Published: 29 June 2021 Updated: 22 July 2024

What’s so healthy about seafood?

Seafood is an important part of a healthy diet and is becoming the food of choice for the health-conscious. Some great reasons to eat seafood are shown in the nutrition information table below. It’s good for our brains, and lots more!

In Australia, we don’t eat enough seafood. The Australian Dietary Guidelines and Heart Foundation advise eating one or two fish-based meals per week (a serve of fish is 80 to 120 grams cooked weight), but according to the last National Dietary Survey, only one in four of us reported eating fish at least once a week.

“The evidence is now largely unequivocal that some fish each week is an advantage to health and longevity”.

This view is supported by a great deal of scientific and medical research. A good starting point to understand this information is FRDC's publication What’s so healthy about seafood?

What are Omega-3s?

Omega-3s are essential nutrients just like vitamins and minerals and they play many critical roles. Omega-3s are a type of polyunsaturated fat which our bodies cannot make naturally.

The three most important types of Omega-3s are ALA, DHA, and EPA. ALA is mainly found in plants, whilst DHA and EPA occur predominantly in animal foods and algae. 

Sources of Omega-3s

Seafood is commonly referred to as a great source of Omega-3s. Supplements of fish oil are rich in long chain Omega-3s and foods enriched with long chain Omega-3s are beginning to appear in supermarkets.

There is a vegetarian source of Omega-3 (called DHA) made from marine algae, which is used in a variety of Omega-3 enriched foods and infant formulas. Interestingly, it is the marine algae that fish feed on which helps make them a rich source of long chain Omega-3s.

How much do you need?

To prevent a deficiency of long chain Omega-3s, health authorities recommend 430mg/day for women and 610mg/day for men. 

For some health conditions (such as arthritis and high blood triglyceride levels) doctors recommend higher intakes, which include additional fish oil supplements if required.

Rank

Species

Marketing name

Scientific Name

Oil (%)

Total Omega-3

LC PUFA (mg/150g)

1

Tuna

Slender Tuna

Allothunnus fallai

16.5

5640

2

Swordfish

Swordfish

Xiphias gladius

7.7

1530

3

Morwong

Banded Morwong

Cheilodactylus spectabilis

3.2

1230

4

Redfish

Alfonsino

Beryx splendens

5.2

1195

5

Whitebait

Whitebait

Lovettia sealii & Galaxias spp.

2.6

1100

6

Trevally

Bigeye Trevally

Caranx sexfasciatus

4.7

1065

7

Mackerel

Blue Mackerel

Scomber australasicus

3.8

760

8

Australian Bonito

Australian Bonito

Sarda australis

1.5

650

9

Gemfish

Gemfish

Rexea solandri

2.6

640

10

Rudderfish

Rudderfish

Centrolophus niger

14.4

620

11

Mackerel

Spanish Mackerel

Scomberomorus commerson

3

575

12

Sweep

Silver Sweep

Scorpis lineolata

1.3

555

13

Australian Herring

Australian Herring

Arripis georgianus

1.3

540

14

Grouper

Western Blue Groper

Achoerodus gouldii

3.6

540

15

Boarfish

Bigspine Boarfish

Pentaceros decacanthus

1.5

530

16

Australian Salmon

Australian Salmon

Arripis trutta & Arripis truttaceus

1.1

505

17

Mackerel

Spotted Mackerel

Scomberomorus munroi

1.2

500

18

Mackerel

School Mackerel

Scomberomorus queenslandicus

1.1

490

19

Mackerel

Grey Mackerel

Scomberomorus semifasciatus

1.1

490

20

Tailor

Tailor

Pomatomus saltatrix

1.3

490

21

Emperor

Threadfin Emperor

Lethrinus genivittatus

2.6

490

22

Redfish

Bight Redfish

Centroberyx gerrardi

0.5

485

23

Australian Sardine

Australian Sardine

Sardinops sagax

1.2

470

24

Trevalla

Blue-Eye Trevalla

Hyperoglyphe antarctica

1.3

470

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