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Whole Foods Sustainable Seafood Cooking Bonanza (ok not really a bonanza)

For those of you not coming to the party….

Thursday August 27th
Whole Food’s and The Aquarium of the Pacific Present Sustainable Seafood

Seared Albacore Tuna with Fennel and Arugula 
Serves 4 people

Sustainability-Pacific Coast Albacore is a well managed, ecologically friends fishery. Fish stocks are healthy, there is minimal by catch, and they’re in no habitat damage. Unlike other tuna species, Albacore do not swim with dolphins, thus making all albacore dolphin safe.

Flavor and Cooking- Troll-caught albacore’s firm texture and mild flavor lends itself to a variety of cooking methods and preparations. Albacore is best-cooked medium rare (about 130 F). Albacore is a great fish to eat with a light salad or sliced fresh on a sandwich. Substitute fresh or frozen albacore in recipes calling for fish or chicken. Use poached or leftover cooked albacore in place of canned tuna

Healthfulness-Albacore provides a whopping 25 grams of protein per 3 1/2 ounce serving, which is fully half of adult daily protein requirement! It is also a widely recognized that albacore are an excellent source of Omega-3 essential fatty acids

Ingredients

4- 6 oz. Albacore Tuna Steaks
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 tble ground fennel seed
salt and pepper to dust

2 fennel bulbs sliced thin
4 cups fresh arugula
3 tble extra virgin olive oil
1 tble sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 pint organic cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup white wine

Instructions:

1. For the vinaigrette: Whisk together the olive oil, sherry vinegar, fresh thyme, and Dijon mustard. Prior to serving the tuna, toss the arugula and tomatoes with ¾ of the vinaigrette and place on the center of each plate.

2. Place a large sauté pan on the stove over medium high heat. Add the oil and wait until it is about to smoke. It will begin to shimmer. It is essential that the pan gets hot enough in order to create a nice caramelized exterior on the tuna. This is the flavor.

3. While the pan is heating, place the Tuna on a sheet pan, pat dry with a paper towel, and season on both sides with the ground fennel, salt, and fresh pepper. When the pan is hot place two pieces of tuna in the pan, making sure not to overcrowd the pan (if it is a very large sauté pan add all four pieces, but be sure to leave sufficient space between the tuna steaks as this will allow the pan to retain heat.) Sear the tuna on both sides for about 2 minutes.

4. Once the tuna is seared on both sides, remove from the pan, place on a plate, and add the sliced fennel and sauté for about 4 minutes, or until slightly limp. Deglaze the pan by adding the white wine and reduce until it is almost dry.

5. Place the tuna back in the pan and re-warm with the fennel. Serve by putting one tuna slice on each mound of dressed arugula. To finish, drizzle the tuna with the remaining vinaigrette and top each piece with the sautéed fennel.

Gently Cooked Pacific Halibut
Serves 4 people

Sustainability- The pacific halibut fishery is a model of sustainability. Originally over fished into the late 60’s, halibut stocks rebounded after the creation of the International Pacific Halibut Commission. Pacific halibut fisherman recently helped develop and now use bird-scaring lines when deploying their hooks, to prevent seabirds from becoming tangled in their lines. Atlantic Halibut on the other hand has been fished to commercial extinction and there is no rebuilding plan currently in place.

Flavor and Cooking-Halibut is mild flavored and high in natural fats which allows for a moist fish even if slightly overcooked. Halibut is an incredibly versatile fish which allows for it to be grilled, baked, roasted, poached, or even cured for ceviche. Halibut is relatively sweet and holds up well to sharp flavors, making it a fun fish to prepare in many applications.

Healthfulness- Halibut are truly a nutrient-dense food. A very good source of high quality protein, halibut are rich in significant amounts of a variety of important nutrients including the minerals selenium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium; the B vitamins B12, niacin, and B6; and perhaps most important, the beneficial omega-3 essential fatty acids

About this recipe- Because Halibut is so lean, it needs to be cooked gently. And adding a little fat to the dish is never a bad idea. Halibut is great roasted at a low temperature rubbed in olive oil in order to retain all of its moisture. The longer and slower you roast the fish, the more moisture it will retain.

Ingredients:
4 each 6 oz fillets of pacific halibut
2 tble extra virgin olive oil
4 sprigs of fresh tarragon
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 pint- Whole Foods Tomato Bruschetta

Instructions:

Heat oven to 275 F

1. Rub each filet of halibut with ½ table of olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Top each filet with one spring of whole fresh tarragon. Place the fish in the oven

2. Bake at 275 F for 25 minutes. Immediately top the halibut with the tomato bruschetta mixture as the halibut is removed from eh oven. Serve over roasted potatoes or a light salad.

