Green Fish Blue Oceans

On today’s episode, I’m tackling K is for Kelp and King Crab.

Listen here or download on iTunes or Google Play.

(And don’t forget to subscribe!)

In the first half of the program, K is for Kelp, learn cool facts and uses for this abundant, fast-growing plant. Like what types of seaweed to eat.

What types of seaweed can you eat? Find out within the first five minutes. Then listen up for an easy, delicious, and nutritious recipe. Edamame Hijiki Salad can be made up to two days ahead.

And I offer a cookbook review on Ocean Greens by Lisette Kreischer and Marcel Schuttelaar, the go-to book for all things seaweed, cooking, and buying.

In the K is for King Crab part of the program, I dish all things Alaskan King Crab. As in when you’re in Alaska—where to go, what not to do when your stomach is grumbling, it’s raining, and you have limited time. Appetite required.

Want to read instead of listening?

Here’s the full transcript of K is for Kelp and King Crab.

Thanks for listening and don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes,

M

Show Notes

* http://www.seaweed.ie/

* http://greenwave.org/3d-ocean-farming/

* http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

* http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/

* http://sciencing.com/facts-sea-kelp-4739866.html

* http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/kelp.html

* https://oceantoday.noaa.gov/seaotterkelphumans/welcome.html

* http://maureencberry.com/eating-off-the-beaten-pathtracys-king-crab-shackjuneau-alaska/

 

On today’s episode, I’m tackling J is for Jellies and Jewfish.

Listen here or download on iTunes or Google Play. 15 minutes.

(And please subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!)

I’m doing something a little different with the first part of the program, J is for Jellies.

In the first half of the program, I’m diving into all things Jellies—what they are, where you can find them, the top 5 stinging jellies, and possible future uses for these gorgeous otherworldly creatures.

Which leads to the second part program.

Can you imagine a world where Jellyfish are used to cure a rare neurological cancer?

The year is 2035. The place—Texicana, the newly formed territory post-hurricane Ambrosia and the 2025 Big Rise, the catastrophic storm that destroyed the Gulf Coast region. The water is polluted with sulfur, chemical waste, and Jellies, which thrive in the contaminated water. The government is corrupted. BigAg controls the land. Where The Exiles roam the land in search of food, shelter, and solutions to overthrow the government.

Meet twins Trina and Tristin Lewis. Trina is a biologist. Tristin, a chemist. They’re working on a cure for cancer in a privately-owned lab. Until they discover a new protein in the water when collecting Jellyfish for their research.  Before they publish their findings, they are sold out by a traitor in their lab. Will they stay and work with BigAg and The Government? Or will they flee North to a safe territory where they have no resources and no allies, but can continue to develop a new food source that will help feed the distressed growing global population?

Listen to Chapter One from my new work in progress, a dystopian novel, The Fish Thieves. And then let me know what you think. Hit me up on Facebook or Twitter. #thefishthieves

In the J is for Jewfish part of the program, discover when the Jewfish was changed to Goliath Grouper, why conservationists and fishermen disagree about its status, where you can find Goliath Grouper and why you shouldn’t eat it.

Thanks for listening. And don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes or Google Play so you don’t miss an episode!

Next up, June 16, K is for Kelp and King Crab.

Show Notes

* Monterey Bay Aquarium Live Jellies Cam

* New Jelly Species NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2016 Deepwater Exploration of the Marianas

* Is Jellyfish the New Brainfood?

* Facts About Jellyfish and Comb Jellies

* Planet Deadly

* Medium Dr. Gary David Grossman

* NSF jellyfish facts

This week I’m tackling I is for Ice and IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Listen here or download on iTunes or Google Play.

Welcome to the I is for Ice part of the program. This episode is packed with information about ice—I’m going to talk for a few minutes about the relationship between ice and seafood, then I’m going to tell you a story about the first time I saw a glacier in the French Alps. I’ll finish up with glacier ice.

In the IUCN part of the program, we’ll explore the high seas and what is being done now to protect this mostly unchartered area.

It’s no secret that ice and seafood go together.

Hit up any grocery store or fish market and you’ll see what I mean—whole fish and shellfish are buried in shaved ice. Kudos to anyone in the shaved ice machine business. So since seafood decomposes quickly once it is brought out of the water, Ice is critical to maintaining freshness and flavor. But ice also slows bacterial growth.

