Seafood choices for healthier oceans

• Seafood facts
• Seafood health guidelines chart
• Download a PDF of our seafood health guidelines brochure

At PCC, we’re committed to providing a variety of delicious and healthful seafood choices. We also carry only seafood from well-managed, environmentally friendly fisheries, so you can trust you’re supporting a sustainable future for our oceans.

A healthy catch

We work closely with local suppliers who follow the guidelines established by Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. Seafood Watch pocket guides are available at any PCC seafood counter.

Low in saturated fat, high in protein, and full of nutrients, seafood can be an important part of a healthy diet.

Many varieties are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which research indicates may help prevent heart disease and stroke, lower cholesterol, boost brain function, and even improve your mood!

It’s in the can

Canned seafood provides the same nutritional benefits as fresh or frozen, but is less expensive, is available year-round, and can be stored in the pantry for quick, easy meals. Our canned and jarred seafood — such as light tuna, salmon, anchovies and sardines — are high in omega-3s and come from sustainable fisheries.

Why is wild salmon better

Farmed salmon pollutes the environment and has 16 times more PCBs than wild salmon. You’ll never find farmed salmon at PCC.

PCBs levels

PCC does not carry seafood with unsafe levels of PCBs or mercury. Traces of these or other contaminants exist in most seafood, however, so we recommend eating some varieties only once in a while.

Mercury is a toxic metal that exists throughout the environment and often is concentrated in the flesh of large fish such as some varieties of tuna, mackerel, swordfish and shark, which are at the top of the food chain. It can be damaging to the kidneys and nervous system, especially for young children and infants.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are industrial chemicals known to increase the risk of cancer. Because they are not easily biodegradable, they settle in the bottoms of rivers and oceans and are stored in the flesh of some fish. PCBs are not highly toxic with a single dose (as in a single meal), but continued exposure may be harmful to health.

Seafood health guidelines chart