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Poser sushi busted by teen DNA sleuths
Could that tuna actually be a social-climbing tilapia? There’s something fishy about some New York sushi, as two teenagers discovered using a DNA bar coding technique that’s bringing science back to the people. Inspiration for the “freelance science project” was born over a plate of raw fish when Kate Stoeckle asked her father — a scientist and supporter of DNA bar-coding, a simplified species identification tool — if he thought sushi would make a good sample. His affirmation led she and friend, Louisa Strauss, to put sixty samples to the test only to find that 23% were mislabeled in the stores and restaurants they surveyed, often as more expensive cuts. Wonder when the do-it-yourself paternity tests will be hitting the shelves? Could that tuna actually be a social-climbing tilapia? There’s something fishy about some New York sushi, as two teenagers discovered ... more
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Tuna fishing suspended in Japan
Tuna fishermen from Japan's largest fisheries co-operative have suspended operations temporarily in a bid to replenish dwindling stocks of the fish. About 230 Japanese vessels will stop fishing for periods totalling more than two months over the next two years. Tuna stocks globally have fallen dramatically in recent years as more people opt to eat sushi and sashimi in an effort to be more healthy. The suspension is expected to cut Japan's catch of tuna by 5%.
"The main reason for our suspension is sluggish fishing offshore," the co-operative said in its website. The suspension will mean that almost two-thirds of Japan's longline tuna vessels will stay ashore for short periods at a time over the next two years.
The BBC's Chris Hogg in Tokyo says that in itself will not be enough to restore stock levels, but Japan says co-ordinating the action with similar bodies in China, South Korea and Taiwan will maximise its impact. Japan has by far the largest tuna fleet in the world and the Japanese are the world's biggest consumers of fish.
Our correspondent says global demand for Japanese seafood delicacies like sushi and sashimi is also growing, leaving environmentalists deeply concerned. Activists say even greater restrictions on fishing are needed and consumers should be given more information about the problem of sustainability. Otherwise, they say, the species will not survive. Tuna fishermen from Japan's largest fisheries co-operative have suspended operations temporarily in a bid to replenish dwindling ... more -
Mmm...Sushi!
Ah, Sushi! Sushi, in my books, is the tastiest food ever. When I am in a sushi bar, I will get the famous California roll, spicy tofu, and a scallop cone. Ah, Sushi! Sushi, in my books, is the tastiest food ever. When I am in a sushi bar, I will get the famous California roll, spicy tofu,... more
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Tuna Stock Falls In Wake Of Sushi Craze
MEDITERRANEAN SEA (AFP) - The rage for sushi and sashimi, Japan's raw fish dishes that overtook the West and have now spread to increasingly prosperous China, risks wiping out one of the Mediterranean's most emblematic residents: the bluefin tuna.
Experts say too many of these majestic fish prized since Greek and Roman times -- each one of which can weigh up to 900 kilos (nearly 2,000 pounds) -- are ending up on the platters of restaurants around the globe.
"Japanese consumption was already a threat to bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean. The European craze for sushi bars has added to that," said Roberto Mielgo Bregazzi, a Spanish expert and author of several reports for Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund.
And "if the Chinese market continues to grow, that will be the end of the stock," he said.
China seems to be next, according to Bregazzi who said there had been a significant increase in tuna consumption there in the past six years. Even though there are few official figures on Chinese consumption, the trend has also been observed by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), a body responsible for managing bluefin tuna fishing.
Japan, however, remains the main consumer of bluefin tuna. "Around 80 to 85 percent of bluefin tuna caught in the Mediterranean is exported to Japan," said Jean-Marc Fromentin, a leading worldwide expert on the subject at the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER).
"This stock has now collapsed thanks to over-fishing, and the Japanese turned their attention to the Atlantic bluefin tuna," said Fromentin, adding that despite its name, Atlantic bluefin comes mainly from the Mediterranean.
Prices began to climb. Fishing fleets were modernised in Europe, and new fishing fleets created in Turkey and northern Africa. The result -- a huge over-capacity in fishing.
Today more than 50,000 tonnes of bluefin tuna are caught every year in the Mediterreanean. To prevent stocks from collapsing, that figure should be limited to 15,000 tonnes in the short term, according to ICCAT.
"The bluefin tuna industry is in the process of fishing itself to death," said Greenpeace oceans campaigner Karli Thomas.
The risk now is that the depletion of tuna will wipe out the fishing sector, and cost thousands of jobs in the Mediterranean region.
In May and June, fishermen from France, Italy, Libya, Malta, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey are under pressure to maximise their catch. Most use a net called a "purse seine", which is weighted to reach the sea floor, with hoops and ropes which allow the fishermen to pull the drawstrings and trap the bluefin tuna within the net.
