Cornell Cooperative Extension

Albany County
cooked fish
fish on cutting board

Resolve to Eat More Fish in 2024

Health Benefits of Fish

  • Low-fat, high quality protein
  • Filled with omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins such as D and B2 (riboflavin)
  • Rich in calcium and phosphorus. Great source of minerals.
  • The American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least twice a week as part of a healthy diet. Fish is packed with protein, vitamins and nutrients that can lower BP and help reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
  • Since fish are an important source of omega-3 fatty acids, eating them can keep our brain and heart healthy.
  • Our bodies do not produce omega-3 fatty acids, so we must get them in the food we eat.
  • Omega-3 fatty acids are especially high in fatty fish (greater than 10% fat) like salmon, trout, sardines, herring, canned mackerel, canned light tuna, and oysters.

Learn how to properly cook fish and try some healthy recipes:   https://doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/Food/Fish/HealthBenefits/Recipes

  • The general cooking time is 10 minutes for each inch of thickness.
  • Serving size for fish:  for an adult, one serving is 4 ounces; for children, a serving is 1 ounce at age 2 and increases with age to 4 ounces by age 11.

Upcoming Free Fishing Dates

Hudson River Fish Advisory Outreach Project

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  • Choose seafood low in contaminants and high in health benefits.Know which types of fish fish are lower in mercury in the grocery store and which ones to avoid (King mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, shark, swordfish, tilefish (Gulf of Mexico) and Bigeye tuna) .
  • Know where to fish locally and which fish are best to keep to eat – see map for Albany County. There are many waters in Albany County which are safe for the whole family to eat up to two 4 ounce fish meals a week from, just not the Hudson River.
  • To reduce contaminants (like PCBs in fish caught in the Hudson River), remove the skin and visible fat before cooking.Grill, bake or broil the fish so that the fat drips off. Women younger than 50 years of age and children should not eat any fish caught in any part of the Hudson River.There are only 4 species of fish safe for men over the age of 15 and women over the age of 50 can eat up to 1 meal per month from the Mid-Hudson section of the river.Those include alewife, blueback herring, yellow perch and rock bass.  The good news is that there are plenty of other spots in Albany County which have public access and are safe for the whole family to eat the fish.

Cultural importance – Fish is not only an important source of nutrition, the act of catching fish, preparing it and eating it is an important part of cultural and family heritage among certain populations.

Follow this link for ice fishing information (from NYS DEC):  https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7733.html


Last updated May 30, 2024

Food & Nutrition