The general advice to limit consumption of fall and winter stocked trout to one meal per month remains in place. Meal advisories are based on a protocol developed by the Great Lakes states to address contamination by PCBs. The advice is equally protective for larger people who eat larger meals and smaller people who eat smaller meals. People who regularly eat sport fish, women of childbearing age and children are most susceptible to contaminants that build up in fish over time. Those people should space fish meals out according to the advisory.
Spacing meals helps prevent contaminants from building to harmful levels in the body.
Women beyond childbearing years and men face fewer health risks from contaminants, but also should follow the advisory. When properly prepared, fish provide a diet high in protein and low in saturated fats. Many doctors suggest that eating a half-pound of fish each week is helpful in preventing heart disease. People can get the health benefits of eating fish and reduce their exposure to PCBs and other organic contaminants by properly cleaning and cooking the fish. Anglers should properly clean, skin and trim any fish they catch to reduce their exposure to contaminants.