Vanilla Dusted Sea Scallops
Serves 4

Sustainability: The sea scallop fishery, while once closed in many places due to excess bycatch issues, has made great improvements and strides toward sustainability. Currently the number of boats allowed to fish is limited, and each is required to carry a vessel-monitoring device and an onboard observer to ensure that all regulations are followed. Gear has been lightened to mitigate bottom damage and escape routes for fish have been enlarged. Sea scallop populations are healthy and management is excellent.

Healthfulness: Sea Scallops contain very little cholesterol; in actuality they contain cholesterol like plant-based sterols that actually interfere with the uptake of cholesterol. Scallops are a heart healthy low-fat source of protein.

Flavor and Cooking: There is nothing worse than a rubber steamed scallop. When prepared properly large sea scallops should offer a crispy exterior with heightened sweetness surrounding barley cooked fresh inside. The vanilla in this recipe works wonders with the sweet richness of a fresh sea scallop while the tartness of the pear cuts through that richness balancing the palette,

Ingredients

16 large sea scallops
2 tble grapeseed oil
2 tble vanilla powder (found in the spice section)
2 pears large diced
1 Lemon
mache for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Be sure that your pan heats up long enough to bring the oil to a shimmer, the point right before it begins to smoke. Do not overcrowd the pan wither because this will create steam and therefore alter the browning process. Most likely the scallops will need to be cooked in batches. The thing to keep in mind is to undercook the scallop a touch if it is part of an earlier batch as it will continue to cook off the heat.

While the pan is heating, season the scallops with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Right as the oil is a bout to smoke, place the scallops in the pan and cook about 1 minute on each side making sure to allow a crust to form on the outside. Right before removing the scallops from the pan, dust the tops of the scallops with the vanilla powder and continue cooking for about 10 seconds.

Remove the scallops from the pan and place on a plate. Gently cover the scallops with a paper towel to keep them warm. Place the pan back over the heat and add the diced pears. Sauté the apples for 2 minutes and place the scallops back into the pan with the pears. Deglaze the scallop apple mixture with the fresh lemon juice and immediately remove the pan from the heat.

Serve immediately over a pile of seasoned fresh mache.

Sautéed Oysters w/ Sweet Tomato Relish
Serves 4

Sustainability: Most oysters available these days are farmed. Unlike some types of aquaculture, oyster farming requires pristinely clean waters and a deep understanding of tides, water temperature, and other factors that affect the oyster bed’s health, meaning there is almost no way to farm oysters irresponsibly.
Oysters are filter feeders. They don’t require the manufacture of food or the harvest of other sea creatures to feed them, eliminating the possibility of contaminated feed that exists in some aquaculture operations. Also, unlike salmon and other carnivorous fish farming operations, raising oysters does not result in a wasteful net loss of protein. Because oysters are filter feeders, they actually clean the water, encouraging more light and the resultant growth of ocean greenery and increase in oxygen levels. Not only do oysters clean the water, but the oyster farmers must act as protectors of the environment in which they farm, or they would be out of business

Healthfulness: Oysters contaon incredibly high amounts of vitamins D and B12. They are nature’s most concentrated package of zinc. Oysters contain very high levels of omega 3’sm which improve the blood lipid profile by lowering triglycerides and raising HDL or good cholesterol.

Flavor and Cooking: Many people don’t like raw oysters, however, when cooked and seasoned properly, they can take on an entirely new identity. This recipe is fun to present and easy to prepare. The combination of sweet tomatoes, shallots, vinegar and live oil complement the rich salinity of the oysters.

Shucking Oysters: Place the oyster, cup side down and flat side up on a dish towel. Fold the towel over the round end of the oyster, leaving only ht narrow hinged end exposed. Hold the oyster in place with the heel of your left hand making sure the towel is protecting your hand in case the knife slips. Insert the tip of an oyster knife into the hinge; push twist and pry until the shell releases.

Ingredients:

24 oysters

For the Relish:
1 pint of sweet organic grape tomatoes cut into quarters
1 tble fresh basil
2 tble extra virgin olive oil
2 tble parmesan cheese
1 tble shallot finely minced
1 tble sherry vinegar

Instructions: Shuck the oysters and place the meat in a bowl. Scrub the oyster shells and gently roast in the oven for about 5 minutes dry and remove and excess bacteria. While the shells are in the oven, heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add a tble of olive oil. Add the oysters and gently sauté for 2 minutes. Place each oyster back into its shell finish with a dollop of the room temperature tomato relish.

