THERE are coastal villagers on this island where you can stand near the harbour and see the fish swimming below, yet you cannot buy fish. When the fishing boats come into the piers in the evening, the fish is whisked away, processed and frozen so quickly that by dawn it is being spirited away to the cities of Europe. Some never even reaches Irish shores, the precious cargo speeding as far off as Japan.
It's a bizarre state of affairs - and tragic. Because one of the most effective improvements you can make in your diet is to eat more oily fish. At least three portions of about six ounces each per fortnight, advises Ms Joyce Lamb, dietician in the department of clinical medicine, TCD.
The fact is, however, that by far the largest proportion of fish eaten in the Republic and Northern Ireland is white fish and white fish products. Two out of three Irish people eat fish, and two-thirds of them choose white, non-oily fish containing only scant amounts of EPA (eicosapentanoic acid), an essential fatty acid. This element is found in no other source and can save lives by preventing heart attacks and strokes. The Japanese, who have a relatively high life expectancy and low rate of heart disease, consume an enormous amount of EPA in the form of tuna fish some of it caught in Irish waters.
Despite the benefits, however, two-thirds of Irish adults don't intend to increase their fish consumption over the next three years, according to the Food Futures report by the Institute of European Food Studies.
This strong resistance is ironic, because two traditional Irish foods, mackerel and salmon, are among the most beneficial things you can eat, especially if you want to prevent heart disease. Each 150g portion of smoked mackerel contains a whopping 9.9g of EPA, one of several import ant Omega-3 fatty acids, which are the polyunsaturated fatty acids which have the power to prevent blood clotting, heart attacks and strokes. Fresh mackerel has 7.3g EPA in a 220g portion and fresh salmon has 5.6g EPA in a 150g portion. Your goal should be to eat between seven and 14g of EPA a week.
Research has shown that eating three-four servings of poached salmon a fortnight has a marked beneficial effect on men who have suffered heart attacks. And there is no need to worry anymore about whether the salmon is farmed or wild.
Farmed salmon is now fed with fish oils so that it contains amounts comparable to wild sea salmon, according to Bord Iascaigh Mhara. They add, however, that the amount of EPA in sea salmon fluctuates with the season. In early spring after spawning, sea salmon is lowest in EPA. In late summer - this month, in fact - sea salmon contains the highest levels of EPA.
EPA is a long chain fatty acid with a unique double bond which the human body cannot make. Neither can a fish, actually. Plankton produce EPA and the fish incorporate it into the oil in their flesh when they eat it. When we eat fish, we too absorb the EPA into our bodies, including our arteries.
Interest in EPA began in the early 1970s, when Danish researchers discovered that Eskimos living in Greenland got 40 per cent of their calories from animal fat, yet had a much lower rate of heart attacks than would be expected. Subsequent research found that by eating a lot of fish oil, the Eskimos had altered the function of the platelets in their blood.
You couldn't hope to get such benefits from eating white fish, even if you ate it every day. Haddock has a mere O.3g in an 85g portion and cod O.4g in a 120g portion.
Slightly higher levels are found in rainbow trout (1g EPA in a 110g portion) and herring (2.5 g in 199g). Tinning fish can destroy some of the EPA, so that while fresh tuna is rich in the substance, with about 3.9g EPA in 150g, tuna tinned in brine has only 0.2g in 92g. The same goes for tinned salmon, which has 2.4g EPA in 100g.
Pilchards tinned in tomato sauce have 2.5g in 110g and sardines tinned in tomato sauce 3g in 100g.
Oily fish such as mackerel and salmon also contain DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), the only other source of which is breast milk. DHA is an essential fatty acid which is crucial for the baby's development in the womb and in the first months after birth, yet the baby cannot produce DHA by itself. If the supply is inadequate the brain, eyes, heart and blood vessels may not develop normally and there is an increased risk the baby will be born prematurely and underweight. Such children may face learning difficulties, have poor eyesight and be at greater risk of heart problems throughout their lives.
If you don't like fish, you have a problem. But you are certainly not alone. Some research has shown that Irish people think of it as an "unfriendly" food, so the search is on for an alternative source of EPA.
At the moment, a fish oil supplement is the only alternative (but if pregnant, don't take it without consulting your doctor). At the cutting edge of genetic engineering, scientists are trying to find a way to splice the EPA gene into a staple food, such as a vegetable or a yoghurt, thus enabling non-fish-lovers to get the benefits of oily fish.
