International Boston Seafood Show: Aquaculture & Cobia

“With earth’s burgeoning human population to feed we must turn to the sea with understanding and new technology. We need to farm it as we farm the land.”
--Jacques Cousteau

What is the role of aquaculture both globally and in the United States? It is very significant and provides approximately 50% of the world's seafood.  Annually, global consumption of seafood is about 115 million tons, half which is acquired through aquaculture. Interestingly, the U.S. only eats about 7 million tons of seafood, and around 84% of that is imported. Value wise, world-wide aquacultural production constitutes about $70 billion dollars and only $1.2 billion is produced within the US. The majority of aquaculture in the U.S. occurs in freshwater and catfish occupies about 40% of that market.

So how sustainable is aquaculture? Though it all depends on the specific species, aquaculture in general often has a poor reputation, whether deserved or not. Some feel that many types of aquaculture sprouted up and spread too quickly, without sufficient concern for potential problems. That led to some significant issues such as environmental damage, pollution, disease and more. For example, Asian shrimp farms bear some responsibility for the destruction of mangrove swamps. Fortunately, there is now a greater awareness of the pitfalls of aquaculture, and more sustainable systems are being devised. But, at the current time, only 2% of aquaculture is eco-certified, as compared to 15% for wild fisheries.

Prior to the Seafood Show, I received an inquiry from an exhibitor, Open Blue, which farms Cobia in Panama. Cobia rang a bell in my mind, as I recalled a recent mention of it on my blog. In the February issue of Food & Wine magazine, Chef Rick Moonen of RM Seafood stated: "One of the best ways to fight overfishing is diversity: People must be willing to cook and eat species besides the familiar ones,..Try cobia on Monday,.." I had never tasted Cobia before, so I was intrigued and made plans to meet up with Brian O’Hanlon, the President and Founder of Open Blue, at the Seafood Show.

Cobia is known by many other names, including Black Kingfish, Black Salmon, Ling, Lemonfish, Crabeaters, Chubby Yew, and Aruan Tasek. They usually inhabit tropical and subtropical waters, including off the coast of Panama. In the wild, Cobia can grow to a maximum length of 72 inches and maximum weight of 100 pounds. Cobia has a mild flavor and is versatile, allowing you to prepare it in any myriad of ways. People feel that Cobia may resemble halibut or sturgeon. Roger Berkowitz of Legal Sea Foods is a fan of Cobia, and just started serving Open Blue Cobia at his Harborside location. That is a positive endorsement of the Open Blue product.

According to Seafood Watch, imported farmed Cobia is listed as an Avoid while U.S. farmed Cobia is listed as a Best Choice. Their information states: "Outside the U.S., cobia is farmed in floating or submerged cages and pens in nearshore and open ocean waters. This creates a risk of disease transfer, escapes and pollution impacts on surrounding ecosystems and species."  But, the Seafood Watch report on farmed Cobia is from May 2009, so it is three years old and probably should be updated to reflect potential new data.

So should consumers be concerned about the sustainability of Open Blue Cobia, which is farmed off the coast of Panama? That was a question I wanted to get answered when I met with Founder Brian O’Hanlon at the Seafood Show. I understand the weaknesses of the Seafood Watch decision on imported farmed Cobia so I didn't automatically assume that Open Blue was not sustainable. Such matters are best evaluated on a case by case basis, especially as the Seafood Watch does generally not address individual fish farms. It makes more general pronouncements, by region and species.

Brian O’Hanlon’s grandfather, John, worked at New York’s Fulton Fish Market and his father continued in the fishing industry as well. Though Brian entered school to study marine biology, he dropped out and began working on raising red snapper. He eventually became involved in a project on Puerto Rico, experimenting with snapper and cobia. Cobia excelled, outperforming all of the other fish, but the region was not as conducive as Brian desired. So he hunted for a new area and around 2007, he selected Panama, and established Open Blue.

By 2009, they began to sell their first Panamanian Cobia. They control nearly the entire process from the hatchery to to sales, though they do have a third party for processing the fish. They believe they have complete traceability, which is very important to them, and they also try to sell as close to the consumer as possible. The feed for the Cobia includes fishmeal, fish oil, plant proteins, vitamins and minerals. It is also supposed to be "all-natural and free of hormones, colorants, pesticides, prophylactic antibiotics and other harmful contaminants." They have recently started nutritional analysis, trying to adjust the feed to make it better for the Cobia. The current FIFO (feed in, feed out) ratio ranges from 1.6 to 2.4, and the ratio has been decreasing with each new crop.

