Long Island Swordfish

Quick shout-out to our Long Island Swordfish lovers:

Summer is almost over so ride it out like a wave in Ditch Plains.

Swordfish keeps the Booty-licious.

Sword and the Stone

It is not exactly groundbreaking news that wild marine species go on and off the Red List faster than we can we can say "sustainable fishing practices". One day we are supposed to saving the striped bass, next thing we know, lobstermen complain that our moratorium to save the stripers has led them to consume all of the lobsters. One day we are supposed to be eating tilapia because it is so easily farmed and can survive on soy or corn, the next day we hear that by eating farmed tilapia we could be supporting Colombian cocaine rings or unsustainable, pesticide and sewage ridden fish farms in China. In the USA where more people die prematurely from heart disease than any other cause; we feel pressure to eat more fish. Omega 3's this, zinc that, lower cholesterol in one ear and all the while enviros are harping on us about total extermination of the last wild food.  It all begins to seem so convoluted and complex that we finally throw our hands in the air. This conundrum is enough to drive an omnivore to the other side (I hope you love tofurkey!).  In some circumstances our livelihoods literally depend on the ocean (a.k.a. chefs and fishermen) and we can't imagine how it would be to survive without seafood.
Swordfish represents a species that has been red listed and sworn to hell by environmental groups like the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. As a matter of fact there was a time, especially on the west coast of the USA, when certain chefs wouldn't have touched sword with a ten foot pole. The National Marine fisheries instituted strict regulation on sword and stocks have very quickly (over the course of only 2 years) climbed back to 105% of their reported healthy biomass index!!  Major progress has been made to avoid sea turtle, marine mammal and sea bird bycatch in the sword fishery, for example the closure of fishing areas where the bycatch species are particularly abundant.

Funny how there was so much hype surrounding swordfish when it was red listed, but much less media attention has been paid to the fact that sword stocks are thriving, swordfish is not currently overfished and overfishing is not occurring! Does "no news is good news" go for the fishing industry as well? If you want to read more about the sword fishery please click on this link to NOAA fishwatch. There you will find a full report on US sword stocks.
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch/species/n_atl_swordfish.htm
Put swordfish on your menu now because it is absolutely gorgeous and of the highest and best quality possible. It is coming in LOCALLY, line-caught off the coast of Block Island. It has almost a 100% meat yield and tastes amazing (especially with anchovy butter). High levels of zinc, selenium and good fatty acids make this short-lived wild beast of the sea a super healthy choice. Did you know that swordfish only live for about 9 years before they die?! Some scientists claim that lobsters are of negligible senescence, meaning they show no signs of aging. They live for 100 years or MORE!
All of a sudden the reasons to buy sword are really adding up.
Now if only we could figure out a way to get this guy to move to the US and dive bomb some sword for us!! Looks like a fair fight to me: Psycho vs. Fish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2n3rMmlCrA

Trigger Fish and Swordfish by Flava Flave 9/29/10

Trigger Fish: An Orthodontist’s Nightmare.

Imagine this situation: You are patronizing a dive bar on the Lower East Side. You have had a couple of drinks and your beer goggles are gearing into effect. You are on the prowl and looking for trouble. Out of the corner of your eye you catch a glimpse of what appears to be a major hottie. She looks back at you and winks. You freeze. Your knees get weak. Love (more specifically, lust) at first sight. Then out of nowhere BAM! She smiles at you, bearing her teeth. You realize that where her beauteous pearly whites should be there is a horrifying row of sharp pointy fangs protruding from her pie-hole. Teeth so sharp they could cut glass! The kiss of death pending, you scream and run home to mommy. This freakish femme is what I like to call a “Trigger”.

=

Trigger fish have nasty vampire-like teeth, which they use to crush the shells of mollusks, sea urchins and crustaceans. Despite the bite, they taste AMAZIN’!

Scaling in between 2-5 lbs each, these tasty morsels have been making waves in the culinary world for years. Our wild triggers are caught off the coast of North Carolina.

Did you know?

The trigger fish has a double spiny dorsal fin which when erected serves as protection against predators. Once the longer anterior spike is erect, the second smaller spine must be depressed in order to depress the larger spike. Hence the name “trigger fish”. Hopefully that didn’t confuse you too much. Buy a trig and try it yourself, just for kicks.

Trigger fish, as fish go, are smart. They have the ability to remember and learn from past experiences.
Hopefully this pair of Trigs retain THIS memory:

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WHAT TIME IS IT? SWORDFISH TIME!


Coming live and direct from the Hudson Canyon, the North Atlantic Swordfish fishery is ALL GOOD. If you don’t know, the Hudson Canyon is like the offshore version of the Hudson Valley. Complete with its own geomorphology and marine biology, this underwater landscape is where a little topographical element called the CONTINENTAL SHELF drops off into the abyss off the coast of Long Island.
North Atlantic Swordfish is NOT overfished. In fact, they are everywhere. Check out this rogue swordfish tearing around lower Manhattan atop his ride of choice.

The North Atlantic swordfish population is now fully rebuilt! As a matter of fact, biomass estimates are currently 5% above their target level.

U.S. commercial fishermen use pelagic longline gear to capture North Atlantic swordfish. Pelagic longline gear has no impact on ocean floor habitats because it does not come into contact with the bottom.
Swordfish are so gangster.  Swordfish capture prey by slashing their long flat bill, stunning or injuring the victim during said process. Broken swordfish bills have been found embedded in ship hulls.

In closing, if someone tells you swordfish is not a sustainable catch:

Listen to Flava Flav: DON’T BELIEVE DA HYPE!

  Looking Good Flav!