Since You Asked

Big Fish Stories

Awash in contradiction, it’s hard to figure out whether to avoid or embrace fish meat as a staple. Go ahead, get hooked

By Isabela C. Varela

Sure, Alberta’s famous for its beef, but this landlocked province also boasts a variety of homegrown fish. Find out where to buy it, how to prepare it, and which fish have the greatest nutritional value. Whether wild or farmed, Alberta fish are tasty, nutrient-rich and angling for a place in your fridge and your diet.

Q. Are there many fish farms in Alberta?

A. “We have up to 100 commercial fish farms in Alberta,” says Eric Hutchings, provincial aquaculture development officer with Alberta Agriculture and Food. Rainbow trout make up the majority of Alberta’s fish production and sales, but some farms are raising more exotic stock, such as American eel, triploid, grass carp and a warm-water fish called tilapia, better known in parts of Africa and Asia.

For wild fish, Alberta is noted for cool-water walleye, pike and whitefish, and cold-water fish including various kinds of trout.

Q. What are the nutritional benefits of Alberta fish?

A. “One of the greatest dietary benefits of fish is that it’s a source of nutrients most of us are lacking in our diet: omega-3 fatty acids,” says Dana Wilkinson, registered dietitian and research coordinator for the Human Nutrition Research Unit at the University of Alberta. She says that fish provides two different types of omega-3 fatty acids that we can’t readily get from other food sources. Fatty fish, such as Alberta’s rainbow trout, are a particularly great source.

“The benefits of omega-3s are mostly cardiovascular,” Wilkinson says, “which means you may reduce the risk of mortality from strokes and heart attacks.” Fish are also a major protein source and many are low in fat and calories.

Healthy ways to cook fish include broiling, grilling, baking or poaching. Try flavouring it with lemon, herbs and spices. Once you add butter and rich sauces, the calories add up.

Q. How often should I eat fish?

A. Canada’s Food Guide recommends you eat two servings of fish each week. “But they recommend choosing fish that are higher in omega-3s: the fattier ones,” says Wilkinson. Eating fish twice weekly isn’t a challenge. One serving is the size of a deck of cards. “It could be something you have for dinner one night, and then have enough left over for lunch the next day.” Two servings, done.

Q. Should I be concerned about mercury or other contaminants in the fish I eat?

A. “That’s a concern if you’re eating the larger species of predatory fish, such as tuna, swordfish, marlin and orange roughy, but they’re not common in North American diets,” says Wilkinson. In terms of canned tuna, albacore contains higher levels of mercury than common skipjack tuna.

Women of childbearing age should limit consumption of large, predatory fish; the recommendation is no more than two servings of such fish a month (many people also choose not to eat these fish due to rapidly declining stocks).

“Pregnant women should definitely avoid any raw fish, because it poses a substantial risk of food poisoning,” says Wilkinson.

However, Wilkinson is emphatic that pregnant women should not avoid fish altogether. “It’s really important that pregnant women do eat fish,” she says. Certain nutrients found in fish have been shown to be crucial to fetal development. Some omega-3 fatty acids affect neural development, which affects brain function.

Q. Where can I buy Alberta fish?

A. If you’re looking for adventure, buy live Alberta tilapia, which Eric Hutchings calls a “neat treat,” at the T&T Supermarket in West Edmonton Mall. Billingsgate Fish Co. Ltd. has seafood markets in Calgary, Edmonton and St. Albert that carry some Alberta fish, and the real Canadian Superstore, with locations across the province, carries more familiar types of Alberta fish. Dive in, and bring fare from Alberta’s waterways to your table.