Brian stated that they have had zero escapes from their open seas nets, and the pen density ranges from 10-15 kilos per cubic meter. Because the Cobia are raised in the open seas, they see little illness there, though there is a greater issue at the shore. So, they are trying to find ways to move their shore activities to deeper waters to reduce the chance of disease. They do use antibiotics, under the supervision of a veterinarian when the Cobia are ill and require it. That can be an issue of concern. For example, Berkowitz has stated, "The reality is, there are good aquaculture producers, and there are bad ones…those that refuse to use hormones and antibiotics, and those that do."

Open Blue Cobia is still a relatively new operation and they are working out numerous issues, trying to get certain numbers within the parameters they desire. Changes appear constant, though sometimes they might be incremental. It is still a time when they are learning much. Open Blue currently sells Cobia to a few restaurants, and they are not really in retail at this time. If the Cobia was at retail, it might sell for about $15 or so per pound. They did not have any Cobia to sample, but were giving away $10 discount vouchers for people to visit Legal Harborside and order Cobia entrees.

So is Open Blue Cobia sustainable? The answer is going to depend on your definition of sustainability. My impression is that the Cobia is not yet 100% sustainable, and much of that has to do with the newness of their operation, and the fact they are still working out all of the kinks. For example, the FIFO probably needs to be reduced. But, my impression does not mean you shouldn't support Open Blue. It seems that Open Blue is working towards sustainability, and that time will only lead to improvement. It is a situation to monitor, to assess their forward progress over time. We should support fisheries which are moving towards greater sustainability, rather than shunning them until they reach that goal.

Update (3/15/12):
I am adding a couple Cobia photos.

This is a belly fillet of Cobia.

This is a seared center fillet of Cobia.

International Boston Seafood Show: How A Restaurant Becomes Sustainable

As I have repeated often, seafood sustainability is a very complex issue so how does a restaurant navigate through those murky waters and become sustainable?

Attendees of the 2012 International Boston Seafood Show (IBSS) were provided some suggestions at a conference entitled: Implementing a Sustainable Seafood Program for your Restaurant-How to Navigate through the Sea of Conflicting NGO Information. Don't let the lengthy title throw you off, as it was a basic guide to the types of questions and actions a restaurant needs to consider if they wish to become sustainable. The conference was large on generalities and short on specific details, but it was only intended to be an overview and not an intense and detailed seminar.

The suggestions and advice were provided through the lens of two primary individuals. First, Jim Ulcickas, the co-founder of the Bluewater Grill, shared his own personal experiences with trying to create a seafood sustainability program. Currently, greater than 90% of the restaurant's offerings are sustainably caught or certified by respected Seafood Industry NGO’s. He is not resting on his laurels and is trying to move towards 100% compliance. Second, Emma McLaren, of Emma McLaren Consulting, works as a sustainable seafood consultant and shared some of her own insights into this issue.

There was an emphasis on the uncertainty of sustainability, the fact that it is quite difficult to properly evaluate the biomass of fish species. There are plenty of disagreeing experts on a range of topics. Thus it is a realm of gray areas, where there are few clear cut answers. In addition, there is no single solution as to how a restaurant becomes sustainable, as everyone has different needs and desires. What must be done is to custom design a program to the necessary specifications of the owner and restaurant. One of the most important elements, through the entire process is to gather as much information as possible.

A Five Step Program was then introduced, to be a general guide to proceeding down the sustainability path. The steps are very general, and the path will be largely determined by how the restaurant answers certain questions. For assistance, the contact information and description of a number of online and offline resources were distributed to the attendees to help with the five step program. Emma also consults to the restaurant industry and can be hired if a restaurant is having difficulty.

The first step is Commit, making that decision to become sustainable and creating a few basic goals. The second step is Learn, which entails assessing your current menu items to determine whether they are sustainable or not. This is also the step to decide whether you want to hire a consultant or not, though that can really be done at any step. The third step is to Source Responsibly, to seek out the proper suppliers, to decide which species to carry, which to avoid. The fourth step is Implementation & Adaptive Management, which entails training your employees, revising your menu, and ensuring you will react and change if new information surfaces. The final step is to Share, where you are encouraged to share your experiences with others, to help other restaurant owners who want to follow the same road.

