Sea Food on the Prairie

Tulsa Oklahoma is a long long way from any ocean. It is actually more noted for its rolling prairies where buffalo used to roam, than it is for seafood. But as one drives thru town, it is nearly impossible to ignore the myriads of strip malls, chain restaurants, and flashing signs advertising food from every corner of the planet. Seafood is probably second in this town only to Chinese food, neither being expected to be so proficiently abundant here in the middle of America. But what type of seafood is found here? The answer to that question is not always as easily answered as one would expect.
In one restaurant we enquired if the waitress new what type of fish "whitefish" was. The menu offered a deep fried fillet of the Whitefish. After consulting with the kitchen and wait staff the answer was that no one knew. A quick call and a google search later, and whitefish turns out to be more of a term than a fish. By catch of other specifically targeted species, (usually undesirable fish) and shark are renamed somewhere between the ocean and the kitchen in order to give them a more desirable "character appearance". The waitress was shocked to say the least. It is amazing how many people have no idea what they are eating.


This morning a discussion with a professional in the medical profession displayed this. The woman involved taught science classes for 20 years, yet seemed to have no feelings against eating fish that live to be 150 years old. When enlightened about "orange roughy" and the issues facing these ancient fish, she simply commented on their taste.... It really is a sad state of affairs that our fisheries are in. Advertising can change a commercially ugly looking and sounding fish into dollars. Slimefish turns into Orange Roughy. Patagonian Toothfish turns into Chilean Sea Bass. Shark, Cod, Hake, Pollock and others become white fish. Knowing what you are eating is a vitally important part of being environmentally conscious. It doesn't mean don't eat fish. But these fish can't take much more of the sustained fishing pressure they are facing. Just know what your fish is, and where your fish comes from.