There is no single tuna limit for everyone. Under current U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advice, the answer depends on the tuna species, your serving size, whether you are pregnant or breastfeeding, whether you are planning pregnancy, your child’s age, and what other fish you eat that week. For the pregnancy, possible-pregnancy, breastfeeding and childhood groups covered by the FDA/EPA chart, canned light tuna is a Best Choice at two or three 4-ounce servings weekly; albacore (white) and yellowfin are Good Choices limited to one serving with no other fish that week; and bigeye tuna is a Choice to Avoid.
The figures below are U.S.-specific consumer guidance, not a personalized diagnosis or a universal mercury threshold. Adults outside those groups should use the broader fish recommendation and consider their body weight and medical circumstances rather than treating the chart as an automatic tuna prescription.
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The FDA/EPA tuna limits at a glance
The chart is written for people who might become pregnant, are pregnant, are breastfeeding, and children. A typical adult serving is 4 ounces (about 113 grams), measured before cooking.
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| Tuna type | FDA/EPA category | Weekly advice for the chart’s target groups | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canned light tuna, including skipjack | Best Choice | Two to three 4-ounce servings | Usually made from smaller tuna; canned light can be a species mixture, most often skipjack. |
| Albacore (white) tuna, canned or fresh/frozen | Good Choice | One serving, and no other fish that week | Typically contains three times more mercury than canned light tuna. |
| Yellowfin tuna | Good Choice | One serving, and no other fish that week | Count it as a Good Choice even when sold fresh or frozen. |
| Bigeye tuna | Choice to Avoid | Avoid for the chart’s target groups | Do not feed it to children under this advice. |
“Tuna” on a menu or label is not enough to identify the category. Look for canned light or skipjack, albacore/white, yellowfin or bigeye. If a seller gives no species information, ask before counting the serving.
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See the FDA consumer questions and answers and the FDA advice chart for the current U.S. categories.
How serving size changes the answer
Measure the fish, not the can
The standard adult serving is 4 ounces before cooking. A can’s drained weight may be less or more than one serving, so divide the actual fish into portions instead of assuming one can equals one serving. For a recipe, total the tuna used and divide by the number of people eating it.
Smaller adults may need smaller portions
FDA says the advice was developed using an average adult weight of 165 pounds. An adult who weighs less can keep exposure within the intent of the guidance by eating smaller portions or only two Best Choice servings in a week. FDA gives examples of 2.5 ounces three times in one week or 4 ounces twice in one week. These are examples, not a substitute for advice from a clinician who knows your health history.
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Frequency is weekly, not a daily quota
Keep a running total for the calendar week. A tuna sandwich, salad, poke bowl and sushi serving all count toward the same species category. The chart does not authorize unlimited small servings simply because each meal contains less than 4 ounces.
Pregnancy, trying to conceive and breastfeeding
The FDA/EPA chart is specifically designed for people who might become pregnant, are pregnant or are breastfeeding. FDA encourages anyone who might become pregnant in the next year to follow the advice now because methylmercury can accumulate in the body and takes months to leave.
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If you choose canned light tuna
Plan two or three 4-ounce servings during the week. Canned light tuna is in the Best Choices group, and FDA says the category includes skipjack. Varying fish within the Best Choices group is encouraged rather than relying on one species every week.
If you choose albacore or yellowfin
Stop at one 4-ounce serving for the week and eat no other fish that week under the chart. This rule applies to albacore whether it is canned, fresh or frozen, and to yellowfin whether it is sold as a steak, loin or sushi ingredient.
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FDA says that when more than three fish servings are eaten in a week, the extra servings should be Best Choices. After a higher-mercury choice, choose lower-mercury fish in following weeks. The goal is a varied pattern, not trying to “offset” a meal with a supplement or cleanse.
How the general pregnancy fish target fits
The Dietary Guidelines cited by EPA recommend 8 to 12 ounces of fish per week for pregnant or breastfeeding people. The tuna chart translates that general fish goal into species-specific choices: two or three 4-ounce Best Choice servings can supply 8 to 12 ounces, while a Good Choice is capped at one serving and excludes other fish that week.
