One man´s fish is another man´s poisson

February 13, 2016

One man´s fish is another man´s poisson

PHOTO: JULIA TOMS

Where´s the catch?- there isn´t one.The fish above is a perfect specimen of a wild fish

and the two bloated examples below are the farmed variety (viveiros)

There´s a world of difference between farmed fish and its wild relation.They don´t even look alike, and as for the taste....
The appearance of a wild fish and its counterpart, the farmed article, is not just the difference between a real diamond and paste.It is more the difference between the Mona Lisa and a very bad reproduction.
What really tipped the scales for me was when I read that DECO (Portuguese Association for consumer protection) carried out a taste test of Portuguese fish in 2004 and it resulted in 88 per cent of people saying they preferred farmed fish. Was this the sad future of the fishing industry? Sadly yes. In Portugal the market for farmed fish has increased significantly since.
The bass, a fish that is most produced in nurseries (viveiros), can be dificult to tell apart from the sea or river species, until you actually taste it. However there are some fish "being produced" that look more like fat burgers.

For the engineer António Coelho Castro, president of the Association of Aquaculture of Portugal (AAP), the problem is only one: "The fish are all equal, whether in captivity, sea or river. . The power given to it is not, "and exemplifies:" The bass is a fish that more is produced in nurseries. However, there are some productions that look like fat burgers and no bass. "

Ler mais em: https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&prev=search&rurl=translate.google.pt&sl=pt-BR&u=http://www.cmjornal.xl.pt/domingo/detalhe/peixe-de-viveiro-o-perigo-esta-na-racao.html&usg=ALkJrhh3dgTfNEECLKOHB6zs7PCWD0QmpA

All fish are all equal,whether in captivity, sea or the river.The difference is in the food that the fish in captivity are given to feed on.Take for example Salmon. Salmon bred in captivity contains excessive toxic chemicals.These toxins are present in the rations these fish are fed on, and when you come to cook it a very noticeable difference in texture will become apparent.This in fact generally applies to all farmed fish.So why this increase in Portuguese fish farming? The Portuguese government has a reputation for selling off all its valuable assets including its fishing territories many of which are now owned by the Japanese.The much decreased stocks of fresh fish are then kept for the top hotels and restaurants in the capital or exported at a high price. Dwindling supplies, along with the over fishing of rare species such as squid and sardines, being greedily caught out of season before they have had time to mature ,there is not much in the market for Joe Public and what there is for sale at inflated prices. I have seen Red Mullet on market stalls fetching upwards of €35.For a nation renowned for its fish this is a very sorry state of affairs.From the moment the traditional fishing industry had to adapt their skills to the lack of resources, aquaculture in Portugal has become an element of strategic importance.

Fish that lived a happy life

Since then it has begun to make a high production of farmed bass, bream, turbot and sole
Portuguese fish is not as cheap as the imports coming from Greece, Italy and Spain but the Portuguese fish is superior.Today in Portugal more than 25% of fish consumption is from aquaculture.
Trying to produce as cheaply as possible rather than seeking to produce the best quality is not the solution.The truth is that more and more of us consumers are now being more careful to distinguish the fish we are purchasing, choosing fish that are from their natural habitat.How can we distinguish what we are eating? Still, few consumers know that most of the fish we eat on a daily basis comes from aquaculture. Unless you specifically ask the staff in restaurants when eating out the provenance of the fish on the menu,you will never know what you are being fobbed off with.
In the market place labelling helps.Market traders and supermarket counters are now obliged to inform the consumer about the price and the origin of the fish it intends to buy.The lack of a label carrying this information leads to harsh penalties.
In addition to this, whenever a consumer finds uniform sized fish on the counter it immediately tells them it is a farmed fish. I am glad to say that our favourite local restaurant now flags up whether fish is viveiros and the staff offer the choice of fish from the sea, river or farmed.Its a start.Lets hope others follow suit.As far as possible casa rosada supports sustainable fishing

The trout, sea bass, sea bream, turbot and sole are the fish species most produced in captivity. "Today, in Portugal, some 25 percent of fish consumption is from aquaculture," says the president of the Chamber of Veterinary Jose Cardoso. But few consumers know that most of the fish we eat from day to day comes from aquaculture. How can we then distinguish what we are eating? "By labeling," says José Cardoso. The whole shopping center is obliged to inform the consumer about the price and the origin of the fish that it intends to buy. "The lack of a label with this information is entitled to harsh penalties." In addition to this factor, whenever a consumer find a uniform size fish counter is in the presence of fish from captivity. "Is that what they call animal that serves to dose," said the president.

Ler mais em: https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&prev=search&rurl=translate.google.pt&sl=pt-BR&u=http://www.cmjornal.xl.pt/domingo/detalhe/peixe-de-viveiro-o-perigo-esta-na-racao.html&usg=ALkJrhh3dgTfNEECLKOHB6zs7PCWD0QmpA

Search This Blog

o cozinheiro este algarve

One man´s fish is another man´s poisson

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

"SIMPLE" Anchovy and foraged samphire spaghetti

The 3 Delicias of the Algarve