Dungeness Crab Salad w/ Apple and Avocado
Serves 4

Sustainability: The pacific coast Dungeness crab fishery is considered one of the most sustainable crab fishery in the world. Crabs are caught in environmentally friendly traps and are managed by size season and sex. Only male crabs are harvested: females are returned to the sea to reproduce for years to come. Most crab fisheries are dependent on traps that allow for the release of bycatch, undersized crabs, and females. Crab traps are constructed so as to minimize so-called “ghost fishing” when lost (Ghost nets are fishing nets that have been lost by fishermen. These nets are left to drift the oceans of Earth entangling sea life and causing varying degrees of damage throughout Earth’s oceanic ecosystem).

Healthfulness: Crab contains very little fat and provides essential omega 3 fatty acids which are believed to be linked to good heart health.

Flavor and Cooking: The sweet and succulent flavor of Dungeness crab is best simply prepared. The success in this recipe relies on the balance of flavors between the richness of the avocado and the tartness of the apples, the sweet flavor of the crab and a touch of fresh lemon juice to cut accentuate these refined flavors. This salad can be served on a crispy baguette, served over mixed lettuces or eaten alone.

Ingredients:

2 pints of Fresh Dungeness Crab
2 granny smith apples diced fine
2 ripe avocado sliced
1 tble fresh chopped parsley
2 tble mayonaisse
1 t fresh lemon juice
1 t Dijon mustard
Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper to taste
Mixed Organic Greens (optional)

Combine all the ingredients and serve immediately.

So, where’s your wallet card?

Now that we’re in the final stretch of preparing our national PR launch and new website design, I am getting this question more than ever. Funny in a way, because it usually follows some form of the question, “do we really need another seafood program?” Although, this question is more commonly expressed as, “Oh, you’re like so-and-so’s program.” Man do I hate that. But, people do seem to love wallet cards in spite of the fact that they are loathe to use them.

If you don’t have any idea what I’m talking about, here’s a few of the programs in whose shadow we must grow. But first, let me point out that, being aware of what is already available for consumers, we have created a program that is Nothing Like Any Of Them.

sustainable seafood cards - fold them yourself

Environmental Defense Fund’s Pocket Seafood Selector.  Monterey Bay’s Seafood Watch various cards for various regions (Can I get a Hawaiian fish guide in Spanish?).  Marine Stewardship Council’s Fish to Eat.  Audobon society’s Seafood Lover’s Guide, also available as a beautifully illustrated coffee table book (not kidding).  Charting Nature’s Sustainable Seafood Guides.  Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium Right Bite Seafood Wallet Card.  The National Resource Defense Council’s Mercury in Fish Guide.  SeaChoice Canada’s Seafood Guide.  The Audobon/Wildlife Conservation Society Special Edition (!) Seafood Wallet Card.  Marine Conservation Society’s (MCS) Pocket Good Fish Guide.  Blue Ocean Institute’s Guide to Ocean Friendly Seafood.  This last one is my favorite, not just because of the immense amount of research and work that obviously went into producing the information.  Here is a shot of the eight-fold card that flips open like the Octomom’s wallet photo album.

Blue Ocean Institute's Seafood Guide

And yes, that’s my cubicle.  I love the various colors, categories, symbols and legends, and conflicting information represented in the pile of seafood guides.  Another of my favorites: the MCS card has a special category to advise caution of species that have been approved by the MSC.

Incidently, here is my wallet, which is not really a wallet and right now only has two dollars in it and barely enough room for my Starbucks gift card.

What do all of these have in common?  To use a wallet card, the burden is on you find out where and how the fish was caught.  Fish are, after all, not managed by species, but by region and method of capture.  You must assume that everyone in the chain of custody has the correct information and is willing to give it to the next person.  Has the distributor renamed the fish after a higher-value species?  Does the chef know what the gear type was used?  Will the server simply tell you what you want to hear?

And what is it that we do differently?  We do the research beforehand and put our logo next to sustainable choices on the menus of our partner restaurants.  This makes it as easy as possible for consumers, even if they are not especially concerned about the environment.  Secondly, we are the only program that uses current fisheries data from the National Marine Fisheries Service and other government regulatory agencies.  US managed fisheries cover huge areas of the Pacific, Atlantic, and the Gulf of Mexico – from Puerto Rico all the way to Guam.  Plus the US has extensive scientific and governmental resources that are legally mandated to end overfishing by 2011 in all US fisheries under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.  We have some of the best-managed fisheries in the world – why are we importing fish from China?

