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Scientists in Search of Seafood in a Strange Land
While visiting Thailand on business, FishWise staff members Mariah Boyle and Meghan Frolli found themselves with a bit of free time. What do two FishWise scientists do with an afternoon of down time in a foreign country? Seek out fish of course! Live, dead or otherwise, our only mission for an afternoon in Bangkok was to see how seafood (“Ar-harn Talay”) influenced the local culture in Bangkok. It was not hard to accomplish this mission, as fish (“Pla”) seemed to be everywhere we turned. Our first encounter were the jumping fish feeding voraciously in the Chao Phraya River right outside of our hotel room. On further investigation we learned that the fish were the Striped Catfish (“Pla-Sawai”), a native omnivorous species, with a Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch “Good Alternative” ranking, that is a local delicacy as well as preferred target for local freshwater anglers.
The next stop on the Bangkok seafood scavenger hunt was the street market (“Ta-laad”), where we discovered marinated squid tentacles or “Pla-muek” on skewers and whole cichlids straight out of the deep fryer dripping on racks. Although offering an appetizing aroma we were not quite brave enough to sample the street market’s fare.
Later on in our search we visited a local super market. What we found at the fresh seafood counter and in the freezer cases were a dizzying array of species and seafood formats. In general there were many more whole fish products available than are seen in North American markets including bags of Chirimen, a tiny wriggly fish, whole parrotfish and our personal favorite, whole tonguefish. One item that caught us by surprise was the bag of “premium grade” shark fins availability in the freezer section. A 500g bag was being sold for 995 Baht or roughly 32USD, which was a much higher price than any other item we encountered. With the recent bans on shark finning globally it will be interesting to see if this red listed product will be available in the next few years.
Overall the seafood scavenger hunt was quite successful, we learned that seafood is a thriving part of the Thai culture, that Bangkok locals are much more adventurous in their seafood selections than Americans and that Shrimp (“Goong”) curry from “Queen of Curry” is quite delicious.
Genetically Engineered Salmon Debate Continues
The fight to ensure the appropriate testing of genetically engineered (GE) salmon continues as Food & Water Watch, Consumers Union and the Center for Food Safety submit a petition asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to classify and evaluate AquaBounty Technologies’ GE salmon and as a food additive.
By classifying it this way, it will have to be evaluated with greater rigor than with its current classification as a ‘new animal drug’. The three consumer groups behind the petition claim that the process used to create the GE salmon “substantially” alters its composition, including its nutritional value, which provides adequate reason for the fish to be treated as a food additive.
George Kimbrell, senior attorney for the Center for Food Safety, said that the decision by the FDA to review the first proposed GE animal for human consumption simply as a drug is “contrary to law, science and common sense… Public health and transparency should be championed, not skirted, particularly when contemplating such an unprecedented approval.”
By assessing GE salmon, dubbed ‘Frankenfish’ by many, as a food additive, its potential risks to human health will require more rigorous assessment. GE salmon has been linked to cancer, as it may contain increased levels of the hormone IGF-1 that “helps accelerate the growth of the transgenic fish and is linked to breast, colon, prostate and lung cancer,” according to Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch.
FDA scientists preliminarily determined that AquaBounty’s AquAdvantage Salmon is safe for human consumption in September 2010, but an FDA advisory committee subsequently determined that more research is needed. The topic is highly controversial, especially in areas with wild salmon fisheries, and several West Coast legislators, including U.S. Sen. Mark Begich of Alaska, are opposed GE salmon and have introduced legislation to block its approval.
For the full article, click here (http://www.seafoodsource.com/newsarticledetail.aspx?id=14093)
FishWise Attends Major International Forum on Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported Fishing
This week, FishWise’s Mariah Boyle is in London, England attending the 7th International Forum on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing. Every year, the forum brings together over 100 leading policymakers, researchers, industry representatives and civil society groups from across the world to discuss the latest initiatives, regulations and research in the area of fisheries governance and trade in illegal fish products.
