{"id":1408,"date":"2014-08-14T08:11:59","date_gmt":"2014-08-14T15:11:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catalinaop.com\/?p=1408"},"modified":"2014-08-14T08:11:59","modified_gmt":"2014-08-14T15:11:59","slug":"a-federal-ban-on-bluefin-is-not-the-answer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catalinaop.com\/a-federal-ban-on-bluefin-is-not-the-answer\/","title":{"rendered":"A Federal Ban on Bluefin is Not the Answer"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Rebecca Gardon<\/em><\/p>\n

\"bluefin-top_cropped\"<\/a>The king of tuna sashimi, Pacific bluefin (Thunnus orientalis<\/em>) is finding its way onto \u201cdo-not-eat\u201d lists due to the species being overfished on a global scale. As a result, the fisheries division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently announced that it\u2019s considering a Federal ban on recreational and commercial fishing of Pacific bluefin tuna<\/a>. Catalina Offshore Products supports reducing\u00a0the fishing effort on Pacific bluefin so that stocks can rebound; however, we do not agree that prohibiting<\/em> all fishing of Pacific bluefin is the best solution!<\/em><\/p>\n

Overfishing is not happening in all fisheries<\/strong><\/p>\n

While the species is considered \u201ccurrently overfished<\/em>\u201d globally, this is not to say overfishing<\/em> is occurring in all<\/em> fisheries. U.S. fisheries are among the most well-managed and sustainable in the world, and overfishing is not occurring in Southern California and Mexico. In fact, on July 14 Mexico took a positive step to prevent overfishing by closing its bluefin season after reaching its annual quota. (Read more about the difference between overfished and overfishing here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Catalina Offshore Products chooses sources carefully<\/strong><\/p>\n

Catalina Offshore Products does not purchase Mediterranean or Atlantic bluefin tuna since NOAA formally designated these stocks as species of concern<\/a>. We do not purchase Japanese bluefin either, because Japan has not agreed to set a quota to limit its catch. We continue to purchase Pacific bluefin because the U.S. has been working with the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) to rebuild stocks and adheres to strict catch regulations. U.S. fisheries generally harvest a small fraction of the total Pacific-wide bluefin harvest, and represent only two percent of the average annual landings from all fleets fishing in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n

Shutting down U.S. fisheries would lead to more abuse elsewhere<\/strong><\/p>\n

If the U.S. were to further reduce its current quota on Pacific bluefin, the species would undoubtedly rebound. However a full shutdown of the U.S. bluefin fishery will not alleviate global issues as neither Japan nor Korea adhere to catch limits<\/em>. Further, a complete Federal<\/em> ban <\/em>on Pacific tuna fishing will eliminate jobs, harm our economy, and cause our country to rely more heavily on foreign imports from less responsible fisheries in order to supply demand for bluefin, particularly from the sushi industry.<\/p>\n

Tasty alternatives <\/strong><\/p>\n

We recognize that our chefs and consumers always have a choice. If you\u2019ve taken wild Pacific bluefin tuna off your menu, you\u2019re likely seeking some\u00a0alternatives. Our farmed bluefin from Baja California alleviates pressure\u00a0on wild stock by fattening juveniles for up to two years in the sea ranch. This method allows more bluefin to go to market with less tonnage of wild fish being caught by sport or commercial boats.<\/p>\n

Our wild tuna options include U.S. Pacific yellowfin and bigeye tuna. Both known as \u2018ahi\u2019 in Hawaii, these species boast a clean flavor and bright red meat that\u2019s perfect for ahi sushi<\/a> and sashimi (maguro). They are also fantastic when grilled or seared and stand up to bold seasoning such as blackening spice. West Coast albacore is a good substitute for bluefin belly (toro) due to its high fat content, though its delicate flesh should be handled with care when presenting raw.<\/p>\n

Beyond tuna, consider opah or Baja Seas Hiramasa (farmed yellowtail). Similar to tuna, opah\u2019s flesh is rich with good fat content and can be prepared in a variety of ways. A cousin of hamachi (Japanese amberjack), our regional hiramasa\u00a0provides a bright, clean flavor that\u2019s perfect for all sushi applications or lightly pan searing.<\/p>\n

As both our CEO Dave Rudie and Fishmonger Tommy Gomes will tell you, every fish has a story. Some are great, some are good, and some are not so good. Here\u2019s the simplest advice: If you\u2019re comfortable with the story behind a fish, eat that fish. If you\u2019re not comfortable with the story behind a fish, don\u2019t eat it. Lastly, expand your palate! As you do, you\u2019ll find there really are plenty of fish in the sea. \t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Rebecca Gardon The king of tuna sashimi, Pacific bluefin (Thunnus orientalis) is finding its way onto \u201cdo-not-eat\u201d lists due to the species being overfished on a global scale. As a result, the fisheries division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently announced that it\u2019s considering a Federal ban on recreational and commercial […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15442,"featured_media":1411,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dock-to-dish"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catalinaop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catalinaop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catalinaop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catalinaop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15442"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catalinaop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catalinaop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1408\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catalinaop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catalinaop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catalinaop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}