The fattened tuna are then sold at around 13 euros (20 dollars) a kilo to Japanese buyers, who in turn sell them for a much higher price in Tokyo -- where a good quality, 200-kilo tuna can fetch up to 20,000 euros.
"It is the big firms that push the fishermen into over-fishing," said Bregazzi.
"If important parties in ICCAT such as the US, the European Union and Japan decide to put an end to this unsustainable situation and to adopt real recovery measures, the other countries should accept them," he said.
"Japan is the key market. If there is a real willingness from Japan to ensure that only real sustainable production is being imported, they can implement that," he added.
"The potentiality is there, it only lacks political will." MEDITERRANEAN SEA (AFP) - The rage for sushi and sashimi, Japan's raw fish dishes that overtook the West and have now spread to i... more -
Green Plastic Sushi Decoration: Ban the Baran?
Have you ever wondered what is up with those green plastic blades of faux grass that comes with your sushi? You know, the things you pick up with your chopsticks and put aside or throw away before you eat your sushi. Well, I did some research and they are called Baran. They are mainly decorative but do serve a somewhat functional role of separating different types of sushi. It's a long tradition dating back thousands of years. I am sure back then they were real leaves or something organic back in the day. I am a strong believer that 60 percent of taste is visual but somehow a piece of plastic in the shape of grass doesn't make the sushi more appetizing to me. In fact, it's kind of irritating. I say, let's decrease our carbon footprint and call for a ban on Baran. Have you ever wondered what is up with those green plastic blades of faux grass that comes with your sushi? You know, the things you p... more
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Hormone-loaded spearguns give hope to struggling Bluefins
Bluefin tuna are a highly sought after delicacy in Japan: single fish have been sold to top sushi chefs in Tokyo for more than $100,000. Unsurprisingly, the high demand has led to overfishing, and the global population of bluefin has been "decimated" in recent decades.
However, a new technique being pioneered in Italy may provide a lifeline: Specially adapted spearguns have been used to inject hormones into captive bluefin, causing them to release fertilised eggs in their millions; the most ever yielded in captivity.
This technique could be adapted to allow the fish to be farmed in greater numbers, and could simultaneously ease the pressure on the wild population, and keep the Japanese sushi chefs happy. Bluefin tuna are a highly sought after delicacy in Japan: single fish have been sold to top sushi chefs in Tokyo for more than $100,00... more -
Conveyor belt sushi is 50!
Conveyor belt sushi (kaitenzushi) celebrates its 50th anniversary on April 2008. Yoshiaki Shiraishi (1914-2001) opened the first conveyor belt sushi Mawaru Genroku Sushi in Osaka in 1958.
In Japan it's apparently known as kuru kuru sushi (literally sushi-go-around). The Australians are more direct with the name though, by simply calling it the train sushi. Conveyor belt sushi (kaitenzushi) celebrates its 50th anniversary on April 2008. Yoshiaki Shiraishi (1914-2001) opened the first conve... more -
Japan to crack down on shady-western sushi joints...
That's right...
most Japanese people are tired of non-Japanese run sushi establishments bastardizing our food.
None of this California Roll nonsense...
Any establishment that serves either a California Roll or an Alaska Roll (I mean who puts cream cheese in sushi??? that is so unJapanese) needs to be tagged. That's right... most Japanese people are tired of non-Japanese run sushi establishments bastardizing our food. ... more -
Supermarket sushi officially less gross
Toxic levels of tuna at Nobu are through the roof and might require warning labels. But for once, the little fish wins. And of course scientists from New Jersey would know a thing or two about mercury. Toxic levels of tuna at Nobu are through the roof and might require warning labels. But for once, the little fish wins. And of cours... more
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Nori Steps Away From the Sushi
Now that maki rolls rule American sushi bars, chefs around the country are seeing nori as a spark for imaginative dishes, not just something to wrap fish in. They love its crisp, papery texture and its flavor, which evokes the sea and the earth. Now that maki rolls rule American sushi bars, chefs around the country are seeing nori as a spark for imaginative dishes, not just som... more
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Current Invades Sushi Boat
I was just invited to a Sushi Event by Ryan Parker on Facebook next Tuesday. I'll be sure to make sure I show up with a couple of my friends, I love sushi and I'm glad that I can share the event with anyone who will come.
Kudos to Ryan and Luke. I was just invited to a Sushi Event by Ryan Parker on Facebook next Tuesday. I'll be sure to make sure I show up with a couple of... more -
Sushi Go Round Game
Test your sushi-making skills. Keep your customers happy. And if you make crap sushi, like i do, they make sure that you know it. How'd you do? Test your sushi-making skills. Keep your customers happy. And if you make crap sushi, like i do, they make sure that you know it. How&... more
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Pleasing the Ears
Pop Levi talks about how and where his last album was recorded...and it wasn't in a recording studio.
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