Seafood traceability for your health
Know the water your fish came from.
Look up the fish you're buying to see where it's caught or farmed, how it was produced, and what that means for mercury, contaminants, antibiotics and omega-3s.
Check a fish
Photo, barcode or what the label says. See antibiotics, feed and how to verify a code.
Fish guide
All the fish we cover, with where each comes from, how it's produced, mercury and omega-3s.
Stores
What major US grocers say about their seafood, and the products you'll find there.
Your check-up
Tell us what you eat and get a personal mercury and omega-3 report.
Learn
Catch and farm methods explained, and how to read a seafood label.
Check a fish at the store
Enter what the label says. We'll tell you what's known about how fish from that source is raised or caught: antibiotics, hormones and feed, plus how to verify any certification or code on the package.
Shop by store or brand
What major US grocers and seafood brands say about where their fish comes from, their track record, and the products you'll commonly find, each linked to its rating. Assortments vary by region and season and change over time, so the label on the package is always the final word.
Stores
Seafood brands
Your seafood check-up
Tell us where you shop and which fish you eat, and get a personal report: how your mercury and omega-3s compare with FDA and EPA advice, and better picks at your stores. Your answers are saved only in this browser. Nothing is sent to VeriFysh.
Fish guide
Each fish lists the regions and methods it's sold from in the US, with a production rating for each, plus its health profile.
Catch & farm methods
How a fish was produced affects what ends up on your plate: antibiotic and chemical residues, contaminant levels, freshness, and whether the stock will still be there next year.
Wild-caught gear
Farming systems
Reading a label
US Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) rules require most grocery stores to tell you two things about fresh and frozen fish. Here's how to use them.
- Country of origin. For farmed fish this is where it was raised. For wild fish it's the flag of the boat, or the country where it was processed if it was substantially changed there. "Product of Thailand" on wild Alaska salmon usually means it was caught in the US and filleted abroad.
- Wild or farm-raised. Required on the label or sign. Use it with the country to find the right row in the directory.
- Market name. One name can cover several species. "White tuna" must be albacore, but "snapper" and "sea bass" cover many fish. Look for the specific name.
- Certifications. MSC (wild), ASC and BAP (farmed) are third-party standards. They're a useful shortcut when the country and method alone don't settle it.
Where labels go quiet
- Restaurants, fish markets and small specialty stores don't have to label origin or method. Ask.
- Processed seafood is exempt: canned, smoked, breaded, cooked, or mixed into another product (fish sticks, sushi rolls, crab cakes).
- Live and fresh shellfish carry a harvester tag listing the certified harvest area and date. Stores keep it for 90 days and must show it to you on request.
- Studies by Oceana and others have found seafood mislabeled at roughly 1 in 5 tested samples, most often snapper, tuna sold as "white tuna" in sushi, and sea bass.