Our new logo is in restaurants already, even if the new website isn’t up yet.  Here’s a sneak peek for you:

-DA

Seafood for the Future

More Sardines

When I was a wee little lad my mother used to make this god-awful fish dish. This dish was the idol of horrific gut wrenching food (sorry mom). I would sometimes wish I was eating my puppy’s Alpo instead or contracting necrotizing fasciitis from a Costa Rican banana farmer. It was akin to the smellier seafood version of Vienna sausages. I would ask my mother what we were eating and she would always respond “Sardines” (turns out it was really week old chicken). She was lying, but still perpetuating a crusade against the sardine, and I have been emotionally scarred ever since. The only reason I became a chef was so that no one would ever have to taste what I once thought was a real sardine. Alas, no more giving Sardines a black eye.

Why aren’t sardines popular? Is it because Heathcliff used to scour back alley garbage cans for these little guys? Is it because we are under the impression that they manifest themselves within the four walls of a peel back can? It’s a mystery to me because I am ready to make these incredibly delicious and nutritious fish the Zack Morris of the Seafood World. It’s pretty cool to be a Sardinsta.

Sardines represent underutilized species of sustainable seafood. Sardines are abundant and fished in environmentally friendly ways. Quotas are carefully managed: Fishermen are allowed only 80,000 tons annually, just over 10 percent of the peak haul in the 1930s. They reproduce quickly and at a very young age. From a health perspective they are short lived, therefore they do not have a substantial amount of time to absorb harmful toxins and mercury into their bodies. This makes sardines a great choice for Pregnant women and children. Sardines contain high levels of protein and omega-3s.

Most importantly however, Sardines are delicious. Shatter the idea that sardines come from a can and replace the fixture with reality; Sardines can be crispy, tender, rich, and complex when simply prepared—Flavor Country. Easy to cook, they are great grilled or pan roasted with a touch of citrus, sea salt, fresh herbs, and probably a bit of love.

Sardines can be purchased at most Japanese markets as well as Whole Foods. If your store does not carry sardines, most likely they can be special ordered.

Grilled Sardines with Toasted Pistacho

Serves Two

4 whole Sardines (Mitsuwa Marketplace in Torrance)
1 lemon sliced in half
3 tble crushed toasted pistachio
1 teaspoon ground fennel
2 tble extra virgon olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

It is essential to have the grill turned to high heat in order to create a crispy skin and cook the sardine in a short period of time.

When buying sardines whole most likely they will still have their bellies intact. The easiest way to clean them is to take a knife and cut the entire sardine open on the belly side. Place the sardine under running water and pull all the insides out until clean. Pat them dry and rub them with salt, pepper and olive oil. Place the sardines on the grill and cook on each side for roughly 2 minutes (the skin will start to crackle and smoke, this is ok). While the sardines are cooking place the lemon on the grill cut side down as well in order to slightly caramelize the juices. Remove the sardines from the grill and place them direcly on a serving plate. Drizzle with the warm lemon, pistachio and fennel dust. Serve immeadiatley.

Note: The best way to remove the sardine filet from the fish is to take a fork and pull the meat away from the back bone. The entire fillet should come off clean leaving the head and back bone behind.

Tailgating with NOAA

lemons and grilled sardines

This week, we needed to take a few pictures of grilled sardines for an upcoming article in Long Beach Magazine. Since most people are only familiar with sardines that come out of a can, we wanted to show how great this fish can be when prepared simply to bring out its delicate flavor. This was exactly what LA Times food writer Russ Parsons recommended when he came to speak at the Aquarium of the Pacific a few weeks ago. We took his advice and went to the Japanese market near the Honda plant to pick a few pilchards.

Whole, grilled sardines

When Jerry (the Aquarium’s CEO) heard what we were up to, he enthusiastically described what he called the best fish he’d ever eaten: grilled sardines from a roadside vendor in Portugal. Naturally, we offered to bring a grill to work, so that Jerry could see how ours compared to the ones he remembered. Unfortunately, Jerry has been attending a conference with NOAA Science Advisory Board members in the Aquarium’s Watershed Classroom. They could come out for a lunch-time snack, but we are not allowed to serve food on the Aquarium premises. Long story short: that’s how we ended up in the Aquarium’s back parking lot with my backyard grill, a bucket of sardines, and a handful of lemons.

Andrew at the grill

Andrew putting on the finishing touches

We grilled them whole, rather than using Russ Parson’s decidedly more elegant method of preparation. Andrew’s recipe for these sardines included:
Grilled lemons
Crushed pistachios
Fennel pollen
Sea salt
Olive oil

…And the official scientific consensus is in: grilled sardines are delicious!

