BajaNomad - A Politically Incorrect Fish Makes A Comeback

A Politically Incorrect Fish Makes A Comeback

OLDFEZZYWIG - 2-3-2007 at 10:52 AM

A Politically Incorrect Fish Makes A Comeback
From the Wall Street Journal:

One of the most politically incorrect foods is about to get a big boost from the world’s largest retailer.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which has been working to burnish its environmental credentials, says it will restore Chilean sea bass to its seafood counters in select markets in coming months. The retailer stopped carrying the fish in 2003 amid concerns that it was being overfished into extinction. Wal-Mart’s turnabout follows a decision by Whole Foods Market Inc. in October to sell Chilean sea bass for the first time since 1999.

It’s the latest twist in the extraordinary history of a fish that went from being an unwanted (and physically ugly) bycatch to a culinary delicacy to massively overfished in a decade. Some environmental activists are already criticizing Wal-Mart’s decision—a potentially difficult situation for the company, which has suffered public-relations missteps and is now engaged in a broad image campaign.

Both Wal-Mart and Whole Foods say they are putting Chilean sea bass back on their shelves because their supply comes from a single fishery near Antarctica that has been certified as sustainable by the London-based Marine Stewardship Council. But the certification is controversial, and critics say they are worried that seeing the fish in giant retailers will send a signal to consumers that the overfishing crisis has abated.

While the one certified fishery is well managed, says Gerry Leape of the National Environmental Trust, it produces only about a tenth of the total legal harvest. Elsewhere, overfishing and poaching remain rampant. “Wal-Mart has 175 million customers every week, so there won’t be enough,” says Mr. Leape. “One of the things we worry about is, what are they going to do when they need more?”

Wal-Mart pledged in February 2006 to buy all of the wild-caught fish for its North American stores from fisheries certified by the MSC within three to five years. The pledge is one of many Wal-Mart has made as part of its green initiative, which was formalized in response to its employees’ efforts to help victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and heavily publicized by the retailer and its outside public-relations firm Edelman. The program also stands to blunt criticism of the retailer’s practices in other areas, such as the quality of the pay and benefits it provides employees.

Wal-Mart says the source of its Chilean sea bass will be clearly marked. “The product will be identified and carry the MSC certified label so that consumers can make an educated choice,” says spokeswoman Karen Burk. Whole Foods’ national seafood coordinator, David Pilot, says he hopes demand for certified fish will lead to changes at fisheries.

Roger Berkowitz, the owner of Legal Seafood, a Boston-based chain that does not serve the fish, says consumers will get a mixed message. “It’s far too complicated to tell consumers that a fish is okay to eat if it comes from one place but not okay if it comes from anywhere else,” he says.

The potential for problems with Chilean sea bass has everything to do with the fish itself, a white-fleshed creature that doesn’t taste fishy and holds up to nearly every cooking method. Mr. Berkowitz says if he were willing to serve it, it would become the most popular item on the menu.

But these fish are particularly vulnerable to overfishing because they don’t reproduce until they are 10 or more years old. So when runaway popularity fueled overfishing, much of it by pirate fishermen, stocks were decimated.

Many of the nation’s best-known seafood restaurants don’t serve Chilean sea bass and say certification won’t alter their policy. “I’d love to serve it again,” says chef Rick Moonen of RM Seafood in Las Vegas, “but I’m not going to do it until the fishery as a whole is properly managed.”

Darden Restaurants Inc., which owns the Red Lobster chain, reached a similar conclusion. “It’s going to take a lot more than one fishery...to get us to begin thinking about” returning the Chilean sea bass to menus, says George Williams, Darden’s vice president for environmental affairs. The certified fishery isn’t large enough to ensure a steady supply to Red Lobster’s nearly 700 outlets, he says.