I think these suggestions might help some restaurant owners understand all that goes into creating a seafood sustainability program. Planning is obviously crucial, and every step needs to be a learning process, gathering information, making decisions. Strangely enough, most of the attendees were not restaurant owners so I am unsure how much value everyone else found in this conference. It does show the burdens of a restaurant trying to be sustainable so maybe it is a valuable insight for some. Maybe next year they could do a more advanced conference for restaurant owners.

All About The International Boston Seafood Show

The 2012 International Boston Seafood Show (IBSS) is now over and it is nearly time for this Fish Head Whisperer to take a rest. The 2nd Annual iPura Tweet & Blogfest is also winding down, and will end at midnight this evening. As the reigning champion, I have worked hard these past three days in a frenzied and valiant attempt to retain my crown, and to win both prizes. Numerous other local bloggers attended the Seafood Show as well, and a flood of blog posts, tweets and more have begun to circulate. It seems clear that the sheer number of posts will far surpass last year's total. It is also clear that blogger coverage of the IBSS will dominate, in quantity and quality, any coverage by the two local newspapers. Kudos to the future of new media!

I knew that in order to remain competitive with all of the other participating bloggers, I would have to step up my game from last year. I believe I accomplished that goal in a major way and I am proud of all the effort I have put into this endeavor. In the end, I will have written at least 14 blog posts, three times more than the 4 blog posts I wrote last year. As usual, I tweeted like a mad man too, ranging from the silly to the serious. Overall, it was fun, delicious, educational and a worthy challenge. I hope that all of my competitors feel the same way as I. But how will I top this next year?

To be beneficial for my readers, I am compiling all of the links to my International Boston Seafood Show posts into a single place. This post will be that repository, and as such will be updated whenever I write another article about IBSS. There is a good possibility that I will follow up on certain seafood issues in the near future. The posts will be listed in chronological order, from newest to oldest. And if you have any questions about the Seafood Show, feel free to ask.

Aquaculture & Cobia
How A Restaurant Becomes Sustainable
Fish Fun & Photos
State of Fisheries Address
Japan & Seafood
Food Of Interest
Verlasso Farmed Salmon
Consumers Purchasing Sustainable Seafood
A Sustainability Primer
Status & Safety of Japanese Seafood
Twelve Things You Should Know
Wine & Seafood
An Interview With Monty
Boston Food Bloggers, The Gauntlet of Poseidon Has Been Thrown

All Hail the Fish Head Whisperer!

International Boston Seafood Show: Fish Fun & Photos

While I was at the 2012 International Boston Seafood Show (IBSS), I did see some cool things and took plenty of photos. Not all of them easily lent themselves to an entire post so I figured I would collect them here for your viewing pleasure.

This is a trio of alligator products that are probably available locally. Cajun Swamp Chicken anyone?

Asian periwinkles.

These are fish bladders, which were extracted and processed in a Chinese factory. Supposed to be tasty but they didn't have any samples available.

Ping Pong tables in the Game Lounge.

I just thought this decoration was cool.

This big boy weighs in at 16 pounds! Now that would be a feast.

What a Rave last night! I don't remember how I got all these different colored lipsticks all over my face.

"Sonny, true love is the greatest thing, in the world-except for a nice MLT - mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe."

Look at all that lobster meat. Don't you just want to dive in face first?

This is one big-ass crab! He could wrap his claw around you and you might as well then make out your will.

How come no one wanted to be the Shrimp Whisperer?

And the bottom fish lost the swimming race by a nose.

A Smart Car for Smarter Fish.

They look like blind, baby birds, their mouths open, hoping for mommy to give them a worm.

I am a stud muffin!

International Boston Seafood Show: State of Fisheries Address

A representative from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), whose duty is to ensure a safe and secure seafood supply, speaks every year at the 2012 International Boston Seafood Show (IBSS), providing a State of the Fisheries address. This year, that address was led by Sam Rauch, the Acting Director of NOAA, who started at that position in January. He began his talk with what he claimed to be a monumental milestone, that the U.S. has become the first country to commit fully to scientific assessments for all of their wild catch fisheries.

