Burning issue: A fishy tale
With sustainability on the agenda, Caterer Middle East investigates whether the F&B industry in the Middle East has made any progress with combating the issue of overfishing
Everyone is talking about sustainability - and for good reason. It is a global concern, with our planet unable to cope with the load of humanity’s demands on its resources. And when it comes to seafood and fishing, the burden is fast becoming too much to bear.
In the Middle East, certain species of fish are struggling to survive, with critically endangered breeds including hammour (orange-spotted grouper), blue fin tuna and kingfish continuing to be found on restaurant menus.
A recent survey by YouGov showed that 66% of the UAE’s residents are estimated to eat hammour on a weekly basis, and according to the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, overfishing of hammour has placed the species on the endangered list. In recent years, hammour has been over-fished seven times above the level that would allow the species to naturally replenish itself.
In spite of the campaign, consumers are still choosing to eat hammour, restaurants still cater to their demand for it, and the local fish market sells it — and this doesn’t even cover the equally disturbing issue of fishermen trying to pass off other varieties of fish as the orange-spotted grouper at Dubai’s fish market in Deira.
What's on the menu?
Baker & Spice Dubai food consultant Yael Mejia is very passionate about the cause, and is known in the F&B circles for expressing her frustration at the inability of her colleagues to put more effort towards eliminating the issue of overfishing. She asserts that the fish served in Baker & Spice Dubai is “definitely sustainable”.
Mejia continues: “Our whole ethos is about using sustainable produce and limiting our carbon footprint. It would be against our own morals and standards to offer endangered fish and we stopped serving hammour over three years ago — the moment the first news trickled out about it.
We never use farmed fish either as we consider fish farming a dirty and dangerous activity.” However, the restaurant does offer kingfish which is on the “banned” list of the Choose Wisely programme. When asked about this, Mejia defends her menu and says: “Yes we use kingfish from the Arabian sea, not from the Gulf. As far as we know it’s not endangered in the least.”
The St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi chef de cuisine — Turquoiz Kevin Fleming says at his restaurant there is only sustainable fish, which is not an individual outlet policy, but one Starwood follows. “The damage that overfishing can do is irreplaceable and as a company we decided to take a step against it,” he says.
And it’s not just hotel brands, but casual dining outlets which consider the problem as well. London Business Group and London Fish & Chips founder and director Gary Arnold asserts that it is in his brand’s values to work with sustainable fisheries and never employ any kind of endangered fish species into the menu.
“Currently our menu is made up of Atlantic cod (gadus morhua) and haddock (melanogrammus aeglefinus), both of which make up for the best tasting fish and chips and are very much sustainable species.”
Casual dining outlet Seamood founder Mohamed Eid is another restaurateur passionate about the cause. He says emphatically: “All the menu items in my restaurant are sustainable; we follow the Choose Wisely campaign guidelines regarding sustainable and unsustainable fish. For example we have shaari eskhaly (pink ear emperor) instead of shaari (emperor).”
He says farmed fish is normally not a major part of the menu, but in very special cases it does feature with the presence of farmed shrimps and sweet water mullet, when available. Farmed king prawns however, have come into the firing range recently with unethical farming practices — slave labour and unhygienic conditions — revealed in warm-water farms such as in Thailand.
So where the fish comes from is another factor that needs to be considered as cold water prawns for example, are sustainable, but obviously more expensive.
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Revealing the Source
It comes down to sourcing as well, which is a problem the F&B industry faces even with non-seafood ingredients. Restaurants can choose to get their fish directly from the source i.e. the fishermen, or go through suppliers whether locally or for imports. But does this mean they get the right fish?
Arnold says his QSR brand takes sustainability of fish so seriously, it works with suppliers with credentials to support its internal policy. “We work closely with renowned suppliers in the market, such as F. Smales & Son Fish Merchants which has received the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Certification for sustainable fishing.”
And this certification is something London Fish & Chips is now working on as well. Arnold proudly reveals: “Our UK branch has recently been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) which is an independent, global, non-profit organisation for auditing fisheries against environmental standards, trace supply chains and similarly audits restaurants.
We are the first restaurant in London which is ‘the buyer of the fish or fish products sold as MSC-certified’ thus dealing only with sustainable suppliers and using sustainable fish on our menu. Our UAE branches will also be audited for the certification by the MSC in October 2013, to be the first restaurant in the Middle East to gain such an accreditation.”
Mejia implements a ‘no imported fish’ policy at Baker & Spice Dubai. All the fish used comes directly from the Arabian Sea, as she considers “the Gulf too polluted for my liking”. Her team shops in the local fish market daily, with fish usually from Oman.
Starwood has a vetting procedure for its seafood suppliers to ensure they comply with the hotel’s policy. Fleming explains: “We have a mix of local and imported seafood at Turquoiz. The selection we receive from Europe can be a mix of wild and farmed fish however we have complete confidence in the suppliers as we know that they personally visit European suppliers to check the conditions.”
Eid reveals there are three ways his restaurants source his fish: going to the market; dealing with a supplier; or, having a fisherman sending it directly to the restaurant.
“In all cases my staff members and I know what we serve and what we source very well. We have been in the market for a year now, so almost every supplier knows our particular items,” says Eid. In fact, fishermen at the Deira fish market have even had fish sent back when Eid discovered he had been given unsustainable items — clearly taking a stand on the matter.
