Bigger isn't always better, as a new study discovered that smaller fish are more nutritious, lower in mercury, and less susceptible to overfishing.
The Cornell University-led team analyzed nutritional value, mercury content, price, and abundance for 59 fish species in the Amazon River. Not only did they find that the smaller species were higher in nutrition and lower in mercury, but these fish were more common and less expensive too.
"Fish can provide a nutritious source of food at lower environmental cost than other animal-sourced foods, but fish can also potentially expose consumers to mercury contamination, and overexploitation of oceans and rivers harms biodiversity," the Amazon study's first author, Sebastian Heilpern, stated, according to the Cornell Chronicle. "Often, these risks vs. benefits are looked at in siloes, but we wanted to look at them holistically."
Though the study was conducted in the Amazon, many of the findings are more broadly applicable, according to the Cornell Chronicle. For instance, larger fish across the world contain higher levels of mercury and are more vulnerable to human pressures, the publication asserted.
Globally, we consume over 45 pounds of fish per person each year, according to the World Economic Forum. This protein source is touted for numerous health benefits, and consumption has been tied to brain and heart health, per the Washington State Department of Health.
Plus, fish is often touted as a more planet-friendly protein option. That's because the farming of fish contributes less to the overheating of our planet, on average, compared to other animal proteins, according to Oceana. The organization notes that different types of fish have different impacts.
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However, fish species are declining across the globe. In fact, one assessment by the Union for Conservation of Nature found that nearly a quarter of all freshwater fish species are threatened with extinction.
According to Cornell, larger fish species such as goliath catfish, tuna, and salmon are particularly vulnerable, as they are more likely to take long migratory routes, which can be interrupted by dams and other challenges that jeopardize their ability to reproduce. This is especially true for freshwater species, it adds.
A 2024 update to the World Wildlife Fund's Living Planet Index highlighted the challenges faced by freshwater migratory fish species, as researchers announced an 81% decline in monitored populations from 1970 to 2020.
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"This distressing trend is attributed to habitat loss and degradation, with factors like river fragmentation due to dams and agricultural encroachment on wetlands accounting for half of the threats," WWF stated.
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As for the new Amazon research, "My hope is that this information can help provide guidance and identify solutions so that our food systems can become more sustainable, for the benefit of human health and ecological systems," Heilpern stated, according to the Cornell Chronicle.
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