The quality and health of the fish we sell, and our member’s health, is of great importance to us.

Where a fish eats in the water column has to do with its behavior and where it eats in the food chain. Even if a fish species spends most of its time eating at the bottom of the ocean, this does not directly indicate it would be unhealthy to consume.

It is typically the case that the health or quality of seafood is impacted more by the overall health of the ecosystem (or natural habitat) where the animal spends its life. If the overall health of the ecosystem is in great shape, then the overall health of the fish will reflect the same thing. 1.

We rely on Alaska’s Department of Environmental Conservation for all testing for pollutants, mercury, etc. They have a very comprehensive monitoring program, and if you’d like to take a look, here are their latest reports → https://dec.alaska.gov/eh/vet/fish-monitoring-program/fish-tissue-mercury. If you have any specific questions about a species that concerns you, we can also pull more info for you from the AK state testing information.

An interesting fish fact, some Alaskan species that spend most of their time on or near the ocean floor - such as cod and halibut - do so for camouflage from both prey and predators. Each of these species can also be found feeding at different depths of the ocean. Halibut will actually swim all the way to the surface on occasion to hunt young salmon as they migrate. This often occurs during what is also a halibut migration. They specifically migrate to shallower waters to feed on other fish during the summer months 2.

I hope this helps to clear up some misconceptions about how a fish’s habitat can impact its health, and also your health.

As always, the Member Experience team is here to support you if you have additional questions!

(Photos credited to NOAA.)