Richard Periut writes:

>Hi all and greetings,
>
>When I was a teen (about 25 years ago,) I used to fish the Hudson River
>on the Hoboken bank.
>
>The fish were mostly eels, and an occasional stripped bass. They tasted
>like oil, and so did the crabs. The local bums and my cat used to
>cherish them.
>
>Recently, a friend of mine told me that he pulls in 5 and sometimes 10
>pound striped bass, which he says taste great. What bothers me the most,
>is that he states that the river has been cleaned up, and that the fish
>taste great.

>I vaguely heard that consumption should be limited to one serving per
>week, because of Dioxin levels? Then again, other fresh water fish have
>been implicated regardless of location.
>
>Anyone have any knowledge regarding this?

It really depends on the river, check with the state health agency.

http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/fish/fish.htm

That said predator species, even pelagic species like tuna, concentrate toxins
in their bodies. PCBs, mercury, whatever. There's growing concern that
consumption of even wild caught fish should be limited to one serving per week.

In some rivers, such as the Anacostia in D.C., people are advised not to eat
any fish they caught in any amounts.

Best,

Marc