Chilean sea bass

[Robin Garr]

Doh!

No reason to go "D'oh!" You added useful information. I was just agreeing.

So basically we've more or less confirmed what Chef told us...Now that the "facts' are in I must say I admire his decision to an even higher degree. Again...way to go Chef.

This is my final statement on this subject


This site was created with a good idea in mind, to bring service industry personal and the consumer together. But I think that there must a degree of separation between the two. I can see where a person could call it elitism. I call it good business. Again I make no apologies for my lack of disclosure. While that lack of disclosure may make my quotes completely lack credibility, never the less they are true. The fact of the matter is that a good number of service industry personell don’t like this site whether they come and make in known publicly or not. I don’t think anyone can expect a person who has a half million dollars tied up in a restaurant to come and post that they do not like this site. That is bad for business.

This thread was created to encourage chefs to participate in this forum. I encourage the opposite: keep on lurking, get the info you need and put out fires when you need to but keep that degree of separation. God knows I am from now on. I feel that the mindless and thoughtless chatter of 20 or so people that have all billed in their own minds as being worth more to our local industry than it really is without better moderation will one day damage or destroy a local business you all so clam to love.

I work in an industry that lives and dies by good/bad reviews. LHB consider yourselves reviewed… two stars.

I feel that the mindless and thoughtless chatter of 20 or so people that have all billed in their own minds as being worth more to our local industry than it really is without better moderation will one day damage or destroy a local business you all so clam to love.

I work in an industry that lives and dies by good/bad reviews. LHB consider yourselves reviewed… two stars.

A personal attack on everyone that strives (not claims) to help local businesses survive on a thread that has nothing to do with your post. You're a standup guy.

I work in an industry that lives and dies by good/bad reviews. LHB consider yourselves reviewed… two stars.

Michael,

Two freaking stars ??? Out-standing !!! I never got more than one star on anything except gym when I was in school, so as a forum member I'm going to chalk this one up as "shows marked improvement".

Anyway, <eh-hem>...Best I can figure, we were discussing Chilean Sea Bass.

Carry on.

So basically we've more or less confirmed what Chef told us...Now that the "facts' are in I must say I admire his decision to an even higher degree. Again...way to go Chef.

I disagree. Chef's data is exactly opposite that of the the State Dept and NOAA. Sorry if this comes off wrong, but Chef's post reads like a political PETA/Green Peace advertisement.

Chef: After speaking with many Chefsacross the country, we all agreed that it is becoming an endangered species
State Dept: Is Chilean Sea Bass An Endangered Species? No

Chef: They are illegally fishing it! That's right illegal!
State Dept: Is It Okay For Me To Purchase and Consume Chilean Sea Bass? Yes, but ask questions.

For Additional Information
On the U.S. import control program, contact Kim Dawson-Guynn, National Seafood Inspection Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Department of Commerce, at 228-769-8964.
On the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, contact the Office of Oceans Affairs, U.S. Department of State, at 202-647-3262.

I fully agree with Chef Lamas.

Chilean seabass is severely overfished and is rated “Avoid.” In addition, most Chilean seabass in the U.S. market come from boats that are fishing illegally and using unmodified bottom longlines. This unmodified fishing gear hooks and drowns thousands of seabirds each year, most notably endangered albatross.

Health Alert
Environmental Defense Fund has issued a health advisory for Chilean seabass due to high levels of mercury.

from http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?gid=6


I base my findings on Seafood Watch Program of the Monterey Bay Aquarium http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx and Sustainable Sefood http://www.eartheasy.com/eat_sustainable_seafoods.htm

While I don't forego restaurants that do not subscribe to these policies I rarely order fish at them and I am someone who eats fish three or four times a week. I wish some of our local fishmongers suscribed to this policy. In the meantime the Seafood Watch Program Ap is frequently used on my iphone both when eating out and shopping. (It as both a seafood guide and a sushi guide.) A printable pocket guide is also available online.

