During a phone-in show on Cape Talk / Radio 702 last night, one restaurant owner made the case that many seafood restaurant kitchen staff and management would not be able to identify one fish from another - even if they were to see it in its original form. And as many fish are delivered pre-packaged, if it says "salmon" on the box, they would assume the fish inside is indeed salmon.

But according to an article in Men's Health magazine (back in October 2008), a SASSI (South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative) researcher was quoted as saying that a small but significant group of dishonest operators among the hundreds of seafood outlets countrywide con their customers.

“They think consumers don’t know any better. The ‘local’ kingklip we think we’re eating is more often than not ling or cusk eel, shipped in from Argentina or New Zealand.” Closely related to kingklip, these species are virtual gastronomic doppelgangers to the genuine article and, as they are imported cheaper than it costs to obtain domestic kingklip, are sold at a higher profit." 

Whether "the wrong" fish is being used knowingly for the sake of making a profit, or unwittingly, is something that will no doubt require further investigation.

What the matter does highlight, however, is the importance of ensuring that we do not eat fish that appear on the endangered species list when dining out in SA.

Many of us would not be able to reel off (pun intended) a list of locally endangered fish - which is where SASSI comes in.

First off you can check the SASSI approved list of local restaurants that comply with the law when it comes to all things fishy before booking your table.

Then, once seated and perusing the menu, you can make use of the

SASSI FISH HOTLINE - 079 499 8795

whereby you sms the name of a single fish species and receive a message regarding its status on the endangered list -

green - eat and enjoy!

orange - hmm...borderline - avoid if possible

red - no way Jose

South African restaurants offer some of the finest, most delicious, freshest seafood in the world. Please help to keep our resources available for many years to come by being vigilant and responsible.

Top tips for Enjoying Fish Responsibly - taken from the SASSI website.

• Keep informed about which fish is ok to eat and which fish is not
• Increase the variety of fish you eat- move away from a dependence on one favourite
• Don’t eat undersized or juvenile fish
• Choose fish caught in sustainable ways- consult your SASSI guide for recommendations or ask your fishmonger
• Local is lekka- buy locally where possible (eg. from the green list) rather than imported species- especially if they are from our neighbouring countries like Mozambique, Tanzania, Seychelles
• If you really can’t go without your craving for your favourite seafood on the orange list, then make it a special occasion and enjoy in moderation rather than as an everyday occurrence
• Avoid certain species e.g. reef fish species. The biology of many of our reef dwellers make them very susceptible to overfishing (e.g. they are long-lived, only mature and breed late in their lifecycle, are often territorial and therefore have limited home ranges and many change sex as they grow)
• If you love fish then find out more about your favourites so that you can understand why some of them may be better choices than others
• There are many environmental and human impact and health concerns associated with farmed species- so find out where your fish comes from. Globally there are no best practice standards or eco-labels for aquaculture yet, but try choose those that have organic certifications or are EU approved, or better still, rather avoid these and choose from well managed wild populations
• The only accredited seafood certification for wild stocks is the MSC label- Marine Stewardship Council (SA Hake has MSC certification) so look out for these in supermarkets and retailers stores