The wild salmon are only permitted to be fished by individual anglers during the weekends and not the traders. And strict rules about the fishing season are also adhered too. Says Dag Eivind Opstad, managing director, Norwegian Seafood Export Council, ``The entire fishing industry works closely with nature. Even the fish farms are all located in fjords and the salmon are cultured in steel cages deep in the fjord waters.''

The Norwegian supplies of salmon are very stable, he says. ``Some years ago we suffered from sudden fluctuations in catches but we now have a betterunderstanding of what influences our resources, and the Norwegian government has regulated the harvest through strict quota regulations,'' Opstad points out.

But it is not only the wild stocks that are protected. Ever since the breakout of the `mad cow disease' in British beef, Norwegian salmon exporters have been careful about the fish farmed in the fjords. The central laboratory of the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries random samples salmon from the fisheries at regular intervals to check for pollution levels.

``They check for the presence of heavy metals from pesticides and industrial pollution, like lead and other radioactive metals, which can be a health risk to consumers,'' says Opstad.

Five salmon from nine localities are taken at regular intervals and the fillets are subjected to 70 different analyses. The concentration of different PCB compounds (from industrial pollution) and DDT are less than one per cent of the limit for food set by the Norwegian health authorities, he says.

The fishingindustry also controls the feeding of the salmon and even the salmon feed, sandeel (a variety of small fish), is also tested for the same pollutants.

``Norway is a perfect country for fish farming. The thousands of islands and islets and rocks give shelter from nature's forces and the warm Gulf stream ensures temperate waters through the year,'' says Opsatd. All the fish farming is done under government supervision and everyone in the salmon fishing industry has a special licence to operate. There are 750 licencees with a workforce of 14,000.

Opstad and his fellow exporters are now targeting India as a consumer of salmon, since last month's policy review, which took salmon off the restricted import list and placed it under the OGL category. ``Salmon is a gourmet's delight and can be cooked in a variety of methods. It is also rich in Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids which appear to lower cholesterol levels,'' says Opstad.

The Norwegians have their science right to keep their salmon environmentallycorrect. And if they have their math correct too, India may became a good market for them.