Some of you may be interested in reading the "State of Seafood Report" issued by the Seafood Watch Program http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/content/media/MBA_SeafoodWatch_StateofSeafoodReport.pdf

Let me site an example: I recently saw reference to a special for "Roasted Tasmanian King Salmon" advertised at Shaw's Crab Shack in Chicago (arguably one of the finest and most respected sea food restaurants in the Midwest). The problem with this is that I can find NO evidence that there is any such fish as a Tasmanian King Salmon...at least not that I have been able to discover. The (Pacific) King Salmon is positively not native to these waters, I have found numerous links to ATLANTIC Salmon farming in Tasmania but nothing about farming (Pacific) King Salmon. The closest waters containing this fish are over 1000 miles away in New Zealand, where they were introduced as a non-native specie. Numerous internet searches reveal advertisements for Tasmanian King Salmon (for example the Honuloulo Fish Market) but zero hits on the fishery itself. This leads me to believe (assume) that this fish doesn't really exist and we're just dealing with someone's idea of marketing.

I highly suspect that the fish they are referring to is Petuna Ocean Trout (native to waters around Tasmania and Australia).
It's very similar to both salmon and arctic char is appearance and texture.

Sounds like they "re-labled" it for ease of selling it to less conscience and discriminating diners.

I work in an industry that lives and dies by good/bad reviews. LHB consider yourselves reviewed… two stars.

Michael,

Two freaking stars ??? Out-standing !!! I never got more than one star on anything except gym when I was in school, so as a forum member I'm going to chalk this one up as "shows marked improvement".

Anyway, <eh-hem>...Best I can figure, we were discussing Chilean Sea Bass.

Carry on.

Well, Steve, it all sort of depends on the ranking system. If we're talking the Michelin system, which I'm sure we are, , two stars is an incredible achievement. Michelin defines an establishment rated two stars as "excellent" and "worth a detour." Certainly high praise for LHB.

SWEET.

Are they Gold stars? Because that would be neat!

SWEET.

Are they Gold stars? Because that would be neat!

Kyle,

Not sure but I kinda sorta think everyone else got three Gold stars and you, me and a few others got two stinky little silver ones. Which, like I say, is cool because I never got two stars before...Oh wait, I lied...Just remembered that when I was in the Navy there was this little bar girl in Barcelona that... well never mind.

"Hmm. That's great Bass!"


Sorry, I keep thinking about this every I read the thread.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/the ... toViewer=1

Even though I keep up with the news on fish and health, I still get confused when it comes to buying seafood. Between worrying about contaminants like mercury and chemicals such as PCBs that I should avoid, wanting to get enough of the healthy omega-3 fats that are good for my heart and brain, and feeling like I should make an environmentally friendly choice, I have a hard time figuring out which fish is OK to eat given all my concerns. (What’s in your fish? Is it toxic?)

So I’ve stopped guessing at the fish counter. I just stick to these 6 fish and shellfish, identified as the “Best of the Best” when it comes to seafood that’s good for you and good for the environment by Seafood Watch, a program of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. (And I avoid these 6 fish: bluefin tuna, Chilean sea bass (aka Patagonian toothfish), groupers, monkfish, orange roughy and farmed salmon because they carry high levels of mercury and PCBs and their populations are depleted. Find out more here.)

To make this “Super Green” list, fish must: a) have low levels of contaminants—below 216 parts per billion [ppb] mercury and 11 ppb PCBs; b) be high in omega-3s; and c) come from a sustainable fishery. Many other options are on the program’s list of “Best Choices” (seafoodwatch.org). The Blue Ocean Institute (blueocean.org) also has sustainability ratings and detailed information.

1. Salmon (wild-caught, Alaska)
2. Pink Shrimp (wild-caught, Oregon) & Spot Prawns (wild-caught, British Columbia)
3. Mussels & Oysters (farmed)
4. Sardines, Pacific (wild-caught)
5. Rainbow Trout (farmed)
6. Albacore Tuna (troll-or pole-caught, from the U.S. or British Columbia)

A couple of years ago I read an excerpt from a book called "Hooked-Pirates, Poaching and the Perfect Fish" It was about this pirate fishing boat that had been fishing in illegal waters and had millions of dollars worth of fish(mostly sea bass) and was chased around Antarctica for six months by the Australian Navy.
It was a very interesting read about this subject. Here's a link to it on Amazon....

http://www.amazon.com/Hooked-Pirates-Po ... 61102#noop

I have to wonder if people object to eating Chilean Sea Bass purchased from Farms or Commercially licensed vessels?