Make the Call
Mejia is firm about the fact that chefs and restaurants need to make these tough decisions themselves. “We are in charge of our own destiny and make our own decisions. It is our responsibility to behave responsibly – serving sustainable fish is part of our integrity. Our customers come to us because they know and respect that ethos.”
Fleming agrees that the industry should be responsible for setting the agenda on overfishing, but says consumers also play an important role. “While we at Turquoiz can choose our suppliers extremely carefully and follow the Starwood sustainability policy we also rely on our guests to be aware of the issue and also support our stance.”
Food Dubai leader and founder Laura Allais-Maré has only been in the UAE for seven months, and if she has ever seen hammour offered at a restaurant, she has asked the managers or owners why it is available. She reveals: “And the answer has always been: because my clients want it — at any cost’.”
Allais-Maré is full of praise for Lafayette Gourmet culinary director Russell Impiazzi as someone who champions the cause in the region. She points Caterer Middle East to a recently released YouTube video showing Impiazzi’s trip to the Deira fish market, where the chef chose to buy a pink-eared emperor instead of hammour.
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Education Upfront
There have been unanimous calls over education — but how does one go about that? Choose Wisely and Slow Food Dubai exist, but do they have any teeth? Mejia chooses not to comment, instead saying: “We are leading from the front and are very happy for others to follow.”
And while Fleming says he is an avid supporter of the Choose Wisely programme, he adds that the noticeable impact is made by large organisations and their efforts, such as Starwood which has a firm sustainability stance in place.
He explains: “I feel that there are two factors in this issue. Firstly, people tend to stick to what they know. If they grew up eating a certain variety of fish then the likelihood is that they will continue with this choice rather than a less known variety. Secondly, people are not truly aware of their choices. More awareness needs to come from the media of the effect of overfishing and quotas.”
Eid agrees: “Habits are the biggest issue, and people hardly think in terms of sustainability. The consumers will think about what is cheaper and what is fresher, and that’s it. So we have to start with teaching the children in school, or trying to create local TV documentaries to really push people to think before they eat or buy.”
Eid is taking a step in this direction himself: he has teamed up with local food tour company, Frying Pan Adventures, to launch a seafood tour where he and the tour firm’s founder Arva Ahmed will lead people to the Deira fish market and educate them about the different kinds of fish available locally, how to avoid buying endangered species, and other tips.
It really is a buyer’s market for seafood, and Allais-Maré says the consumer is the market, and the market dictates what producers and fishermen will provide. “Until we educate the public in the need for sustainability in all areas and facets of our food culture, then we are fighting a losing battle.”
Mejia agrees and adds: “The biggest issues are ignorance and irresponsible behaviour by the industry and the population at large, coupled with non-enforcement. People have become so used to buying blindly from supermarkets and chains without thought, and everything being available on tap all year round, they have no real interest beyond paying lip service and pretending to do the right thing.”
Vetting procedures may happen from the side of the chef or restaurant, but Allais-Maré adds little else happens in the market.
“Yes, there are procedures and laws, but very little implementation of the law or regulations. I have yet to see inspectors at the fish market checking on the size of catches or confiscating illegal catches.” On a recent visit to the fish market, Caterer Middle East found rows of baby sharks and hammours laid out on display for prospective buyers.
Recounting a personal experience, Allais-Maré continues: “We need to inform our suppliers of what we are and are not prepared to purchase. We have been to various Emirati restaurants in the region, and shark and hammour was the first dish they suggested, with pride. When we mentioned that we don’t want that due to them being threatened and over-fished, we were literally laughed at and jeered. It was quite an experience.”
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What is Choose Wisely?
how to tell if you can eat that fish
Choose Wisely is a campaign to protect the future of UAE fisheries. According to its handy guide, overfishing is the practice of catching more fish than the oceans can sustain, depleting fish populations. In the UAE many species are being taken out beyond sustainable levels.
Studies show that the overall number of commercial fish in the country has declined by 80% in the last 30 years. Operated by EWS-WWF, it has also, in collaboration with the Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi (EAD), created up-to-date lists of sustainable and unsustainable fish choices.
The consumer guide to UAE fish is meant for diners to make informed decisions — it classifies fish into three colour categories (red, amber or green) based on the status of the stock. This is determined based on scientific assessments carried out for fisheries experts at the EAD.
GO FOR IT!
Some stock not experiencing heavy fishing pressure:
• Two-bar seabream
• Yellow bar angelfish
• Pink ear emperor
• Sordid sweetlips
• Giant sea catfish
THINK AGAIN!
Stock is heavily overfished, avoid eating these:
• Orange-spotted grouper (hammour)
• Spangled emperor (shaari)
• Kingfish
• Golden trevally
• Goldlined seabream
What is Slow Food?
Slow Food Dubai is a local organisation, which has, since April 5 2013, officially been recognised and endorsed by Slow Food International as a local chapter, representing members of Slow Food International in the region.
Slow Food Dubai leader and founder Laura Allais-Maré says the organisation is dedicated to promoting a society that celebrates the region’s cultural diversity, and recognises the link between people, plate and planet. The organisation has held “Slow Fish” campaigns in many cities and regions across the world. The local chapter hopes to run similar campaigns in October 2014.