, 2026 (Dr. Axe, solo episode: eating fish versus fish oil capsules at 7:50; EPA, DHA and resolvins at 8:01; his own response to wild-caught salmon and to fish oil capsules at 8:15; omega-3 supplements on days without fatty fish at 8:42; YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFeUM50IzBI&t=470s).
16. Axe J. The Anti-Inflammatory Reset: The 30-Day Healing Protocol. DrAxe.com protocol. 2026 (written; "The foods that cool inflammation," p. 22: wild salmon and sardines, 4 to 6 oz, three times a week; the 7-day meal plan with fish three times a week).
17. The Holy Bible, King James Version. Leviticus 11:9; Luke 24:42-43. Project Gutenberg eBook #10.
18. Axe J, Cole W. Heal Your Cells. Avery; 2026. ISBN 9798217181353 (p. 131: "Wild-caught fish deliver complete proteins alongside direct sources of EPA and DHA"; p. 67: avoid farmed fish).
19. Maryland State Archives. Maryland at a Glance: State Fish, Rockfish (Striped Bass), Morone saxatilis (designated 1965). Maryland Manual On-Line.
20. NOAA Fisheries. Bocaccio (Sebastes paucispinis) species profile. Last updated September 1, 2026.
21. NOAA Fisheries. Yellowtail Rockfish (Sebastes flavidus) species profile. Last updated October 8, 2026.
22. NOAA Fisheries. Acadian Redfish (Sebastes fasciatus) species profile. Last updated October 8, 2026.
23. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Seeks Public Input on Potential Market Name Change for Certain Rockfish Species. Constituent update, March 31, 2026.
24. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Advice about Eating Fish: For Those Who Might Become or Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding and Children Ages 1-11 Years (rockfish: Good Choice; striped bass, ocean: Good Choice; perch, freshwater and ocean, cod, salmon and sardine: Best Choice; serving sizes; fish caught by family and friends). Content current as of March 5, 2024.
25. Axe J. Top 10 Reasons You're Not Healing. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2025 (30 to 40 grams of protein three times a day at 8:19; YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjU77gf__x4&t=499s).
26. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central: Fish, halibut, Atlantic and Pacific, cooked, dry heat. FDC ID 174201 (SR Legacy; per 100 g). Accessed November 5, 2026.
27. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central: Fish, tilapia, cooked, dry heat. FDC ID 175177 (SR Legacy; per 100 g). Accessed November 5, 2026.
28. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central: Fish, cod, Atlantic, cooked, dry heat. FDC ID 171956 (SR Legacy; per 100 g). Accessed November 5, 2026.
29. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central: Fish, flatfish (flounder and sole species), cooked, dry heat. FDC ID 174197 (SR Legacy; per 100 g). Accessed November 5, 2026.
30. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central: Fish, salmon, Atlantic, wild, cooked, dry heat. FDC ID 171998 (SR Legacy; per 100 g). Accessed November 5, 2026.
31. Axe J. Proven Ways To Prevent Alzheimer's Before It's Too Late. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. 2025 (Dr. Axe, solo episode: his genetic test and poor conversion of plant omega-3s, and his need for wild-caught fish, at 3:14-3:49; YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5Ldpwr236A&t=194s).
32. Browning LM, Walker CG, Mander AP, West AL, Madden J, Gambell JM, et al. Incorporation of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids into lipid pools when given as supplements providing doses equivalent to typical intakes of oily fish. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;96(4):748-758. doi:10.3945/ajcn.112.041343
33. Axe J. 10 Biblical Superfoods That Can Add Years to Your Life. The Dr. Josh Axe Show, Episode 393. September 28, 2026 (Dr. Axe, solo episode: wild-caught fish as the number one superfood of the Bible at 6:25; the omega-3 index, "how many omega-3s do you have in your cells and in your blood," at 8:31; YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AnNi1umufc&t=385s).
