The Wild-Caught Label Is Lying to You

G'day mate!

57:19 at NYC HYROX last weekend. Double bro, first real tune-up before Worlds. I'll take it.

But the result I'm fixated on isn't the finish time. It's what my blood work showed in the lead-up. Somewhere between cleaning up my diet and building a seafood habit I actually stuck to, something shifted. And it points to a problem most people don't know they have.

Most people eating "healthy" are still badly under-consuming omega-3s. And the fish they're eating isn't delivering what the label implies. This week: what wild-caught actually means, why it matters more than you think, and the buying logic that holds up in the real world.

In this week’s newsletter (4 min read): 
🐟Why "wild-caught" tells you almost nothing about omega-3 content
🩸How seafood moved my blood work, and what Alma flagged
🥫My fish buying hierarchy, ranked for omega-3, mercury, and what you can actually find

If you have a mate who buys "wild-caught" off the label and assumes he's sorted, send them THIS link.

What "Wild-Caught" Actually Means

Wild-caught is a method, not a nutrition guarantee. A fish feeding on marine plants and small prey in cold water has a completely different fatty acid profile than one from warm tropical water eating something else. Same label. Very different fish.

Omega-3 content is almost entirely diet-driven. A farmed salmon fed a high-omega-3 diet can outperform a wild species that doesn't naturally eat omega-3-rich prey. The feed and the species matter more than the farming method.

So "salmon good, tilapia bad, wild better, farmed worse" is doing most of the work for you. And it's wrong about as often as it's right.

Why Omega-3s Drive Performance

I ran an omega-3 index test with Seatopia, who I work with. My number came back lower than it should have been for the load I was carrying. I bumped weekly servings, prioritised fatty cold-water species, and across one training block my testosterone and recovery markers both improved.

That tracks with the mechanism:

• Testosterone is built from cholesterol.

• Your cell membranes, where hormone receptors sit, are built from the fat you eat.

• More omega-3 means better membrane fluidity and receptor sensitivity, so hormone signalling runs cleaner.

Most blokes chasing testosterone are locked on sleep, zinc, and training load. The omega-3 piece is almost never in the conversation. Your hormones are built from fat. The question is which fat you're giving them.

The Nutrient Nobody Tracks

Heading into Worlds prep I've been using Alma, the AI nutrition coach I work with, to track intake against load. It flagged two gaps: omega-3s, and selenium.

Selenium does a lot of quiet work. It's central to thyroid function, antioxidant enzyme production, and repair after hard sessions. Deficiency is common in athletes leaning on processed protein, and it directly limits the enzymes your body uses to handle training stress. Tuna, sardines, and oysters are some of the most reliable sources.

I added servings and an omega-3 supplement on hard days. My feel on the hard days shifted. Hard to quantify, but real. Recovery isn't just sleep. It's whether your intake can match the repair you're demanding.

The Fish I Actually Buy

Ranked for omega-3, mercury safety, sustainability, and what you can actually find year-round.

• Sardines and anchovies (canned, in olive oil). Buy every time. Best omega-3 to mercury ratio going.

• Wild Alaskan sockeye or coho salmon. The benchmark. High omega-3, no mercury concern.

• Atlantic mackerel (not king mackerel). Low mercury, omega-3 rivalling salmon, often cheaper.

• Farmed oysters and mussels. Filter feeders, no feed input. High zinc, B12, selenium.

• Wild trout. Cheaper than salmon, comparable profile, low mercury.

• Light canned tuna (skipjack). The weekday workhorse, 2–3 a week. Albacore runs higher mercury, keep it to one.

• Barramundi (farmed, responsibly). Not an omega-3 powerhouse, but clean protein and a great entry point.

I get all my fish from Seatopia, as it really is really is the best option for mercury-safe, microplastic-free, nutrient-dense seafood.

What I avoid as a primary source: farmed Atlantic salmon often, swordfish more than monthly, and anything labelled "wild-caught" with no species or origin.

The Bottom Line

You don't need to overhaul your diet. Two to three solid seafood servings a week, the right species, a basic grip on what you're buying.

The label says wild-caught. That tells you almost nothing. The species, the origin, and what it ate. That's what decides whether you got what you paid for.

THIS WEEK'S RECIPES

As promised, I have the six recipes from this week’s YouTube for you. Though not seafood recipes, they are my go-to’s for affordable, nutritious, and delicious meals during training blocks.

PDF HERE

Quick Notes

🏃 NYC Hyrox was a blast — making me more and more stoked for Worlds.

🐟 If you want to give the healthiest seafood out there a go, check out Seatopia.

#EatGoodFeelGood

— DC