Here's some food for thought:
. Don't stop eating fish. Do vary your intake. We suggest
cutting back on farmed salmon if you eat it as your main
fish. There are plenty of other fish to choose from.
. Watch for news. The farmed fish industry has made
improvements in fish chow and has promised more. It has
also been under attack for its impact on drinking water
and air pollution, and for the use of additives (such as
antibiotics and colorants). Maybe this adverse publicity
will motivate it to fix the problems.
. Buy wild salmon, if you can afford it.
. Use canned salmon. Almost all of it is wild.
. Ask your fish seller where the salmon comes from. Fish
labeled "Atlantic salmon" or "Icelandic salmon" sound
wild, but are usually farmed. By this October a new law
will require fish to be labeled as to country of origin,
and whether it is wild or farmed.
. See if you can find farmed salmon from Chile, which
exports a lot of fish to the U.S. It is lower in PCBs
and other contaminants than other farmed salmon,
according to the study.
. To reduce the PCBs in salmon: before you cook it, remove
the skin and the fat under it (not a hard job if you use
a very sharp knife-or get the fish seller to do it).
Then broil, bake, poach, or grill the fish instead of
sautéing it. These methods allow the fat to drain off.
Plenty of beneficial omega-3s will remain.