Rauch then moved to with what he felt was a vital important point for everyone to know, whether consumer, restaurant owner, supermarket owner, fishermen, etc. He claimed that when a fish is legally caught by a U.S. mandated fishery, then it is sustainable, considering the fact that the U.S. fishing industry is the most highly regulated in the world. This presupposes that their scientific assessments are fully accurate. Sustainability thus becomes a black and white issue, easily determined by adherence to the government mandate. But can it really be that simple?

In actuality, the truth is something different and the answer is far from black and white. A number of organizations, groups and individuals disagree with some of the pronouncements of NOAA. They may question their methods of scientific assessment, alleging that NOAA is relying on "out-dated science." For example, NOAA conducts trawl surveys to help ascertain the biomass of different fish species. But within the last ten years, these surveys have come under fire, most notably in the Trawlgate episode where NOAA admitted that some of their assessments had been incorrect due to problems with the equipment they were using.

Important questions have also been raised as to why NOAA objected to the adoption of a new type of sonar, the Ocean Acoustic Waveguide Remote Sensing (OAWRS), which was developed by scientists from MIT and Northeastern University. The OAWRS system allegedly can map out a 120 kilometer radius, in four directions and in only 70 seconds while trawling surveys usually take about two weeks. That could be a  massive time and money save. NOAA even conducted a peer review, concluding that OAWRS worked very well and would likely become the next big thing in biomass assessment. But when it came time to adopt this new system, NOAA stalled for unknown reasons. Why fail to adopt cutting edge science?

Rauch later went on to discuss the U.S. fishing industry, noting that it was a $45 billion dollar business in 2010. Aquaculture is much smaller, generating only $1 billion annually. Fishing industry jobs increased by 16% from 2009 to 2010, though Rausch did not explain any specifics about the type of jobs that increased. He also felt that there is significant room for growth, and that if fish stocks were fully recovered, we could generate an additional $31 billion in revenue. Rauch then noted that fishermen have had to make numerous sacrifices due to quotas and other strict regulations.

Yet Rauch never stated what has or could be done to help ease the struggles of these fishermen, especially the smaller ones, whose entire livelihood may be based on a single boat. In the New England region, local fishermen often have had significant complaints about the actions of NOAA, feeling that they are too heavy handed as well as out of touch with the realities of fish stocks. Some have vented their anger in blogs and websites, while others have sought congressional assistance.

It is sad that some fishermen have had to sell off their boats just to survive as they could not work within the restrictive system. In some cases, this has put an end to generations of fishermen. Though concerns for the sustainability of fish are clearly warranted, we also need to consider the needs and sustainability of our local fishermen and industry. If we save the fish, but lose all the fishermen, then that is not really a sustainable situation. Yet despite all of the discussions on sustainability at the seafood show, there was very little about preserving the livelihood of fishermen.

NOAA has launched a retooled version of their Fish Watch site, which is supposed to be more accessible and easier to understand. I have taken a brief scan of the site and it seems fairly information and well composed, though I do want to dig deeper into the site before making any real judgments on the revisions. But it does seem to be a positive change, creating more transparency on the methods and information used by NOAA in making their determinations.

Though there was a brief Question & Answer period after the address, a couple people somewhat monopolized the time, more making their own statements than asking questions. I will try to follow up with them about my own concerns.

If you were at the NOAA address, what were your thoughts?

International Boston Seafood Show: Japan & Seafood

"Do not overcook this dish. Most seafoods...should be simply threatened with heat and then celebrated with joy."
--Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet

The first day of the 2012 International Boston Seafood Show (IBSS) marked the one-year anniversary of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. That terrible tragedy caused much death and devastation and its repercussions are still being felt. I spent some time talking with the exhibitors in the Japanese Pavilion about how they were affected by the tragedy, and also attended a conference concerning the current status of seafood coming out of Japan. The exhibitors put on a very positive air, acknowledging significant issues during the past year, especially the decreased value of the yen, but noting that recovery had gone well for many. We cannot forget though that this region still needs our support, financial and otherwise.

At the conference Japanese Seafood for the Evolving American Palate, several panelists spoke, including Jiro Morishita, Counsellor of the Fisheries Agency of Japan. Some interesting preliminary comments were made, such as noting that Japan's skill with food processing, drying, and such has allowed Japan to enjoy the bounty of the sea year round. In addition, approximately 80% of the seafood that Japanese consumes derives from 18 different species. This is a much larger variety than a number of other seafood-heavy countries. Iceland relies on six species for 80% of their consumption while Norway relies only on five.