This year's forum will discuss the latest developments in Europe and West Africa, and also look at document schemes, port state measures and organized crime in the fishing sector.
In late 2011, Mariah visited Sierra Leone on the West Coast of Africa where she witnessed vessels (often from foreign countries) enter the country’s Inshore Exclusion Zone (IEZ) to fish. These vessels, if fishing without a permit, are part of a plethora of industrial fleets illegally taking an estimated 40% of the fish from the West African fisheries market. Mariah will bring this first hand experience to the forum and will look to help identify ways to curb this extremely damaging practice.
Look for an update on her time at the forum in this month’s newsletter. Sign up here!
Sustainable Seafood Symbolism in Chinese New Year Celebrations
By Elsie Tanadjaja
Being an Indonesian of Chinese descent, I always celebrated Chinese New Year when I was growing up. Now that I live in the U.S., half the world away from my parents, whenever I plan for Chinese New Year dinner, I have to go online to look up what dishes are traditionally served for this celebration. Usually the feast includes food that symbolizes prosperity and good wishes.
This year, I noticed how important seafood is to the menu, especially fish. Personally, I barely speak any Mandarin and I can't read the characters, but I am familiar with the Chinese love for homonyms and wordplay. The word for fish, "Yu", sounds like the word for wish and abundance, so fish is used to symbolize wishes for abundance in the New Year. Fish is also used to symbolize richness, plenty, surplus, luck, prosperity and happiness. Another important custom is to serve the fish whole, with head and tail intact, to signify a good beginning and ending for the year. Sometimes, leftovers from this fish are served on the following day to ensure continued abundance and prosperity for the rest of the year.
Thinking about these customs and their associated symbolism made me realize that they are inherently linked to the concept of sustainability. Perhaps, when shed in a different light, the idea of sustainable seafood would not appear new or foreign to the Chinese culture, but actually be seen as deeply ingrained in their traditional values. Maybe, by integrating intimate cultural understanding with our communications around sustainable seafood, we can effectively gain broader support in the Asian marketplace. Now that FishWise's work is reaching far beyond the U.S. and into countries like China, Thailand, Chile and Indonesia, I hope to learn more about how each culture expresses the idea of sustainability.
For assistance in planning a seafood meal please use the Seafood Watch guidelines and in honor of Chinese New Year, why not try this steamed fish recipe. For this auspicious year of the water dragon, I wish you a prosperous and wholesome year.
Pirates, Poverty, and Fishing in West Africa - Mariah Boyle
The following piece was taken from the most recent FishWise newsletter. To sign up for our mailing list, please follow the link.
I've just returned from a research trip to Sierra Leone. It's a nation recovering from civil war and struggling to protect its natural resources. Some estimate that more than 70% of the population lives on less than $1 a day, with 26% in extreme poverty. The nation's oceans are famously productive, but they are under threat from pirate fishing and a lack of local regulation.
I went to Sierra Leone to learn about the fish caught in local artisanal fisheries. You wouldn't think fish caught by men paddling dugout canoes could be in trouble, but they are. In Sierra Leone, vessels (often from foreign countries) come into the Inshore Exclusion Zone (IEZ) to fish. These vessels, if fishing without a permit, fall into the category of IUU - illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing. These are the pirate fishing vessels that are illegally taking an estimated 40% of the fish from the West African fisheries market. Estimates of fishing losses globally to illegal activity range from $10-23.5 billion, representing 11-26 million tons, based on a study by Agnew et al. 2009.
Over the course of my three week stay I was able to photograph about 70 species of fish and count over 5,000 fish. We will use this information to inform the creation of some Marine Protected Areas and give advice to the fishermen on how to best manage their fish stocks. During my stay there were illegal vessels fishing and I saw some of it firsthand. Piracy is a very real thing that is hurting West Africa in economic gains, livelihoods, and food security.
Want to do your part? Take action by sending a request to the UN to create a global record of fishing vessels. If you live in the Monterey Bay area, I'll be giving a talk on my research at Moss Landing Marine Lab on January 18th at 7pm.