Traitor Joe’s Inside Viewpoint-From an anonymous employee

Below is a post written by a friend of SFF who also works with Trader Joe’s. Her viewpoint on the current dilemma is interesting and we feel her opinions are essential to this dialogue. After receiving this information it is important to note that Trader Joes just announced their future partnership with Seafood Watch at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Thanks to Greenpeace and their “carting away the oceans” report, major supermarket chains are being exposed for their lack of sustainability in regards to their seafood. One of the companies of particular interest to the nonprofit, Trader Joe’s, was ranked 17. As an eco-conscious consumer and environmental activist I say, “Well done Greenpeace! Keep up the good work.” Unfortunately, my story gets more complicated as I am also a Trader Joe’s employee and have been for nearly a decade. Trader Joe’s has treated my coworkers and I very well. We are one big, dysfunctional family and it’s not easy to see them portrayed as the villain, but it’s also hard to swallow the fact that they aren’t willing to change their ways in regards to this and other sustainability issues.

Certainly I believe that all companies should practice corporate social responsibility, especially the one I work for. In an ideal world they would, but we live in the real world where the bottom line for any company is simply to make money. Trader Joe’s is no exception. They are going to carry the products that keep their patrons lining up outside their doors at 8:30 a.m. and filling their parking lots until 9 p.m. Time and time again, when pushed into the spotlight for carrying products from a controversial source you can always count on good ol’ TJ’s to spout their favorite mantra, “We let the customers decide.” This begs the question, who’s really responsible for making Trader Joe’s and its sustainably challenged counterparts more sustainable?

It’s easy to vilify Trader Joe’s for its lack of marine stewardship, but if we truly want to change the way they source their seafood, we’re going to have to share some of the responsibility. It’s time to use their mantra to our advantage and start voting with our wallets. If the sustainable choices outsell their unsustainable competition, then Trader Joe’s will have no choice but to do away with the “bad fish” and bring on their sustainable cousins. After all, they “let the customers decide.”

The problem with this method lies in the fact that most of us are lazy when it comes to doing research on how to differentiate between sustainable and non-sustainable seafood. It’s important for us to educate ourselves, but again, we live in the real world and while most of us want to do the right thing, we are not going to do the leg work on our own. This is why Seafood for the Future is a critical component in our quest to bring sustainable seafood to Trader Joe’s.

Seafood for the Future has the ability to bridge the gap between the non-complying Trader Joe’s and the lazy consumer. If they can come in and simply label sustainable choices, then Trader Joe’s won’t have to change their sources, at least not right away, and the consumer can make the choice without doing extra work. The beauty of Seafood for the Future labels vs. TJs’ labels is that the consumer can have the piece of mind that the label comes from an unbiased party that is well educated on the subject. Trader Joe’s also has many outlets that the Seafood Guys can utilize for educational purposes. For example, they can give basic information to the sign and demo crews as well as the writers of the Fearless Flyer to highlight some of the sustainable choices that Trader Joe’s does have.

Trader Joe’s is certainly in the wrong on this particular matter, but they are not a bad company. Like I said before, they treat their employees very well. This cannot be said for all of the companies on the Greenpeace list. Every company has its flaws. Companies like Trader Joe’s just want to make money. Knowing this is an advantage for us as we can leverage it by utilizing our wallets to create change. I truly believe that, with your help and Seafood for the Future, Trader Joe’s can and will make this right.

Traitor Joes?

Just what is this thing we call Trader Joe’s ? Why don’t I ever buy Lobster out of the back of a station wagon.  Why shouldn’t you currently buy seafood at Trader Joes? In June of 2008, Greenpeace released a report titled “carting away the oceans”.  The report examined the seafood purchasing practices of 20 of the largest retailers in North America.  Naturally, the report indicated that the majority of  retailers are lagging in terms of marine stewardship.  In the ensuing year many of these retailers recognized their pitfalls and according to Casson Trenor (Greenpeace-Senior Markets Campaigner ) “While half of the stores have demonstrated at least some degree of progress, there remain ten retailers which have made no visible effort whatsoever to increase the sustainability of their seafood operations.”  For the sake of contemporary conversation, let’s focus on the one retailer who scored a meager one point out of ten and placed 17th out of 20 companies—Trader Joe’s.

A couple Points to highlight from the Greenpeace blog

Trader Joe’s has no sustainable seafood policy

Trader Joe’s does not participate in any seafood sustainability initiatives

Trader Joe’s does not label its seafood sufficiently

Trader Joe’s sells endangered red-list fish

The irony (or joke) behind all of this telling information is that customer perception of Trader Joes as a brand reveals an image of responsibility.  Somehow it seems Trader Joes has leveraged-read stolen- certain associations from Whole Food’s directly into their identity (most likely because they carry many competing non perishable products).  I sent out an informal survey today and asked consumers and chefs to compare Trader Joes to another food store and many people wrote Whole Foods! It’s frightening for TJ’s to have Greenpeace puling off their mask and asking questions.

