The New York State Department of Health offers advice on eating Hudson River fish.  Fish are nutritious and good to eat.  And fishing is fun.

However, fish from the Hudson River from the Corinth Dam to the Battery in Manhattan have levels of chemicals that might be harmful to your health or to the health of your family.  The chemicals in Hudson River fish are called polychlorinated piphenyls (PCBs) and they can build up in the body.

Possible health effects of PCBs include:

• a slight decrease in a baby's birthweight
• small effects on short-term memory and learning ability in children
• small changes in reproductive health

Because of this, NYSDOH offers advice on eating fish:

Women of childbearing years and children under 15 SHOULD NOT eat fish from the Hudson River south of the Corinth Dam.

NO ONE should eat white catfish, channel catfish, or american eel from the Hudson River south of the Dam at the Route 9 Bridge in South Glen Falls

Trimming and cooking fish properly can reduce the PCBs you eat by nearly one half:

• Skin and trim
• Broil, grill, or bake the skinned, cleaned fish on a rack so that the fat drips away.
• Do not use cooking juices
• Do not eat the "green stuff" in crabs.

For more information, visit: http://www.nyhealth.gov/hudsonriverfish