October 17, 2014 — With the sustainability of world fisheries under threat and heightened attention being paid to what and how we eat, fish previously on the sidelines are now getting some of the spotlight. How have these fish species, once relegated to the category of by-catch, or “trash fish,” found themselves increasingly more desirable?
The question is met with as many variables as affected species. Biologist Michael Tlusty, Director of Research at the New England Aquarium in Boston, approximates 85 percent of our seafood consumption takes the form of about ten species of big name fish. Tuna, salmon and shrimp take precedence over other mistakenly caught marine species known as by-catch, such as monkfish, hake and pollock.
But it wasn’t always this way. Hundreds of years ago, when fishermen in skiffs hauled in prolific amounts of cod from bountiful fisheries in the Gulf of Maine, nearly everything caught was considered a viable food source. As we became more affluent, we also got pickier, preferring meatier and tastier fish. When coveted species proved less abundant, we were compelled to tighten fishing practices and step up our conservation and sustainability efforts. Since the induction of the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976, the fishing industry has faced progressively stricter regulations.