Before offering a solution let’s read a bit of TJ’s response to this issue

“We’ve received inquiries about the recent report and information that Greenpeace has been disseminating. Some of you have commented that is it seems so… well, “unbelievable.” That’s because much of it is not credible. …..The Greenpeace report details that Trader Joe’s sells a certain number of items on their “Red List.” But several of the items that they call out are NOT for sale in our stores. We do NOT sell Chilean Sea Bass, Monkfish, Ocean Quahog or Redfish in any of our stores. We feel strongly that it is important to allow our customers the opportunity to make informed decisions about what they buy. We understand the importance of sustainability and consistently strive to improve our efforts in this arena. We continue to work closely with all of our seafood suppliers to ensure that a high level of standards and practices are adhered to at all times. We have been working on our own report that we hope to publish to our customers in the near future to help clarify our processes.”

 
Trader Joe’s is all about value.  They are able procure and distribute products at prices that undercut that of their most direct competitor.  Their assertion as to how this is possible is by shaving the supply chain to include only the primary supplier, trader joes, and the consumer.  This relieves their organization of the need to work with marketing research firms, ad agencies, sales people, research & development teams and manufacturers. Given the direct link to the supplier, this raw template would seemingly make it easier to source sustainable seafood, reducing the potential for misinformation along the supply chain.  They admittedly source seafood that is being overfished or sourced in an unsustainable manner (red list according to many). This is a conscious decision with a level of responsibility that can’t be diffused amongst a large supply chain.  Their value chain is their nudity. 

 The ONLY way TJ’s can respond to this predicament is to partake in public dialogue with, not just Greenpeace, but their customers as well.  The worn out, defensive, fleeting response pointing the finger back at Greenpeace does nothing to further recognize their “out of stock” sustainable seafood policy.  How is Trader Joe’s sustainable? Who are they partnering with in order to create synergies? How are they educating their customers on issues relative to marine stewardship?

 In the upcoming weeks we will make it our goal at Seafood for the Future to open dialogue with Trader Joe’s and all of their customers, enabling them to open the door to organizations that encourage the consumption of healthy and responsible seafood.

Greenpeace scorecard

The Cove: dolphins sold and slaughtered

The Cove poster

Last night, I attended a screening of a movie called The Cove, which is as near to perfect a documentary as one could imagine. It has already received several awards on the festival circuit, including the Audience Award at Sundance, and they are clearly well-deserved.  What could have been a ghastly, face-hiding expose becomes a story that pulls you along with both the humans and the dolphins they’re trying to save, impelling you to get involved. The Cove is scheduled for general release on July 31st.

Director Louis Psihoyos, a still photographer for years at National Geographic, assembled a team of videographers, divers, and adventurers to expose the secret annual slaughter of some 23,000 dolphins in the town of Taiji, Japan. Guiding Psihoyos is Richard O’Barry, star of the TV series “Flipper,” who helped the team navigate past their Japanese antagonists into the secluded cove where even hardened activists could not imagine the scenes they would capture on hidden hi-def cameras.

Taiji is a small coastal town that relies on fishing and tourism, including whale and dolphin attractions. Every year, dolphin migration routes skirt the waters near Taiji, where waiting fishermen intercept them dozens at a time. The dolphins are driven into nets with a wall of sound created by the fishermen hammering on submerged pipes. The next morning, young female bottlenose dolphins are separated and sold to amusement parks around the world for as much as $150,000. The day after that, the remainder are killed and processed for their meat. When the cove is empty, it begins again, continuing until the end of the migration season.

The team takes great pains to capture the slaughter on video. Even when you know what’s coming, the actual footage is more shocking than you can imagine. No animal deserves to die this way, much less large, social mammals that are demonstrably self-aware. However, by the time you see it, Psihoyos has steeled you for it, transforming it from “exhibit A” into a call for action.

It’s the lucrative sale of dolphins to multi-million dollar tourist attractions that allows the slaughter to continue, says O’Barry.  And whether the dolphins are sold into captivity or eaten in Japan, they lose out.  Our perception that dolphins are content to perform backflips in tiny pools is belied by the number of dolphins that die at amusement parks from serious environmental stress.

As much a part of the story is the fact that most Japanese outside of Taiji are unaware what is going on there. The dolphin meat is re-labeled as whale meat and sold in markets all over Japan. Baleen whales eaten by the Japanese do not eat fish like the dolphins do, and therefore have a vastly different mercury profile – organic mercury in dolphin meat is dangerously high. Psihoyos compares the deceptive sale of dolphin meat to the Chisso mercury poisonings in Minamata, recalling the profound retardation and disfigurement that resulted in the children there. Were it not for the efforts of the film makers and two local officials, the meat would have been introduced into a local lunch program for school children. “Compulsory,” as one of the officials grimly notes: his young children would have been made to eat every bite.