On a sustainable fishing vessel, the fish are held in containers with ice. Some of those massive trawlers are out on the high seas for weeks and months. Think of the ice! Now think about what no ice means for the fish. Seafood pirates or those fishing for illegal, unreported unregulated fishing aren’t super concerned about whether there’s enough ice for the fish. Hell, some of the illegal fishing captains aren’t are even concerned about the humans on board.

The moral of the story?

Know where your fish comes from.

* Now when you are shopping for fish at the market, remember to bring your cooler bag (and if you’re really awesome, bring a few frozen gel packs from home), or ask the person behind the fish counter for a small bag of ice for transport.

* Once you get your fish home, you should not store your fish on ice.

* But do keep your fish in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Usually the back.

* And if you aren’t going to cook that day or the next, toss it in the freezer in the same package that you brought it home.

So, I was thirty years old during the early winter of 1991 when I traveled from the Florida Keys where I lived and managed a 64-seat run down diner, to ski the French Alps.

It was for the first time I was awed by the beauty of aquamarine-colored glacial ice.

After a few days swooshing down the slopes in Chamonix, my fiancé at the time and I began our day trip to Aiguille du Midi and Vallee Blanche, considered by some to be the most famous off-piste ski run in the world. Now. You might like to know, I was a beginner skier. This wasn’t Everest, but Vallee Blanche is over 12,000 feet altitude and one of the tallest mountains I’d ever skied.

We rode the tram to the mountaintop in Chamonix. There were maybe thirty or so people in our group, but there were many groups skiing that day and every day. We boarded the cable car that would carry us to the twelve-mile run. Thirty minutes later we arrived at the most gorgeous site I had ever witnessed. The snow was a brilliant white and went on for an eternity.

At this point, there was no turning back. The only way down was to ski the glacier and the mountain.

I was terrified, but my ego and pride kept me grounded.

In groups of ten, tethered only by a small rope tied around our waists, we set off down a set of steep steps that had been carved into the snowy mountainside. Just like the thing the kind of mountaineering you see on National Geographic.

I held my ski poles in my left hand and held or maybe clutched is a better word a thick rope with my right hand. A sheer drop off lay to my right. Untouched snow glistened like diamonds in the morning sun. The guides carried our skis.

On today’s episode, I’m tackling H is for Halibut and Habitat.

Listen here or download on iTunes or Google Play.

But first I want you to subscribe to GFBO on iTunes and give me a five-star rating or four whatever because you know how cool this podcast is.

Alright so Two weeks ago, I bought two pounds of fresh wild Alaskan halibut. FedEx brought the fish to my doorstep overnight. It was pearly white, glistening and smell clean and fresh. My first thought wasn’t about how I would prepare it, but that I wished I’d bought more! At the time I ordered two pounds seemed like a lot of fish for two people. I mean four-ounce portions is what I normally eat so we would have four meals right? But inside that box, those four eight ounce portions didn’t look like much at all.

Every Spring when I order wild Alaska halibut, I swear it is the. Best. Fish. and that I could eat it every day. And Elvis says, you’d get tired of it. But I just shake my head no and think you’re wrong.

But actually, he’s right, in a way. I wouldn’t get tired of it.

I only eat halibut in moderation for two reasons.

* One because of its status on the conservation list. And that depends on where it comes from.

* And two the price of the fish.

Halibut can be found in both the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Greenland.

Pacific Halibut are found in Alaska and Canada are considered good alternatives by Seafood Watch and best choice by Environmental Defense Fund. And hey get this, as a side note, halibut is both wild and farm raised. Not that that should surprise you since more than half the fish we eat is farmed. We don’t farm halibut in Alaska but it is farmed in Canada. The farmed halibut doesn’t get the nod of approval for best choice at Seafood Watch because its feed is mostly wild fish and that my friends

And hey get this, as a side note, halibut is both wild and farm raised. Not that that should surprise you since more than half the fish we eat is farmed. We don’t farm halibut in Alaska but it is farmed in Canada. The farmed halibut doesn’t get the nod of approval for best choice at Seafood Watch because its feed is mostly wild fish and that my friends is not sustainable.

