Fish on ice (iStockphoto)
Sourcing sustainable seafood, it sounds pretty simple right? You find out which species are over-fished and don’t buy them. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. As The Food Sage’s investigation of sustainable seafood discovered, it’s one hell of a murky fish pond.
The Australian Marine Conservation Organisation considers six wild-caught species of fish to be overfished, or vulnerable to over-fishing: blue warehou, gemfish, orange roughy, shark, southern bluefin tuna and blue grenadier. In its sustainable seafood guide, the organisation also advises consumers to say no to farmed Atlantic salmon – which puts significant additional pressure on the marine environment. Imported hake and canned tuna (predominantly skipjack, albacore and yellowfin) are also in the group’s no-go zone. What’s more, we should think twice about buying barramundi, blue-eye trevalla, flathead, ocean perch and prawns (particularly aquaculture prawns) – as these are heavily targeted stocks. That wipes just about every fish i cook with off the menu.
The government’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) begs to differ. At the recent National Outlook Conference in Canberra it listed six over-fished species. And it only agreed with the Marine Conservation Organisation on three: shark, southern bluefin tuna, and gemfish. Unlike the conservation group it does not list entire species as being in danger, more specifically honing in on some individual stocks instead. For example, rock lobster (northern zone, South Australia), snapper (Queensland, NSW and Western Australia), shark in Western Australia and the school shark Australia-wide), prawns (NSW), tuna (southern bluefin), crabs (Tasmania).
A different outlook
On the other side of the shark net, the Sydney Fish Market, which sells 70 tonnes of fish daily, says all the fish it sells is sustainable, even though it stocks some of these so-called over-fished species. On its web page about sustainable seafood, the market says it “meets or exceeds all requirements of relevant environmental legislation and regulations”. That is, any fish that makes its way to the market – even southern bluefin tuna, which shows up rarely (just one tuna, once a year, if that, according to managing director Grahame Turk) – is caught under a fishery management plan that has been approved by the government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
Under the EPBC Act’s list of threatened fauna, four species of fish are considered “conservation dependent” – orange roughy, school shark, eastern gemfish, and southern bluefin tuna. This means they are threatened due to historic decline but are now under sustainable management arrangements. This is why Mr Turk considers the rare southern bluefin tuna that arrives on the fish market’s auction floor as being from a sustainable source. It’s a controversial, but legally sound, school of thought.
Eat global
Meanwhile, award-winning sustainable fishing author Tom Kime claims he uses only sustainable seafood at his Sydney café Fish & Co, yet he ships Alaskan salmon hundreds of thousands of kilometres to his door. He says wild-caught Alaskan salmon (which spawns several times before dying) is fished according to Inuit tradition where the environment is respected. It is then frozen and shipped to Australia, which is more sustainable and environmentally friendly than farmed Atlantic Tasmanian salmon that spawns just once in its lifetime. It requires five kilograms of wild fish to raise one kilogram of farmed Atlantic salmon that is then air-freighted fresh throughout Australia daily – all-in-all this has a far greater impact on the environment.
Kime uses local, sustainable, produce wherever possible – such as yelloweye and mulloway from the Coorong in South Australia, which is certified sustainable by the international Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), and Spencer Gulf prawns, which are in primary assessment from the MSC. But he also advocates the use of hoki from New Zealand (otherwise known as blue grenadier), which the Marine Conservation Organisation advises consumers not to buy, scallops from Patagonia, hake from South Africa and clams from Vietnam. According to Kime, there is insufficient sustainable fish stock available in Australia, therefore it is better to ship some sustainable catch from overseas rather than further depleting struggling local sources. His philosophy flies in the face of the ever-growing “eat local” movement.
Clear as mud
These are the muddy waters of sustainable fishing that consumers wade through daily. For those who want to do the right thing, and protect fish stocks for future generations, it is unclear what is right or wrong. Armed with our trusty sustainable fishing guides we go off in search of sustainable catch, but just what’s sustainable and what’s not is ill-defined and often mis-leading. Exactly which species are over-fished, or more specifically which stocks are over-fished, differs depending on who you talk to.
One side insists that claims of over-fishing are out-of-date, or alarmist, while those who warn against over-fishing say there is too much green-washing going on.
Certainly sustainable seafood is a burgeoning industry. In the United Kingdom, sustainable seafood – which is usually identified by an eco-label that fisheries can use once they have passed an expensive certification process – increased 154 per cent to be valued at £178 million between 2007 and 2009, according to the Ethical Consumerism Report 2010.
