The old saying "there are plenty more fish in the sea" is being challenged.
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Centuries of overfishing - where more fish are caught than the breeding population can replace naturally - has led to a decline in fish populations and more and more governments, commercial fisheries and chefs are embracing the concept of sustainable seafood.
Michael Jenkins, executive chef at The Anchorage Port Stephens, is one of them. At his restaurant The Wild Herring he favours sustainable practices and encourages diners to think sustainably when ordering from the menu.
"I agree with fish farming because I don't think we will be able to sustain a wild catch forever," he told Food & Wine.
"Industries are doing a lot of research into which commercially-used fish grow faster. Mahi mahi has a really fast growth rate, flathead are pretty good and so are whiting. Bream are essentially everywhere but they take quite a long time to grow."
Read more: Sustainable seafood rules at Scotties
Jenkins favours tuna or snapper on the menu and forages for locally sourced sea vegetables and sea plants which he collects, sanitises and washes before using.
"It's a balance of being sustainable and what people will accept at this stage, I suppose," he said.
During the month-long Love Sea Food Tastes Port Stephens festival Jenkins and other chefs will be championing sustainable seafood in various ways. He is hosting a Tip to Tail Cooking Class at The Anchorage on August 24 where you can learn how to make use of every part of a fish. The class will conclude with a two-course share plate lunch and a Thomas Wines tasting.
"I'll be using local species of bream, flathead and whiting; fish people might catch up here on the weekend. I'll give them some ideas how to cook those fish when they get home and also how to reduce wastage."
Jenkins is also busy preparing "semillon and seafood" menu for the month of August based on a partnership with Thomas Wines: two-course mid-week lunch ($55 per person) and a five-course Seafood & Semillon Degustation on August 24 ($155 per person).
"Seafood and semillon just goes together well - it's not a new idea but it's one that works and it just so happens that the Hunter is a good region for producing semillon."
The 2019 Love Sea Food Tastes Port Stephens festival kicks off with the annual "Port to Plate" Gala Dinner this Saturday, August 3, at Broughton's at the Bay. It's a six-course seafood dinner designed by five Port Stephens head or executive chefs. Jenkins is in charge of the first course - cuttlefish.
"I love going out and catching cuttlefish to eat at home. They're a very sustainable species, so is squid; they both have really fast growth rates and there are plenty of them. If I can catch them there must still be plenty of them out there," he said, laughing.
"They're messy but they're worth the effort. I feel cuttlefish have a better texture than the squid and they are quite under-utilised."
- For information about any of the events being held during the month-long Love Sea Food Tastes Port Stephens go to portstephens.org.au/loveseafood.
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