Now the halibut in the North Atlantic is a problem because of overfishing.

Get this, according to Seafood Watch, Atlantic halibut are expected to recover by the year 2056. But the peeps at Monterey Bay Aquarium aren’t exactly feeling all warm and fuzzy about this.

Jesus, in 2056, I’ll be 95 years old. That’s actually a little depressing—both the halibut recovery and my old age.

So should you eat halibut?

If you see Atlantic halibut at the market or online, pull a Nancy Reagan and just say no.

If it’s harvested from the North Pacific or Greenland then yes. In moderation. And if you can afford it.

For instance, that halibut I bought a few weeks ago? I paid $40 per pound which included shipping from Alaska. So yes, it’s a splurge. Well worth it. My mother in law always said, “chicken today, feathers tomorrow.” Thank you, Mama B.

The halibut we buy and eat in restaurants and at the market are landed on large commercial boats using a bottom longline. Other methods to fish halibut are bottom gill nets or trawls which produce a lot of bycatch. So that ‘s not sustainable. And remember I did B is for Bycatch a few months ago. So you can go back to iTunes or the GFBO site to listen to all that if you need more information.

Halibut are graded by size on the boat. Halibut range from 10-20 pounds, 20-30 pounds, and 40-50 pounds. Most are in the 20-30-pound range. Fishermen remove the head, creating a product called H & G for headed and gutted,

On today’s episode, I’m tackling G is for Geoduck and Grouper.

 

Listen here or download on iTunes or Google Play.

What is a gooey duck? And why is it pronounced gooey duck (GOO-ee duhk) when it’s spelled g-e-o-duck?

Geoduck is a bivalve, a burrowing clam. And according to Smithsonian, the name geoduck comes from the Nisqually Indian gweduc, which means “dig deep.” The geoduck clam uses its tiny foot to burrow into the seafloor and sand as it grows.

The first time I saw geoduck was in 2006. I was eating lunch in Sushi Tomi, a sushi bar with a very good reputation, but not so good location. In fact, I remember being dubious when my friend Belen told me about Sushi Tomi. I was familiar with the area and it didn’t strike me as the place for good sushi. Next to a Wal-Mart? Hmm.

But it was the chef that made the place, not the location, she insisted.

The joint was nothing special—a small space with a dozen or so bistro tables, a few booths along the walls, and half a dozen bar stools at the sushi bar. There was one seat at the sushi bar that day. I saddled up to a display of fish—blood red tuna, octopus, salmon, and wait, what is that?

A beige phallic-looking, almost grotesque creature was wedged in the corner of the sushi display. A large rubber band was wrapped around its shell.

It was a geoduck.

So of course I ordered some! Although I DO love clams in general. But this was something else. I might have been fascinated more than anything.

Chef nodded to me, a knowing approval. He sliced three slivers, and I mean slivers. Drizzled a little oil over the top, a kiss of salt and that was it.

The clam hit my tongue and I was transported to the Pacific Ocean. Big surf, briny water. Geoduck does have a slightly chewy texture, or course, it’s a clam, but it is also super tender and a little nutty in flavor.

This is not the clam to chop up and make clam chowder or fritters. You want to eat clam crudo or ceviche.

Where can you find geoduck?

You can find geoduck in the Pacific Northwest, think Washington State and British Columbia, but related species are also found from Argentina to New Zealand and Japan.

Geoduck is a burrowing clam. Its shell is soft and averages around six inches. Its neck or siphon can grow as long as three feet. The clam weighs about two to three pounds on average but can grow up to fourteen pounds. Undoubtedly the most unusual thing about this species is its appearance. Its neck looks like an elephant trunk growing out of its shell.

So what’s the sustainable status of a geoduck?

Well, good news friends.

Seafood Watch and Environmental Defense Find rate Geoduck best choice and a good alternative. No red labels on this species! Geoduck populations are healthy and the method of harvest doesn’t harm the habitat. Clam diggers use a handheld water jet called a stinger, to extract the clams from the sand. There’s a YouTube link in the show notes so you can see Geoduck harvesting in

There’s a YouTube link in the show notes so you can see Geoduck harvesting in action. I also included a YouTube video showing how a Geoduck is cleaned and served in Japan. Pretty cool stuff.

