Whilst levels of pollutants in most fish continue to fall there is still concern about dioxins in fish oil products, with some products even being withdrawn from sale.
Click here and here for government reports.

There are also forecasts that demand for fish-derived products may outstrip available resources as global fish catches decline. As fish oils are our main source of omega 3 fatty acids - which are known to boost brain power - it is perhaps timely that researchers have developed an entirely new source of Omega 3 - a transgenic pig.

The cloned pigs, carrying a gene from a nematode worm that converts the more abundant but less desirable omega 6 fatty acids into omega 3s, have 6-7% more omega 3s in their fat than is found in normal pigs. Modified chickens and cows are also in the pipeline.

The research, which was carried out jointly by several US universities, was reported in the 6 April issue of Nature Biotechnology, and also covered in issue 2545 of New Scientist 1 April 2006, p20. Click here for an on line article.

N.B. For those who prefer to obtain their omega 3s from a non-animal source, algal omega 3s are available in supplement form as Cerebrum Vegetarian Algal DHA capsules from Healthspan Ltd 0800 73 123 77 www.health.co.uk.

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