The MSC, a n0t-for-profit organisation which operates one of a number of certification schemes, has been operating in Australia for about five years. Three fisheries have been certified: Western Rock Lobster Fishery, Lakes and Coorong fishery in South Australia, and Mackeral Ice Fish fishery. Two more are in final assessment. About 30 have had pre-assessment certification – a confidential review that tells them how they would perform under full assessment. Pre-assessment costs between $10,000 and $15,000, and full assessment between $60,000 and $150,000, depending on the size and complexity of the fishery.
Sustainability sells
In an environment where consumers are increasingly concerned about the provenance of food purchases and the sustainability of the environment and food stocks, an eco-label is appealing. MSC has 67 products on the market in Australia – mostly frozen and tinned brands. Aldi, John West and Birdseye support its brand.
The day before the MSC-driven Sustainable Seafood Day on March 18, Woolworths announced its sustainable seafood strategy, including the introduction of MSC-certified canned salmon into its Select range and said it will introduce certified albacore tuna next month (which the Marine Conservation Organisation disapproves of). Woolworths also delisted yellowfin tuna and orange roughy from its stores.
On the same day, Coles announced that the World Wildlife Fund was reviewing its seafood purchasing practices and more certified sustainable seafood would be introduced and some existing fish would be phased out. In a press release, Coles pointed out that it stocked tinned skipjack tuna (which, again, the Marine Conservation Organisation disapproves of), and last year removed orange roughy from its stores. If the supermarkets are jumping on the bandwagon, it’s because sustainability sells.
On the same day the South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association issued a media release that said the decision by Coles and Woolworths not to sell orange roughy was:
“not based on current science or sustainable management practices” and was “misleading for customers”.
“The Association has confirmed that Coles and Woolworths have not taken advice from CSIRO who is the current orange roughy stock assessor or from the Australian Fisheries Management Authority who is the current Government management agency.”
Currently, no Australian fishmongers carry MSC-labelled products. Anyone who stocks the blue eco-labelled produce – be they shops or restaurants – must obtain a chain of custody certification, which costs time and money to be approved. Fishmongers, no doubt, don’t want to restrict their trade. And if they take the view of the Sydney fish market, their catch is legally sustainable if they follow EPBC regulations.
Seafood challenge
So where does that leave the consumer? Pretty confused, no doubt.
For my own part I’ve decided to stop thinking about which species are unsustainable (as un-politically correct as that may sound) – because that path is too fraught with contradictions. What I’m going to focus on instead are species of fish that are plentiful: things like leatherjacket, mackerel, and sardines. I’ll give cooking with these little beauties a shot. It will push me out of my comfort zone and it will be my own effort to help protect stocks where sustainability is – at the very least – in doubt.
Let’s call it The Food Sage’s seafood challenge. I’ve never been big on cooking fish – it’s a hard sell in my household. So I’m looking for foolproof recipes for some lesser-known varieties of fish. Go on, send them in! I’ll post news of my successes and failures. And i’ll share the recipes that work well, so readers can join in. I’m not saying that all the seafood i cook will be lesser known varieties (there is a recipe for steamed barramundi in Shaoxing dressing that i am itching to try) but i will try my hardest. When i fall off the wagon – or the tinny – i’ll let you know.
I am also going to do my homework, so that I am better informed. Because there is nothing worse than feeling like you have taken the bait, for someone else’s cause.
Readers may also like:
Leatherjacket jackpot
Leatherjacket Oven-Roasted with Lemongrass & Garlic, photographer Cath Muscat
I like your take on this, the issue is a very confusing one I must say. But you are right, I also believe we should just focus on the plentiful and get well at cooking and eating that.
Thanks for your feedback, Dee.
I will check out your site for recipes that use (less popular) seafood that us in plentiful supply! If any recipes spring to mind, let me know.
Rachel
Hi Rachel, I’m with you; it helps that I love leatherjacket, mackerel and sardines! It does take a lot of research to get to the bottom of this issue, so glad that you are doing this. I’m looking forward to your research into particular species… wonder if it will confirm that it is the smaller fish are plentiful. For sardines I look towards Italian recipes; mackerel is used a lot in Croatia. I’ve done a quick post over my way too. Cheers!
Hi Sharon – i’ve never really gone for the small fish. They’ve always seemed too fiddly. I’m looking forward to getting to know them a bit better.