Cypress - 2-3-2007 at 12:42 PM

The taste and texture of some species of fish is very similar to others if its carefuly processed and prepared. Some high-dollar fish can be duplicated/counterfeited by substituting a less expensive one. :no:

It's done every day. :lol:

Don Alley - 2-3-2007 at 02:40 PM

Wal Mart bashing is such good sport, but I think they are on to something. Regardless of the species of fish, the concept of having a documented "chain of custody" for a supply of fish makes far more sense than boycotts or traditional enforcement.

Setting limits, seasons and quotas, yet limiting enforcement to catching illegal fishermen in the act, is worse that trying to find a needle in a haystack. And an expensive, inefficient use of fuel.

People who traffic in wholesale volumes of fish should have a verifiable accounting of where their fish comes from. Until they do, there will always be a market for illegally caught fish. And then we will see the demise of more than the toothfish.

Sharksbaja - 2-3-2007 at 03:56 PM

It's overrated IMHO. As stated, it is NOT seabass.
Don, if Wal-Mart can somehow corner a market they'll jump on the chance. It's the bottom-line that matters. Get it? :lol:

If they do as much volume as they say, then good luck to the toothy fish.

Don Alley - 2-3-2007 at 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sharksbaja
It's overrated IMHO. As stated, it is NOT seabass.
Don, if Wal-Mart can somehow corner a market they'll jump on the chance. It's the bottom-line that matters. Get it? :lol:

If they do as much volume as they say, then good luck to the toothy fish.

Well, what they say is that all their fish will come from sources certified to be legal and sustainable. And the enviro guys seem to concede that the certified source is legitimate. I think that's good. How can we assume, that to meet demand, Wal Mart will cheat? As for cornering the market, I could care less.

And I think it is both possible and reasonable for shipments of fish, especially imports, to be documented and registered on a computer database. So sales can be backtracked to their source.

You know, when someone gets e-coli poisoning from beef in the US, the govt doesn't just throw its hand in the air and say, "Gee, no way to find out where that meat came from."

Bajalero - 2-3-2007 at 07:20 PM

After looking at a picture of one, I don't think I'd runout of my way to try it.

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/pnrd001w.jpg

Thanks for the education , Pompano, didn't know really what a Chilean seabass is. Now ocean run white seabass , that's a different story

Taco de Baja - 2-5-2007 at 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cypress
The taste and texture of some species of fish is very similar to others if its carefuly processed and prepared. Some high-dollar fish can be duplicated/counterfeited by substituting a less expensive one. :no:

It's done every day. :lol:

Can you say stingray "scallops"..... :lol:

Maybe I don't get it

The Gull - 2-5-2007 at 10:15 AM

Pompano,

If the supply of environmentally correct "Chilean Sea Bass" is not infinite and the price for illegally "Chilean Sea Bass" has skyrocketed and more piracy is happening...why would the only certified fishery even consider selling to WalMart?

WalMart is know for low prices. So what WalMart shopper would pay over $20 per pound for fish? Why would the only certified supplier sell at a price below what the pirates are getting?

Maybe this is some kind of new economy that I am not getting. :no:

Something is fishy here and its more than the Patagonian Toothfish, which by the way has been pirated by Portugese and Spanish fishermen from the waters around Heard Island for decades. :?:

Stickers - 2-5-2007 at 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pompano

Toothfish are so valuable in the fishing industry that they are known as "white gold."“ The Australian government estimates that pirate fishing is worth about US$90 million a year, although many believe it to be much higher.

A single sashimi-grade Patagonian toothfish can fetch up to US$1,000.

This is the tastiest fish served in restaurants here in California.

.

Cypress - 2-5-2007 at 11:50 AM

$54/lb. :lol:

Must be extra tastey. :bounce:

Sorta like high dollar wine. :lol:

Some fish are better than other fish, but $54/lb?

Don't plan on eating any tooth fish.

vgabndo - 2-5-2007 at 05:47 PM

Like drug importation, not much can be done to curb it until the volume of "end use" is reduced.

Take a Pass on Chilean Sea Bass.

More info. http://www.net.org/marine/csb/