Gastronomique Smells Fishy.

Here's a riddle. You invite a fisherman, his lobbyist, and his sales channel, ie. a fishmonger and a restaurateur, and what do you get? Not an all knives out fight, for sure. More like hugs and kisses, and lots and lots of fish knowledge. The congregation of the above-mentioned people was assembled to discuss sustainable seafood at the invite of the Slow Food convivium of the Russian River. From the Latin: con (with, together), and vivium (to live), that's much warmer than "chapter" or "group." It's all a big family. Maybe they all came down from West Sonoma in the same minivan.

Panel members were moderator Patricia Unterman, chef and owner of Hayes Street Grill and Examiner food critic as well; Steve Fitz, a salt-of-the-earth Half Moon Bay sand dabs fisherman; Tom Worthington, from Monterey Fish Market; Zeke Grader, from the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Association; and Sheila Bowman, outreach coordinator for seafoodwatch.org, a program of the Monterey Aquarium to educate about sustainable fishing. We have to say we are a bit grumpy they provided a panel with only first rate, interesting, opinionated people and no one to make fun of.

All members of the panel were pretty much on the same page, but this does not mean that their message is not important. To sum it up: eat seafood, but be cautious about what you eat. Some fish is harvested in a sustainable manner, which means that there is no risk of depleting the stocks in the long run, and some is not. Just say no to Chilean seabass. Whenever you purchase fish, vote with your wallet and only get the one that is sustainable. And check Seafood Watch for updated information on what you can eat.

Anchovies courtesy of Ocean Friends Brand Feeds

A good rule of thumb: eat local as much as you can. We are blessed here in San Francisco to have fish a'plenty in the water licking our toes. Hard-learned lessons (California overfishing pretty much wiped out sardines in the 50s) and fishing regulations, which Steve Fitz described with a despair-tainted common sense ("There is some guy in Washington following the trace of the GPS on my boat") pretty much ensure that coastal waters are protected from overharvesting.

Another good rule: be curious about what fish you eat. People mostly want to eat salmon, tuna and shrimp. But there are other stocks which are under-utilized: say, herring, sardines, anchovies. These are delicious, but suffer from a PR deficit, something we experienced first hand when we brought fresh sardines to a BBQ only to anger our hosts, being asked in essence if we really really wanted to stink the sh*t up in the place. Zeke suggested serving those under-appreciated species in schools, because --a win-win twofer-- we could educate the palate, and "we know that with fish oil, kids would pay attention." Squid used to be one of these ostracized fish, and look, now it's on every menu.

Eating local won't get you no farmed salmon: a law was passed in CA to ban ocean rearing of non-indigeneous species or genetically modified ones. The panel unanimously acknowledges that farming was good for some species (trout, tilapia, catfish, shellfish like clams, oysters and mussels) but not so good for the Atlantic salmon. Salmon is carnivorous, so one has to fish some feed for the salmon farm, a very wasteful idea. Stay away from that farmed stuff.

Of course, warned Zeke, such sound environmental law will be debated by, who else, oil companies, who are trying to get their connections in the administration to allow for pisciculture at the site of their old oil platforms. These are outside state waters, and the oil companies could get out of their leases without removing the platforms, a costly procedure. We know how much Texaco is hurting right now, so there is no doubt they will find a friendly hear in the White House. Zeke pointed out that recreational fishermen in Texas who fish near oil rigs have 60 times the level of mercury in their organs, which is not a good thing. Maybe farming fish there is not such a swell idea.

If someone tries to sell you some organic fish, you must know that there is no USDA certification for fish and seafood. There is no organic seafood in California, and it is illegal to advertise any. Also, be wary of the Marine Stewardship Council label, according to the panel members, all advocates for the little guys -- it is a front from Unilever and other heavy weights of the agroindustry to act virtuous. It's the same as Budweiser telling you not to drink and drive, or Exxon telling you they are investing in clean energies. The MSC label is granted to those who meet only 80% of the label criteria, and once given, the next review is 5 years down the line. Plus, if one wants to bring up a complaint to the Council, one must pony up $3,000, a sure way to curtain dissent from the little people.

The last lesson we'll share with you is that: you must protect the environment, not just prevent overfishing. Damming the San Joaquin river had California shut down the salmon fishery in 1956. Polution in the Klamath bassin this year has strongly reduced the salmon season. Protecting the habitat is a good idea, both for us and for the fish.

Well, actually the very last lesson of the Sustainable Seafood meeting was thus: you can eat some very good fish at Hayes Street Grill, where a fundraiser was being hosted for Slow Food Russian River afterwards. To list: Monterey Bay anchovies, lightly fried and dipped in ailoi; Monterey Bay Calamari, still lukewarm when topping a decadent tomato bruschetta (picture right); a halibut carpaccio with a drizzle of the most flavorous olive oil; a grilled sardine, rich and fresh, with none of the strong taste of the low-rate versions; a buttery-as-hell whole sand dab with just a bit of crisped skin, which was just the best fish we have eaten in a long while; and a white sea bass filet under a butter sauce on a bed of succotash. This was a special menu for the fundraiser, but the sand dabs for instance, fished by panel member Steve Fitz himself, are on the regular menu ($21.95 with French fries). They are sustainable, and they are amazingly delicious.