Hi Rachel,
I just wanted to commend you on your excellent article. But I think your heading is really misleading, despite the careful use of a question-mark, it implies that your conclusion is that Sustainable Seafood is a rubbish non-issue, rather than the important and complex issue you clearly see informed seafood choice to be.
We as consumers and citizens like things to be simple and well defined, we like our issues black and white and to have a phrase or slogan we can get behind. We want to know the Good Fish and the Bad Fish. But as you point out it’s unfortunately not that simple . That’s why we do need better certification in Australia, pushing back the complexity and responsibility onto the certifying authorities. Until then as consumers we need to be asking questions like ‘who caught this, where, and how’. It is the questioning that will signal the demand for the sustainable product. If the seller can’t answer these questions don’t buy it.
In the mean time, what to eat? Golden rule – eat the little ones. By this i mean stay away from the big predator fish, Tuna, Marlin, King fish, Trevally, Cod, Shark (flake) the list goes on. Traditionally these have been the prize fish catch. They are at the top of the food chain. their decimation is wreaking havoc on ocean ecosystems creating strange imbalances in the ocean.
As you suggest, the smaller schooling fish like Mullet, Mackerel, Flathead and Anchovy are better choices. Their life cycle is smaller meaning they are better able to replenish diminished stocks. Traditionally they have been less favoured for fishing because of consumer demand for the larger fish species, and they have also in many cases lost their natural predators due to that over fishing and so in certain regions are showing an over abundance do to ecological imballance.
How does this pan out at the Market? Well if the fish piece you are looking at is a steak cut it is probably from a much larger predator fish – don’t take it, and better still, mention why to the seller. If it’s a whole fish, or the fillet is a whole side (you can tell from the shape of the fillet, or ask), and you could eat it by yourself it’s probably a good option. One caveat to that is ‘baby’ anything eg. baby snapper. This just means, it’s an juvenal member of the species, caught before it has a chance to grow, and likely before it has reached breading age. When average fish sizes shrink that is a sure fire sign that the the fish stock it was pulled from is in trouble. We we start to eat them before they’ve had a chance to breed, then their done for.
So the last thing you ask is for recipes. I’ve got a nice simple one for you, and a great way to feed a lot of people. A memory from past family bbq’s.
Whole Leatherjackets (trimmed, gutted and scaled), one piece per person. generous butter the inside and and out, a couple of slices of lemon and some diced garlic chive or garlic and oregano for a stronger flavour into the belly, season, then onto a hot clean bbq for 5-7 minutes a side. Serve with a simple garden salad and some smashed bbq roasted potatoes. Yum!
Ben Ward
The Falconer Cafe – http://www.thefalconer.com.au
GreenUps – http://www.greenups.net
Hi Ben – thanks for your comments, advice … and recipe!
I agree when you say we should ask questions of our fishmongers and if they can’t answer them go somewhere else. And that we should tell them when we don’t like something they’re selling. I look forward to putting some leatherjackets on the BBQ this weekend. I will let you know how i go.
All the best,
Rachel
Hi Rachel
I wanted to thank you for publishing an article that looks objectively at the various guides, certification schemes and government advisories out there, and highlights the vast discrepancies between many of their recommendations. This difference of opinions on the issue is one of the most prohibitive factors for the consumer when attempting to purchase sustainable seafood. Hopefully this and other articles like it signal a point where the sustainable seafood movement can move beyond sensationalism of the issue and really get down to an open dialogue about what we can do to ensure we are supporting and eating sustainable seafood.
I agree with the comments of Ben Ward and yourself regarding questioning fishmongers. I personally ask as many questions as I can when I’m shopping for seafood, even if I already know the answers! By doing this we let seafood retailers know that the demand for sustainable seafood is consumer driven and should become an important and marketable part of their purchasing choices.
However, I think there is more to it then that. We have to recognise that seafood is a demand-based industry, and that these fishmongers are responding to a demand, rather then fuelling it. The current celebrity-chef craze and the public’s love affair with food writers, bloggers, cookbooks and recipes means that these influential figures are put in a position of responsibility. The onus is on them to stop promoting unsustainable species, because as long as (unnamed) chef continues to publish a recipe for BBQ’d Swordfish in the weekend paper, people are going to go out and buy it.
Which leads me into the fun bit… a recipe.