The film also outlines the inability of the International Whaling Commission to effectively protect cetaceans, and how developing countries are pressured (and bribed) by Japan to join the IWC and vote in favor of the rules that allow Japan to continue harvesting whales and dolphins.

Louis Psihoyos and Richard O’Barry were on hand to answer questions after the screening, entering the theater to a standing ovation.  Psihoyos discussed the how the story was formed, and moment he inserted himself into the story as an activist.  It was evident tha his background as a photojournalist benefitted the movie greatly.

It’s an eye-opener to say the least.  If you skip the summer blockbusters in favor of seeing The Cove, you won’t regret it. Trailer below.  -DA

Russ Parsons At The Aquarium

La Times Food Editor and Award winning food writer Russ Parsons gave a lecture last night at the Aquarium titled “Bringing Sustainability Home”.  He examined the reality of where our food comes from and the complicated nature of our food systems.  He touched on the agricultural history of food, the increased need for farmer’s markets as well as offered helpful buying tips.  He expressed the vaguity of the term sustainability and how ultimately our society by its very nature is not sustainable, yet we can make powerful decisions with our wallet and fork that will push us in the right direction. Russ Parsons is the author of “How to Read a French Fry” and “How to Pick a Peach”. In 2008 he was inducted into the James Beard Foundation ’s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage, the hall of fame of American cooking. He has won many food journalism awards, including those from the International Association of Culinary Professionals the Association of Food Journalists, and the University of Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Awards. 

While it would be fun to try and transpose his entire lecture here via blog, I will avoid the pain and focus on a couple highlights.  In terms of picking the proverbial peach, or fruit for that matter, Russ introduced the division between farmer’s market fruit and conventional produce.  His point was clear that the issue must be understood through the analysis of the words “Ripeness” and “Maturity”.

Fruit should be harvested when it is ready to pick or mature. Harvesting at the time of optimum maturity will produce the best quality fruit.  While many fruits will continue to ripen after being picked, their maturing process has been halted.  Therefore by purchasing fruit that has been harvested 3-4 weeks prior to hitting the shelves, you are buying a product that lacks the flavor that would traditionally develop during that 3-4 week maturation process(even though it may continue to ripen in transit).  At the farmer’s market, however, this produce is at peak maturity, most of the time having been picked with a day or two of display. This maturity also introduces a nutrient rich product or superfood.

 

Seafood

Russ Parsons has always been a friend of the aquarium and introduced many interesting aspects of seafood sustainability into his lecture last night as well.  Specifically, he made the point that many people are unable to utilize certain sustainable seafood sources because of their seemingly complicated methods of preparation or procurement.  The sardine is an under appreciated species of fish that (normally associated with canned preservation) can be purchased fresh at numerous Japanese markets throughout Southern California. Mitsuwa market http://www.mitsuwa.com/tenpo/torr/eindex.html, sources some of the freshest seafood in Southern California including anchovies, mackerel, sardines, and other sustainable delicacies.  Fortunately for the attentive crowd last night, Russ offered a mouth-watering recipe for this amazing delicacy.

 Fire Roasted Fresh Sardines with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 
8-10 fresh sardines
1 fresh lemon
sea salt
High Quality Olive Oil

 

Preheat the grill

 
Russ suggests the best way to clean the meat from the anchovy is with your thumbs prior to cooking.  While this may seem daunting, in actuality the delicate nature of the anchovy allows for easy removal of the filets.  I have experienced that the best way to do this is while holding the head, pinch through the flesh jest behind the collar and pull the meat towards the tail. Lightly dress the anchovies in a touch of olive oil.  Place the anchovies on the grill for roughly a minute per side making sure to crisp the skin (this is one of the best parts).  Immediately upon removing the anchovies from the grill drizzle with a touch of fresh lemon, sea salt and olive oil.  Serve either straight from the plate, with crostini and a bit of salad.  Nothing goes better with anchovies than a clean crisp glass of Prosecco.  Enjoy!

What not to eat

I will rarely take the negative perspective on this blog where food is concerned.  However, this post is written in response to the advice that fish should be avoided entirely in order to circumvent the whole sticky issue of sustainable seafood.  Let me explain why this is not a good idea, and how sustainable seafood issues fit into a much larger conversation about the food we eat and where it comes from.