So where can you buy geoduck?

Taylor Shellfish Farms in Washington State ships live farmed geoduck for $35 per pound plus shipping. And remember the minimal weight of a geoduck clam is two pounds. And if you’re thinking $70 per clam, Who’d buy that?

Get this. Taylor Shellfish harvests and ships about 700,000 clams annually. Most of it goes to China. Clearly, Geoduck farming is a huge business.

You should know that even those the seafood recommendations guides...

On today’s episode, I’m tackling F is for Farmed Fish and Faux Fish.

Listen here, or download on iTunes or Google Play.

Did you know by 2050 with our growing global population, we will need seven percent more protein to feed the world than we have today?

Some of that protein will be farmed fish and some will be fake fish.

Welcome to the F is for Farmed Fish part of the program. Today we’ll explore what farmed fish or aquaculture is, what types of farming are practiced, best edible seafood species to farm, some aquaculture challenges, and lastly success stories in aquaculture around the world.

What is aquaculture?

Aquaculture, or farmed fish, is the rearing and harvesting of fish in water environments for human consumption.

Now anyone who knows me knows I believe that aquaculture will help feed our growing global population, reduce the stresses on wild fish populations while restoring habitats, and will strengthen our food security too. Aquaculture, when done right provides an energy-efficient, hi-protein, low-fat resource.

There are numerous methods of fish farming or aquaculture

* Aquaponics

* Raceways

* Recirculating aquaculture systems known as RAS in the industry

* Open ocean pens

* Sea cages

* Suspension ropes

* Racks and lines (oysters, scallops, mussels, algae)

* Ponds (shrimp, tilapia, mullet and bream)

* Surface lines

* Sea ranching (scallops and cucumbers)

Some farming methods are better than others. But because the list is long and time is limited, if you would like to know more about a specific farming method, shoot me an email. But know this, 95 percent of aquaculture is done in ponds. In the US, 85 percent of aquaculture is done in a RAS.

Of the hundreds of edible seafood’s, which are the best to farm?

* Shellfish, clams, oysters, mussels (all filter feeders leaving the water in better shape than before)

* Kelp (seaweed)

* Crustaceans (shrimp—the world’s most beloved seafood)

* Finfish

Did you know that 50 percent of all fish consumed is farmed? And friends, that number is only going to rise.

And since 50 percent of all fish is farmed and our global population is growing, the need for successful aquaculture is literally a matter of life and death.

Now aquaculture has been around for over 4000 years, first developed in China. In the US, the aquaculture industry blossomed in the 1970s. But not without its challenges.

So what are the challenges of farmed fish?

One of the biggest challenges with aquaculture is fish feed. Both the ingredient list and the FIFO, or the fish in fish our ratio.

Fish need protein. And lots of it. Much of that feed ingredient comes from wild fisheries in the form of fish oil and fishmeal and from pelagic species like anchovies and sardines.

Wild fisheries that we are overfishing.

So here’s a little something to chew on before I dive into the challenges of farmed fish feed.

We already know that 90 percent of the large fisheries, shark, whales, Pacific Blue Fin tuna have collapsed. Wild Atlantic salmon and New England cod are two prime examples of a species that were fished to near extinction. In the last fifty years, fifty-one marine species are extinct due to overfishing.

Overfishing is at a crisis level.

We’re depleting wild fish species to feed farmed fish!

Yeah. That’s crazy, right?

Fortunately, that’s changing for the better. We’ll look at some solutions in a few minutes.

But let’s dig in a little more about the feed.

Fish are the most efficient converters of food to flesh. Or fish in fish out called FIFO in the industry.

On today’s episode, I’m tackling E is for Escolar and Ecosystems.

Listen here or download on iTunes and Google Play.

What is escolar? Why should you care? Where can you find it and should you eat it? There are two types of ecosystems, marine and terrestrial. Today I’m going to talk about one specific marine ecosystem, coral reefs.

E is for Escolar

Let’s start out by answering a seemingly innocuous question.

What is escolar?

Well, get ready, because there is nothing simple about this fish.

In fact, escolar might be one of the most delicious and dangerous fish in the ocean.