Children’s portions and tuna choices
FDA recommends two weekly servings from a variety of Best Choices for children ages 1 through 11. The portion rises with age:
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| Age | Approximate portion per serving | Weekly pattern |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 years | 1 ounce | Two servings from Best Choices |
| 4–7 years | 2 ounces | Two servings from Best Choices |
| 8–10 years | 3 ounces | Two servings from Best Choices |
| 11 years and older | 4 ounces | Two servings from Best Choices |
Use the child’s age-based portion rather than an adult can or restaurant serving. Children should not be fed fish in the Choices to Avoid category, including bigeye tuna. Some dietary patterns call for more than two fish servings, but FDA/EPA says those higher amounts should come from a smaller subset of especially low-mercury Best Choices; tuna is not in that narrower subset. For a child with developmental, dietary or medical concerns, ask a pediatric clinician or registered dietitian how to meet fish and nutrient needs.
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For adults who are not pregnant, planning pregnancy or breastfeeding, FDA points to the Dietary Guidelines’ general recommendation of at least 8 ounces of fish per week on a 2,000-calorie diet. That is a fish recommendation, not a personalized tuna maximum. It assumes variety and does not mean that 8 ounces of any tuna species is interchangeable.
Use species and body size together
An adult under the 165-pound average used to develop the advice may choose smaller portions or two Best Choice servings, as in FDA’s 2.5-ounce-three-times or 4-ounce-twice examples. Someone with a condition affecting mercury handling, a high occupational exposure, or a concern about repeated large servings should ask a qualified clinician rather than extrapolate a personal limit from a population chart.
Do not confuse a fish goal with a tuna allowance
Meeting the 8-ounce fish goal with canned light tuna, salmon, sardines and other lower-mercury choices is different from eating 8 ounces of albacore or bigeye. Species, serving size and the rest of the week’s seafood determine the exposure pattern.
Why tuna type matters: mercury and biology
Canned light tuna generally comes from smaller tuna, most often skipjack. Albacore are larger and live longer, and FDA states that albacore (also called white tuna) typically contains three times more mercury than canned light tuna. That difference is why canned light and albacore occupy different categories even though both may be sold in cans.
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Yellowfin is listed separately as a Good Choice, while bigeye is a Choice to Avoid for the groups covered by the chart. Do not infer a category from color, price or whether the tuna is raw; use the named species.
The FDA explains how the advice was developed in its technical information page. The categories are official risk-management guidance, not results from a single new study and not a guarantee that every individual fish has the same mercury concentration.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Practical ways to plan a week of fish
Example: two Best Choice servings
For a pregnant adult following the chart, two 4-ounce servings of canned light tuna on separate days fit the two-to-three-serving Best Choice range. Other meals that week can use non-fish proteins or additional Best Choice fish only if the total remains within the chart’s category guidance.
Example: one Good Choice serving
A 4-ounce albacore or yellowfin meal uses the week’s Good Choice serving. Do not add salmon, sardines or another fish later that week under the one-serving-and-no-other-fish rule.
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If you want variety, count each species before shopping: two Best Choice servings can be split between canned light tuna and another Best Choice fish. A Good Choice tuna serving cannot be combined with other fish that week under the chart.
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When you have eaten more than planned
Do not diagnose mercury poisoning from one meal. FDA’s older general mercury information says one week of fish consumption does not change body methylmercury levels much. Return to the current chart, vary fish, and choose lower-mercury Best Choices in following weeks. Contact a clinician or poison-information service promptly if you have symptoms or a specific exposure concern.
Fish caught by family or friends
Locally caught fish can have separate advisories because contamination varies by waterway and species. Check the advisory for the exact lake, river, coastal area and fish. If there is no advisory, FDA says adults should limit that catch to one serving, up to 6 ounces, that week and eat no other fish. This local-catch rule is separate from the canned-tuna categories and should not be used to classify store-bought tuna.
Choosing tuna at the store or restaurant
- Read the species description: “canned light” or “skipjack” is different from “albacore” or “white.”
- Ask restaurants whether a tuna dish is yellowfin, bigeye, albacore or another species before ordering.
- For pregnancy, possible pregnancy, breastfeeding and children, avoid menu items identified as bigeye.
- Keep the drained fish from a large can for multiple measured portions rather than eating the entire container automatically.
- Use canned salmon, sardines and other Best Choices to vary seafood; FDA lists them as affordable alternatives.
Which advice applies where
The limits in this article are from U.S. FDA/EPA consumer guidance. Other countries may use different species groupings, serving sizes or local advisories. The EPA page carrying the U.S. advice was updated October 1, 2026; FDA’s consumer FAQ and chart were reviewed October 13, 2026. If you live elsewhere, check your national food-safety authority. For U.S. local catch, use the water-specific advisory rather than assuming the national chart covers it.
For the complete federal wording, consult the EPA/FDA advice page. It is the appropriate starting point when species, pregnancy status, a child’s age or a local catch makes a generic tuna answer unsafe.
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