Post by yihunt on Apr 3, 2010 11:30:08 GMT -4
Pennsylvania trout are good eatin', but not so good to waste
By MARCUS SCHNECK, The Patriot-News
March 28, 2010, 4:35PM
Marcus Schneck, The Patriot-News
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's Great White Fleet of stocking trucks have been busy bringing trout to streams throughout southeastern Pennsylvania for Saturday's opener to the regional first day.
By mid-morning next Saturday – the first day of trout season in our southeastern corner of the state – many a creel will be packed with fresh-caught trout and many a stringer will be hanging full with the beauties.
However, after a few hours of being lugged around like that, those trout, which came out of the water so brightly colored, will be pale, faded memories of themselves in life.
I’ve often wondered how many of those trout actually make it to the table, as the anglers keeping them obviously intended when they decided not to practice catch and release.
The next step of the process – cleaning the now stiff and discolored fish – likely leads to a good number of them hitting the garbage can.
That’s not to say the flesh of those fish has been tainted or won’t make excellent table fare.
And, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission points out, fresh trout and other fish can be an important part of a healthy, balanced diet.
John Arway, recently installed executive director of the commission, noted, “Fish are high in protein and are a valuable source of vitamins, minerals and beneficial oils that are low in saturated fat. Trout are especially high in vitamin B-12 and omega-3 fatty acids, which improve cardiovascular health and brain development in children.”
Nutrition authorities, like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the American Heart Association, recommend eating up to 12 ounces, or two to three servings, of fish per week.
An area of concern, however, is chemical contamination in the fish.
Because of that concern, the commission with the state departments of Health, Environmental Protection and Agriculture annually issues a one-meal-per-week consumption advisory on all sport-caught fish in the state and even more stringent restrictions on fish from some waters.
The state agencies regularly test flesh samples from wild fish collected at various points across the state to maintain and update the list of advisories.
Tests also are done on samples from fish raised in the hatcheries of the commission, including a sampling from the 3.2 million trout that will be stocked by the commission in waters across the state this year.
And, the 2010 trout testing has turned up no need for special consumption advisories on the commission-raised fish beyond the statewide one-meal-per-week.
The regional (early) first day of the 2010 trout season begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 3, in 18 counties of southeastern and southcentral Pennsylvania: Adams, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill and York.
The first day across the rest of the state begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 17.
By MARCUS SCHNECK, The Patriot-News
March 28, 2010, 4:35PM
Marcus Schneck, The Patriot-News
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's Great White Fleet of stocking trucks have been busy bringing trout to streams throughout southeastern Pennsylvania for Saturday's opener to the regional first day.
By mid-morning next Saturday – the first day of trout season in our southeastern corner of the state – many a creel will be packed with fresh-caught trout and many a stringer will be hanging full with the beauties.
However, after a few hours of being lugged around like that, those trout, which came out of the water so brightly colored, will be pale, faded memories of themselves in life.
I’ve often wondered how many of those trout actually make it to the table, as the anglers keeping them obviously intended when they decided not to practice catch and release.
The next step of the process – cleaning the now stiff and discolored fish – likely leads to a good number of them hitting the garbage can.
That’s not to say the flesh of those fish has been tainted or won’t make excellent table fare.
And, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission points out, fresh trout and other fish can be an important part of a healthy, balanced diet.
John Arway, recently installed executive director of the commission, noted, “Fish are high in protein and are a valuable source of vitamins, minerals and beneficial oils that are low in saturated fat. Trout are especially high in vitamin B-12 and omega-3 fatty acids, which improve cardiovascular health and brain development in children.”
Nutrition authorities, like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the American Heart Association, recommend eating up to 12 ounces, or two to three servings, of fish per week.
An area of concern, however, is chemical contamination in the fish.
Because of that concern, the commission with the state departments of Health, Environmental Protection and Agriculture annually issues a one-meal-per-week consumption advisory on all sport-caught fish in the state and even more stringent restrictions on fish from some waters.
The state agencies regularly test flesh samples from wild fish collected at various points across the state to maintain and update the list of advisories.
Tests also are done on samples from fish raised in the hatcheries of the commission, including a sampling from the 3.2 million trout that will be stocked by the commission in waters across the state this year.
And, the 2010 trout testing has turned up no need for special consumption advisories on the commission-raised fish beyond the statewide one-meal-per-week.
The regional (early) first day of the 2010 trout season begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 3, in 18 counties of southeastern and southcentral Pennsylvania: Adams, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill and York.
The first day across the rest of the state begins at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 17.