Here are some basics.

Escolar is a large fast-swimming fish found in warm tropic and temperate climates. In the US, think Florida and Hawaii. Escolar is also called walu walu, Hawaiian butterfish, waloo, or white tuna.

Escolar has a firm, rich, oily flesh making it an irresistible and delectable catch. However, that oily content is where the danger lies. Since the escolar’s diet consists of food high in wax esters and escolar have a tough time digesting wax esters, its flesh is super oily.

And super oily fish can be a problem for many consumers.

Note, If you want to know more about wax esters, check out the link in the show notes.

So should you eat escolar?

That’s a personal choice. It is a buttery, melt in your mouth fish. And you may want to gobble it up!

But if you do? You need to know a few things first.

First, the most important thing to know is, where your fish comes from and who your boat captain is. And trust him or her. Not only is that smart business, but you will have no doubt about what you are buying and eating.

Second, only eat six ounces of escolar or less. Period. Do not be a little piggy at the sushi bar.

And now I need to give you a warning.

What you’re about to hear in the next few minutes will either make you laugh or you will be repulsed. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Overconsumption of escolar can lead to abdominal cramps and diarrhea. I’m talking about spending serious time in the bathroom. Think an oily yellowish-orange hot mess. Seriously! This could happen as soon as 30 minutes after eating and last for days. Or worse you could just fart that oily liquid unexpectedly. I am not kidding. This shit happens.

How do I know?

It happened to me. Fortunately, I was at home.

Escolar is called the Ex-lax fish for a reason.

Now if you’re still with me, thank you for hanging and hopefully laughing!

Alright so beyond the oily issue, what else can be said about escolar?

We need to address the reason escolar is being sold on the market if it’s such a problem fish. Well, it’s no secret the seafood industry needs to do something about overfishing. And so there is a huge push to encourage consumers to eat under loved fish. Now I am all about selling underloved seafood. It’s a terrific way to help curb overfishing and selling underloved fish supports small-scale fishermen and communities.

As you probably guessed, escolar is one of those under-loved species—Also the good news is it’s abundant and inexpensive.

But something else needs to be addressed too.

Sometimes escolar is mislabeled and called white tuna. So not only is this inherently wrong, but there are health consequences like those mentioned a few moments ago.

So why would escolar be called anything other than escolar?

Aaaand this is the slippery part of the story.

So first of all, to a chef’s credit, they may be unaware that what they’re buying is escolar. Many chefs don’t buy whole fish, so at the receiving end, they wouldn’t necessarily be able to tell the difference between escolar or white tuna. Also,

Listen here, iTunes or Google Play (And please subscribe!)

Welcome to Green Fish Blue Oceans, the podcast where stories about seafood are good for you and the oceans.

On today’s episode, D is for Dogfish and Discards, I’ll explain all things dogfish and discards in less than fifteen minutes.

What is dogfish? And should you eat it? Where can you find it? What are discards, why should you care and what can you do?

Stick around I’ve got some ‘splaining to do.

D is for Dogfish

Dogfish, like many seafood species, are called by different names. For instance, a dogfish can be called a spiny dogfish, piked dogfish, rock salmon, and spiky dog! And again, I don’t know why the seafood industry does this! All said, what you really need to know is that a dogfish is a shark.

Here are a few shark stats worth mentioning and then a little backstory about how the dogfish industry came around before I get into the should you eat dogfish and where can you find it.

* There are over 400 shark species in the oceans. Sharks have been around for hundreds of millions of years.

* They are predatory creatures, at the top of the food chain in the oceans and their presence is necessary for the health of the oceans.

* Sharks are slow to grow and have few offspring making them a target for overfishing.

* Sharks get caught in fishing gear and are illegally fished for their fins (which I will discuss later in the year in S is for salmon and shark fins). Shark fisheries are not well managed and without fisheries management, overfishing is also a problem.

* Sadly, many shark species are in decline and many are severely depleted. Specifically Scalloped, hammerheads, blue, and thresher sharks. I added a Shark chart in the show notes to help you with the what, where and why fo shark declines.

And speaking of overfishing, it could be said that overfishing is the biggest threat to the future of seafood populations.