Mullet is one of my favourite fish, so I thought I’d post a recipe for it to help you in your challenge. Mullet is a soft, oily fish with a reasonably strong flavour. But, rather then this being a turn-off, you can utilise these characteristics by pairing it with other strong flavours and using tomatoes, vinegars and fresh herbs to act as a foil to it’s oilyness. If you want a milder tasting fish you can ask your fishmonger to skin it for you, however the skin comes up so crispy-golden-crunchy-yum when cooked that a I think it’s one of the most appealing aspects of the fish!
Mullet ‘Sandwiches’
Make a filling by combining fresh breadcrumbs (you can make these by processing fresh crustless sourdough into a coarse crumb), chopped parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
Take your prepared fillets and layer them fillet-crumb-fillet with the skin-sides facing out. Press down firmly to make it all stick. If it still looks difficult to handle, you can secure with a loop of brown string. You can refrigerate at this point to help them firm up and stick.
Pan Fry the sandwiches for 2-3 minutes on either side. The skin should be golden and crispy, and the heat should just have reached the centre of the crumb. A Note: If they are sticking to the pan when you attempt to flip, they’re not ready. Leave them be for another 30secs-1min and they should come off cleanly.
I like to serve this with some roast tomatoes (a selection of colours and sizes looks great!) and a simple salsa verde made by blitzing a handful of parsley, 2tbs capers, a half clove of grated garlic, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper.
It might sound a bit fiddly, but trust me, this is a simple and tasty recipe. The cute ‘sandwiches’ are also a great way to convert family and friends to this delicious, under-utilised and sustainable fish. Good Luck!
For more info on Mullet you can check out this page on GoodFishBadFish: http://goodfishbadfish.com.au/?fish=mullet
Regards,
Oliver.
goodfishbadfish.com.au
Hi Oliver, Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and recipe. I’ve never cooked mullet, but i am looking forward to trying it.
i love the sound of the sandwiches and have just watched something similar cooked with sardines on tonight’s episode of Italian Food Safari – so i can now picture what to do!
i’m looking forward to learning more about mullet from the link you have provided.
Thanks again,
Rachel
f
Great investigative article – you’ve certainly put in the hard yards for us all. Did you happen to catch BBC Earth’s Human Planet Oceans documentary? Saw some pretty unsustainable mass trawling practices by small villages in South East Asia – where in one mammoth netting haul they can clear up to 50% of the fish off the coral reefs. The programme quoted predictions that it could be as early as 50 years that we fish out all our oceans! Your challenge is one we should all take up – and I actually prefer those small schooling fish over bigger ones anyway – I’d count those little barbounia or red mullets amongst my favourites as a kid, my mother made them steamed whole with chilli, garlic and black bean.
Thanks for your feedback, Gourmet Forager. Unfortunately, i didn’t catch the BBC piece you mentioned. I am enjoying my challenge, and love the sound of your mum’s steamed barbounia! Might give something like that a try!
Couple of things to add to this.
The Fishery Managers are the main people who should be commenting on whether a fish is sustainable or it isn’t surely. They determine what is made available for catch by licensed fishermen – once it is caught it is too late!
The rest of the issues are peoples or organisations opinions – fishery managers information is FACT.
As a consumer the best thing you can do is buy from a reputable source – do not buy from people who have no idea what it is they are selling, etc and a reputable source would be abiding by and a member of the Fish Names Accreditation Scheme – if they are not how do you know what you are buying is what you are getting?
Talking of which for all those Sydney chefs note – Blue Eye Cod is not correct, it is not a Cod it is a Blue Eye Trevalla. For all info on Fish Names see http://www.seafood.net.au/fishnames .
Buy fish in season and ensure you buy different species of wild product and try them all – don’t get stuck on one species. With aquaculture product that isn’t an issue of course and it should be mandatory for health issues that everyone should be eating Atlantic Salmon, Chinook Salmon, Ocean-run Trout, etc at least once per week. There is so much evidence that all chronic diseases would be diminished by improved nutrition which must include at least 2 meals and ideally 4 meals of seafood per week.
Seafood IS the most sustainable protein food you can eat and it is also the most nutritious food you can put in your mouth so enjoy, don’t let the NGO’s spoil your Easter (they only want you to donate your money and there are better causes)
Good luck with your mission
Nicely written article, very informative! Keep up the good work – I have just discovered your blog but you’re on my list now!
Lovely to hear you have found The Food Sage.
Stay in touch & thanks for the feedback.