It was also heavily stressed that imported Japanese seafood is perfectly safe to eat, and there is no need to worry about radiation. Prior to last year's disaster, Japan had rigorous inspection procedures on all of their food that was to be exported. Since the disaster, these inspection procedures are become even more strict and frequent. All of their exported seafood undergoes multiple checks. Plus, when the seafood reaches the U.S. border, the FDA does additional examinations. Though the FDA is well known for examining only a tiny percentage of imported food, it can and did pat special attention of Japanese food imports because of potential radiation. So go right ahead and enjoy some Japanese seafood.

The famed Chef David Bouley spoke on this panel, noting his ties to Japan, how he had an opportunity to study culinary techniques there studied in Japan, including how to slice and kill fish (using a spinal cord technique). After his experiences there, Bouley opened Brushstroke, a Japanese restaurant in New York City with a bit of a Kaiseki flair. I was very pleased to hear Bouley state that "Sake momentum is huge." He is an avid fan of Sake and believes it will only become more and more popular. Let us fervently hope that he is correct.

I am pleased to report that I found some of the most unique and interesting items in the Japanese Pavilion and I am going to tell you about them. Though I wrote a Food of Interest post, I omitted the Japanese products so that I could put them all together here.

Hello Kitty is ubiquitous throughout Japan, and the mania has spread to other countries as well. Yamamato Noriten Co, Ltd, which was established in 1849, is a leading producer of nori, a type of dried seaweed which is supposed to be very healthy for you. You are probably most familiar with nori as the wrapper on sushi, especially maki rolls. Well, Yamamato is now selling Hello Kitty Flavored Nori Chips and I tasted their Yuzu & Honey. Sandwiched between nori chips are tiny granules of yuzu and honey, and the taste is very mild with only a hint of sweetness. They are intended to be a snack, especially for children, and something healthier than other snack choices.

S. Marche Co., Ltd has a fish farm in Kagoshima, where they breed Yellowtails. They are not given any antibiotics and curiously, kurozu, black vinegar, is added to their feed and it is supposed to make them healthy. As kurozu ferments for a longer period than regular vinegar, it is believed it contains more healthful nutrients. Thus, they sell Satsuma Black Vinegar Yellowtail and it was very tasty, with a firm consistency, a smooth texture in the mouth and a pleasant, mild taste with a hint of bitter.

Shinmarusyo Co. Ltd., founded in 1935, produces dried bonito, which you can see above. Bonito is a type of fish, and in Japan, it is often smoked and dried to make what they call katsuobushi. Using a special grater, they shaves off paper thin slivers, which are then commonly used to make dashi, kind of a fish stock. Dashi is very important in Japanese cuisine, and is a common base for many dishes. As bonito possesses inosinic acid, it also has a rich umami.

They produce Dashi, which they prepare using dried bonito, kelp, soy sauce, and fermented seasoning. If you add 13 parts water to one part dashi, you can make a savory soup, which is rich in umami. It was quite a delicious soup, with subtle but complex flavors. You could add a few other elements to enrich the soup, such as mushrooms, scallions, hijiki or something else. I would like to experiment with using dashi in Sake cocktails.

A couple of newer products include two different soy sauces. The first is the Shiro Dashi Soy Sauce, which uses a light colored soy sauce, dashi (though this dashi is made from dried tuna) and fermented seasonings. It was a light sauce but with a nice depth of flavor, like soy sauce in some respects but also different, a bit exotic, as well. Very intriguing and highly recommended. The Katuobushiya Dashi Soy Sauce is made from dried bonito and Rishiri seaweed (a type of konbu) from Hokkaido. It has a deeper flavor, more like regular soy sauce, but more intense and with a greater umami. Another excellent choice. It is also good to know that neither contains any MSG. All of the umami comes from its natural ingredients.

Finally, I need to give kudos to Ahjikan Co, Ltd. for their Sushi Tamago. I usually order tamago when I have sushi, as I enjoy its slightly sweet taste but not all tamago is the same. Some is thin and almost too watery, while others are too thick and tough. But this tamago was very pleasing, just the right texture and moistness, and with a rich, eggy flavor and hint of sweetness. Yum.

Love the "hat."