However, all that said, some species of shark, like the dogfish, are healthy and abundant. They’re a good source of protein and provide jobs for fishermen on the West coast of the US and on the North East coast in the US, specifically for those fishermen who once relied on cod for their livelihood.

What happened to the cod industry? And what does that have to do with Dogfish?

Well if you’re a seafood nerd you already know, but if you’re not, then I can sum it up for you with this limerick I concocted while blending a smoothie during research and writing.

There once was a fish named Cod.

Whose life ended

at the tip of a rod.

He gave a good fight,

with all of his might,

but his fate

was a crate

then a plate.

Poor sod.

Cod a once abundant fish helped grow the human population of the Western world according to Mark Kurlansky, the famed commercial fisherman turned journalist and author of the book, Cod.

But after decades of nonstop, ruthless fishing, the once great cod fishery, collapsed in 1992. This devastated fishing communities and their families around the world.

Fast forward to 2017.

Enter the dogfish.

Dogfish were once considered discard fish, which I’ll talk about later in the program. In the late 1990s, dogfish catch levels were low, but by 2010 with good fisheries management, the dogfish species rebounded making dogfish a viable commercial fishing opportunity for ex NE Cod fishermen.

These sharks are caught on a longline, which is a sustainable fishing method, and the entire shark is processed and sent abroad.

Listen to C is for Clams and Climate Change here or download on iTunes or Google Play. (And don’t forget to subscribe!)

Hey and welcome to Green Fish Blue Oceans. I’m your host, Maureen Berry.

On today’s program, I’ll tackle clams and climate change. Two incredibly topics which as you can imagine have a lot to do with each other.

C is for Clams

Did you know that farmed clams make up to 90 percent of the world’s clam consumption?

This is terrific news. Clams are easy on the environment, improve the water quality since they are filter feeders and are managed most efficiently.

Farmed clams are raised on beaches (then raked, shoveled or hand selected), grown in suspended nets in the open ocean or bays, raceways, or raised in cages in the ocean. As a result, farmed clams get the high five from sustainable seafood recommendations like Seafood Watch and Environmental Defense Fund.

You’ll find clams at the market in a variety of ways.

Canned, frozen clam meat, frozen in the shell, live clams, either fresh-shucked meat or in the shell.

So how do you know what to buy?

It depends on what’s available in your market and what you can afford.

Hard shell clams (littlenecks, cherrystones, middle neck and chowder clams) are the most popular consumed clams eaten in the US and will be the clams you see at the market and in restaurants.

Clams are low in fat. High in Vitamin B-12, C, Iron, Omega-3s, and protein.

Clams take very little time to cook. In fact, overcooking will make them chewy and rubbery.

Canned meat is already cooked. If you buy frozen clam meat, there is no need to thaw before cooking. All clams should be cooked gently.

Now if you buy live clams at the market, look for tight-lipped, unbroken clams. They should have a briny smell. Let your nose guide you. And remember, don’t cinch the plastic bag or the clams will suffocate. Live clams need to breathe!

And FYI, all live clams in the shell are required by law to have a tag with information about the product and the processor. They will be a harvest date on the tag too. Ask the person behind the fish counter if you don’t see a tag.

When you get your clams home, store them in a colander in the coldest part of your refrigerator, which generally means in the back of the fridge. Set the colander in a bowl to catch the drip. Place a wet paper cloth the top so they don’t dry out. Cook the clams the same day or the next.

You will need to clean your live clams before you cook them. Check out the Martha Stewart video in the show notes for some tips.

Now, what recipes can you cook with clams?

Oh man, the opportunities are endless. Clams Casino, Clam Crostini, Steamed Clams, Grilled clams. My favorite go to clam recipe is New England Clam Chowder. It’s a classic seafood recipe that every seafood lover should have in their cooking repertoire.

Follow this link to my food blog for the New England Clam Chowder recipe.

Now since 90 percent of the clams on the market are farmed, what about the other 10 percent?

According to Seafood Watch, the status of wild clam population is unknown in all locations, but there is no evidence of overfishing occurring. So if you live near the coast, enjoy!

All this talk of clams makes me hungry. I’d love it of you share one of your fave clam recipes with me and my listeners. Send me an email at maureencberry at gmail dot com.