SUSTAINABILITY OF SEA BREAM
Sea Bream in Japan often takes the title of tai, meaning desirable. Red sea bream, however, is know as madai, the “true tai”. Madai also sounds very similar to the word medetai, which means festive, auspicious, joyous, and so on. It is known for its delicious taste and is often served at large celebrations throughout Japan. The red sea bream is historically the most prized fish in Japanese culture, and the tai family, particularly madai, has been eaten for over 5,000 years. The madai reaches its peak of popularity during spring when it is known as sakuradai meaning “cherry blossom tai”. This is because during this time of year madai move to shallower waters, making them easier to catch. Sea bream are usually caught by angling and long line set nets, gill nets, round haul nets, shore seines and small trawlers. If not caught, sea breams are farmed. They are the most important commercial fish in aquaculture. First they are grown in deep waters, then by boat they are transferred to more shallow cages. When farmed they are fed a total of about 400 kg of shrimp meal, squid meal, and fishmeal per day. Once fully grown the fish are shipped to restaurants, department stores and food-related industries across Japan, as well as wholesalers in southeast Asia, the Middle East, US, and Europe. Sea bream makes up a large part of the fishing industry in Japan, and while it plays an important role in the culture, it also falls victim to overfishing. The question is: has the Japanese culture taken priority over the wellbeing of the red sea bream?
SUSTAINABILITY OF SHRIMP
In 2013, Asia accounted for 85% of shrimp production and 74% of wild shrimp capture. In 2011, Asia accounted for 62% of global shrimp exports (FAO 2015). According to Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), countries that produce the most shrimp are: China, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Cambodia.
Shrimp aquaculture became very popular in the market in 2007, and its popularity has been growing ever since. In 2012, it was worth $19.4 billion. In 2013, the production from shrimp farms accounted for 56% of global shrimp production (FAO 2015), with a harvest of 4.45 million metric tons, compared with 3.4 million metric tons from the wild.
Shrimp is the most highly traded seafood product in the world by value, with almost 50% of it being sold in Asian markets. The largest markets were Europe, the US and Japan, which together account for approximately 74% of the global shrimp imports. US imports are more than any other nation, and shrimp is America’s most consumed seafood per capita. Over half of the world’s countries are part of shrimp production, with commercial wild shrimp fisheries existing in 110 countries, and shrimp farming is present in 65 countries. Shrimp fisheries and farms are perpetrators of environmental risk due to high bycatch rates in bottom trawl fisheries and various impacts of shrimp aquaculture, including habitat destruction, disease outbreaks, and overfishing of low trophic. However, shrimp farming is an expanding industry worth $19.4 billion as of 2012. Shrimp fisheries employ over one million fishers, and shrimp farms are a highly important source of jobs. The battle remains between the financial benefits and the huge environmental costs.
CULTURE
Sushi was initially introduced in China as a need for preserving food. The mountain people of Southeast Asia invented the technique of pickling. Japanese people used this practice by pressing cleaned fish between rice and salt by a stone (in a span of a few weeks). During the process of fermentation, the rice produces a lactic acid, which causes the pickling of the pressed fish. The edible product that results from this early method of sushi making is the process known as naresushi. The method only made it possible to eat the fish, thus the rice was thrown away. Preparing naresushi was a very time consuming task and a waste of rice.
The method spread throughout China, and by the seventh century it had made its way to Japan. The Japanese, developed the concept further into eating the rice and fish as one. The dish consisted of rice, seasoned with rice wine vinegar, which allowed the dish to be eaten right away, instead of waiting as they previously did for the months it would take to prepare the ‘sushi.’
In the early 19th century, Hanaya Yohei placed fresh fish on top of an oblong shaped piece of seasoned rice. Nowadays, this is called ‘nigiri sushi’ (finger sushi), or ‘edomae sushi’ (originating from Edo, the previous name of Tokyo). Sushi was eaten as a snack and sushi stalls lined on the streets became very popular. From the home of Hanaya Yohei in Edo, this style of sushi spread throughout the whole of Japan, also gaining popularity as a result of the Great Kanto earthquake as many people lost their homes and moved from Tokyo.
After World War Two, for sanitary purposes, the sushi stalls were moved indoors with more formal seating. Sushi spread around the globe in the form of a proper dining experience, but also with the purpose of promoting seafood.
While Japan recognizes the importance of overfishing, and the intensity of the issue, the culture of the fishing industry takes priority over sustainability.
SUSTAINABLE COOKING OF SUSHI
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SUSTAINABILITY OF HAMACHI/ Farmed YellowTail (Seriola Quinqueradiata)
Hamachi is Japanese farmed yellowtail with high fat content.
Yellowtail farmed in Japan in marine net pens is not sustainable as a significant amount of nitrogen-based effluent is discharged because of the inefficient use of feed. Almost all farmed yellowtail is sourced from wild stocks; juveniles are captured, transported to marine net pens, and then fattened up for harvesting.
Japan’s annual wild yellowtail catch averages 70,000 to 80,000 metric tons (MT), whereas the annual production of yellowtail exceeds 130,000 MT. Less than 3000 MT is imported, while the species is Japan’s top exported finish by value. Hamachi usually implies younger fish, while buri implies either a mature fish, or the species in general.
Farmed yellowtail is mostly raised in net pens in the Seto Inland Sea, where Ehime is a major production area. Exported yellowtail is almost always farmed, with volumes showing a rising trend; approximately 4000 MT in 2012, 5200 MT in 2013, 5100 MT in 2014, and 6500 MT in 2016. Yellowtail exporters employ very strict food safety measures, such as Hazard and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems and other quality control certifications.
Yellowtail is overproduced and should be avoided. A big amount of nitrogen-based effluent is discharged because of the inefficient use of feed.Data on chemical usage and disease impacts is very limited, but there is evidence that it could become a much bigger problem. Almost all farmed yellowtail is sourced from wild stocks, meaning that juveniles are caught, transported to marine net pens and fattened for harvesting.
SUSTAINABILITY OF MADAI (Pagrus major)/ Red Sea Bream
Red sea bream is the second most commonly farmed fish in Japan. Its relatively fast growth, from 600 to 700g in 18 months makes this species very attractive for fish culturists in Japan. Rearing a large number of sea bream larvae requires a constant supply of food. There is too limited data conducted on the sustainability of sea bream, not guaranteeing that it would be the most eco-friendly choice. We have chosen this fish for cultural reasons and out of certainty that the other mainly produced fish from Seto Inland Sea are not sustainable.
"FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture Sparus Aurata." Fao.org. N. p., 2018. Web. 3 Mar. 2018.
"Amberjack Recommendations From The Seafood Watch Program." Seafoodwatch.org. N. p., 2018. Web. 7 Mar. 2018.
Work Cited