The eat-no-seafood approach implies that stopping the consumption of fish will lead to the restoration of ocean health, at least where fisheries are concerned.  This ignores the fact that fisheries are affected by more than just overfishing.  Habitat loss, climate change, ocean “acidification,” dead zones, pollutants, and eutrophication all contribute to the decline in marine diversity and ecosystem health.  The underlying cause of declining ocean health is not dietary consumption, but the dramatic increase in human population in conjunction with a per capita increase in use of natural resources.

Not only are there several billion more of us than in our grandparents’ heyday, but we all use much more water, energy, refined metals, and fossil fuels.  This is not just a problem – this is the problem.  To those who propose that we eat fewer fish, may I suggest instead that we all have fewer babies.*  And, of course, simplify our habits of material consumption.

For example, salmon runs in Northern California have been so drastically reduced that the 2009 salmon season will be 10 days of recreational fishing in early September, with no commercial fishing whatsoever.  Although the conservation efforts are couched in terms of saving the fishery for the fishing industry, even the Department of Fish and Game acknowledges that many factors affect the number of returning fish, including the watershed and ocean temperatures.  Cod and Atlantic salmon have not recovered from commercial extinction even with fishing moratoriums in place.  Neither have a number of other fisheries rebounded under strict management and controlled mortality.  Simply removing seafood like this from the menus won’t save declining numbers of fish unless we are protecting the habitat that allows them to reproduce.

Furthermore, reducing seafood consumption will have consequences for already poor dietary health of Americans.  The importance of omega-3 fatty acids has been seriously understated in American health and diet education.  How do we determine the importance of any one dietary item like omega-3 fatty acids?  There are at least three different types of evidence required to make a convincing connection:  1. epidemiological studies in humans that correlate effects with dietary habits, 2. biochemical explanations of the molecular pathways involved, and 3. studies in model organisms such as rats and mice that show the effects of a controlled diet in closely related mammals.  In the case of omega-3 fatty acids, all three types of research demonstrate that omega-3 fatty acids have an important role in mitigating physiological stress.

And if, as we contend, there is a lack of adequate omega-3 fatty acids in the Western diet, do we see a corresponding effect in the health of the population?  Yes.  As noted in the previous jump, omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to mitigate 6 out of the top 7 leading causes of death in the US: coronary heart disease, cancer, stroke, lower respiratory disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.  (Number 5 of 7 is accidental death.)  Certainly, there are many other factors that contribute to poor diet and health in America.  But the danger in recommending the removal of seafood from the already-suffering American diet is that the diseases above that are well correlated with inadequate omega-3 intake will become even more prevalent.  It is not an exaggeration to say that  investment in the wise use of our fisheries is an investment in our own future and our health.

There are a number of papers that support these ideas (e.g., Simopoulos ratio, Essential fatty acids in aquatic ecosystems), tapping into the theory that our current dietary needs reflect the types of foods that were available as humans evolved.  Knowing this, a moderate amount of common sense can be applied to come up with a list of things that truly should not be eaten.  Cheetos and Twizzlers, for example.  I am hardly one of your crunchy activists who can claim to live off of tofu, but there are a number of ingredients that I would advise people to avoid:

Preservatives

Trans fats (partially hydrogenated vegetable oils)

Refined sugars and High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

Artificial sweeteners

Genetically modified crops that have not been tested for safety (that would be all of them)

We could go into the scientific literature to explore each one of these, but for our purposes it should be sufficient to say that humans should eat what our bodies were designed to use.  Seafood included.  Our healthcare system will thank you.

If you blanched at the thought of giving up Cheetos and Diet Coke, you can thank the modern advertising industry for changing our ideas about what normal human food is.  That is lesson number two: people who are selling you something should not be the ones to tell you what to eat.  At the top of this post, you can see that the jar of peanut butter that says, “No Trans Fats” must qualify that statement to mean “per serving.”  Companies that use trans fats in their products now reduce the serving size on the label so that they can round down the advertised trans fat content to zero.  Your heart and waistline pay for this deliberate obfuscation.

That’s hardly the most insidious tactic out there.  If you haven’t seen The Future of Food, I highly recommend that you watch it.  I don’t care if you are the most conservative industrialist – if you aren’t absolutely shocked within the first five minutes, I will eat my hat (but still not Cheetos).

*Until the world is ready to have a conversation on human reproductive rights, there is a simple strategy to slow the progress of human population growth: encourage higher education for women worldwide.  To quote Slobodkin, “…in an animal like man, in which the litter size is normally one, the number of births per female lifetime is in general of less significance in determining the reproductive potential of the population than is the age at initial reproduction.” – Slobodkin, L. B.  Growth and Regulation of Animal Populations.  Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, 1961.