Is Marlin safe during pregnancy?

Fish

Official sources differ

The official sources below do not agree, so each position is shown with who holds it.[1,2,3,4]

What official sources say

US FDA / US EPA: Advice about Eating Fish (For Those Who Might Become or Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding and Children Ages 1 - 11 Years)

  • Fish chart: Marlin Choice to Avoid: HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELS[1]

NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy

  • Fish and seafood › Foods to avoid: Swordfish, shark and marlin are on the list of foods to avoid in pregnancy.[2]

NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy

  • Some fish should be avoided when you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, including shark, swordfish and marlin.[3]

FSANZ: Mercury in fish

  • Women who are pregnant or planning pregnancy: 1 portion is 150 grams: 1 portion per fortnight of Shark (Flake) or Billfish (Swordfish/Broadbill and Marlin) and no other fish that fortnight[4]

Sources

  1. US FDA / US EPA: Advice about Eating Fish (For Those Who Might Become or Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding and Children Ages 1 - 11 Years) · fda.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
  2. NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy · nhs.uk. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). Not endorsed by the NHS.
  3. NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy · nhs.uk. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). Not endorsed by the NHS.
  4. FSANZ: Mercury in fish · foodstandards.gov.au. © Food Standards Australia New Zealand, licensed under CC BY 4.0; quoted. No endorsement implied.

Sources checked 26 September 2026.

Quotes are checked word for word against each source page, and paraphrases against the original text. Official bodies are named as sources only: none of them reviewed or endorses this page.

Educational information, not medical advice. Your own doctor or midwife may advise differently for you — follow their advice.