34. Ouellet V, Weisnagel SJ, Marois J, Bergeron J, Julien P, Gougeon R, et al. Dietary cod protein reduces plasma C-reactive protein in insulin-resistant men and women. J Nutr. 2008;138(12):2386-2391. doi:10.3945/jn.108.092346
35. Ouellet V, Marois J, Weisnagel SJ, Jacques H. Dietary cod protein improves insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant men and women: a randomized controlled trial. Diabetes Care. 2007;30(11):2816-2821. doi:10.2337/dc07-0273
36. Mozaffarian D, Rimm EB. Fish intake, contaminants, and human health: evaluating the risks and the benefits. JAMA. 2006;296(15):1885-1899. doi:10.1001/jama.296.15.1885
37. Azad AM, Frantzen S, Bank MS, Nilsen BM, Duinker A, Madsen L, Maage A. Effects of geography and species variation on selenium and mercury molar ratios in Northeast Atlantic marine fish communities. Sci Total Environ. 2019;652:1482-1496. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.405
38. Øyen J, Aadland EK, Liaset B, Fjære E, Dahl L, Madsen L. Lean-seafood intake increases urinary iodine concentrations and plasma selenium levels: a randomized controlled trial with crossover design. Eur J Nutr. 2021;60(3):1679-1689. doi:10.1007/s00394-020-02366-2
39. Tedeschi SK, Bathon JM, Giles JT, Lin TC, Yoshida K, Solomon DH. Relationship between fish consumption and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2018;70(3):327-332. doi:10.1002/acr.23295
40. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish (1990-2012). Bass (saltwater, black, striped, rockfish): mean 0.167 ppm, median 0.094, SD 0.194, range ND to 0.96, 101 samples, FDA 1991-2010 (footnote 3: includes sea bass, black and striped, and rockfish); perch, ocean: mean 0.121 ppm, 31 samples; salmon (fresh/frozen) 0.022; sardine 0.013; cod 0.111; halibut 0.241; swordfish 0.995. Content current as of February 25, 2022.
41. California State Water Resources Control Board, Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program. New statewide advisory for eating fish from California's coastal waters (OEHHA, November 2016): four high-mercury rockfish species to avoid for women 18-45 and children 1-17; seven moderate-mercury rockfish species once a week for those groups and up to four servings a week for women 46 and older and men. SWAMP Year-End Newsletter 2016.
42. NOAA Fisheries. Yelloweye Rockfish (Sebastes ruberrimus) species profile. Last updated October 8, 2026.
43. Saito H, Ishikawa S. Lipid classes and fatty acid profile of cultured and wild black rockfish, Sebastes schlegeli. J Oleo Sci. 2014;63(6):555-566. doi:10.5650/jos.ess13217
44. Tsuge M, Uda K, Ikeda M, Tsukahara H. Sebastidae-specific food allergy causing anaphylaxis: a pediatric case report and fish allergen analysis. BMC Pediatr. 2026;26(1):628. doi:10.1186/s12887-026-06987-0
45. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Anisakiasis (prevention: cook seafood to 145°F; freeze at -4°F or below for 7 days).
46. Na HK, Seo M, Chai JY, Lee EK, Jeon SM. A case of anisakidosis caused by Pseudoterranova decipiens larva. Korean J Parasitol. 2013;51(1):115-117. doi:10.3347/kjp.2013.51.1.115
47. Hibbeln JR, Davis JM, Steer C, Emmett P, Rogers I, Williams C, et al. Maternal seafood consumption in pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes in childhood (ALSPAC study): an observational cohort study. Lancet. 2007;369(9561):578-585. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60277-3

Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNS

Doctor of Natural Medicine · Founder, DrAxe.com

Dr. Axe is a certified doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist, and multiple New York Times bestselling author. He has spent 20+ years in clinical practice helping people heal at the root cause and founded one of the most-visited natural-health platforms in the world.

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