Fish Fact Friday! 2-9-24
Canary Rockfish, (scientific name Sebastes pinniger) can live for up to 75 years!
I here's a fun song about proper rockfish releases :)
References:
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/canary-rockfish
https://www.seadocsociety.org/rockfish-facts
15 notes
·
View notes
hell of a first week. Here’s to hoping 24 is much better
truffle butter rockfish and roasted root vegetables with mushrooms. And shallot infused olive oil on the veggies. I do know how to create culinary masterpieces.
3 notes
·
View notes
Animal Crossing Fish - Explained #219
Brought to you by a marine biologist here to tell you to buy local!
CLICK HERE FOR THE AC FISH EXPLAINED MASTERPOST!
Seafood is really important. I mean, food in general is important to our lives - y'know, it keeps us alive and all that. But seafood in particular, both wild-caught and those raised in aquaculture, are so important, that for many people around the world, it is the single source of protein they rely on. Of course, many island nations come to mind, especially Japan, since we're talking about Animal Crossing. In fact, seafood is so important there, that at least half of the fish that we've covered in this fish explained (counting only the extant species, mind you) are considered important fisheries in Japan or worldwide. The dark-banded rockfish is one such fish.
The dark-banded rockfish appeared in AC Pocket Camp this past spring, from March to June 2022. That's a pretty long stay for one of these ACPC exclusives!
Now, there isn't much to say about the DBR as a fish. In Japan, it is called Mebaru, and accompanies a few seafood dishes as a smoked or cooked whole fish in a broth. The fish is caught wild *and* farmed to meet demand for these dishes. The DBR is often called the Japanese Red Seaperch as well and its scientific name is Sebastes inermis. It's part of the Scorpaenidae Family, a group of fish well known for their venomous spines and being prickly in general, like the red lionfish, zebra turkeyfish, weedy stingfish, and others that we've covered before. The family is quite diverse because venom and spikes are a great way to deter predators, especially around rocky or coral reefs where predators could be lurking in any crevice and you are generally small. The DBR is endemic to the Southwestern side of the main Japanese islands and near the Korean peninsula. They eat zooplankton for the most part.
https://inaturalist.nz/taxa/461136-Sebastes-inermis
Fisheries are my bread-and-butter. When you're a marine biologist, there are a lot of different paths you can take, and fisheries is great when you believe we can have our fish and eat them, too. About a third of what I do is promote local fish species to the people who live on the island I call home. The Northeast US is a hotbed for fisheries that basically built this region, including the Atlantic Cod, Sea Scallops, and American Lobster, among many more local favorites like Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass. There has been a huge uptick in aquaculture of oysters here as well. So, like the DBR is to Japan, these species come to our fish markets straight from the boats.
There's been a movement lately (within the last 20 or so years) to choose local, wherever possible. That includes getting local veggies and meat from local farms instead of big companies you see in the supermarket, and going to the local fish market to buy species caught in your area. Buying local does a lot of good for your community and the planet. Let me explain:
When you buy local, you're keeping that money circulating within your town, state, or region. You support small business instead of feeding giant, faceless corporations. And I don't mean to be such a liberal on main, but I actually do. Buying local is good for your local economy. When you buy a fish that is native to your area, you directly support the fisherman who caught it, the local dealer he sold it to, and your neighbor running the fish market.
Not only that, but you cut down the carbon emissions of your food. Seafood in general has a fraction of the carbon emissions that beef production does (and it's healthier for you overall). In fact, if you have local shellfish or seaweed farms in your area, those farms actually reduce carbon in the atmosphere! And, for a more obvious take, when you buy local, that food didn't travel a far by truck or plane as, say, a fish imported from another country. It might not have traveled at all if you buy straight from the dock!
Buying local means your food is fresher and thus is more nutritious and tastes better. When fish is imported, it is often frozen, thawed, frozen again, perhaps thawed again to process, and frozen yet again before it reaches your plate. All of that freezing and thawing ruins the meat.
And lastly, when you buy local, you have a better chance of knowing how it was caught, the regulations associated with that fishery, and knowing that your food was sustainably sourced, or grown in a bay you can actually visit.
This all applies to freshwater species as well. Find out what your local species are and choose them first. Easiest way to do that is hop on Google, find a fish market near you, and talk to the guy behind the counter.
And there you have it! Fascinating stuff, no?
17 notes
·
View notes