The Oil Spill... (Part 2)

Well as predicted, it was worse and is worse than predicted. Well that is no surprise, what is disturbing is what ever seafood is harvested... even crawfish (a freshwater creature) is being questioned by the dumb people... and apparently there are lots of really dumb people around. I'm just saying... why would anybody buy tainted anything? I wonder how much seafood comes from China... Hmmm, think that is better? It may be cheaper.

Another frustration I have is the photographers. I know only the most dramatic photos make it to print, I get that, but surely if the photographer sees a animal drowning or flapping around covered in oil, maybe he/she ought to help. But then again, maybe it is all about a bunch of nothing. Or maybe it is a bit of grandstanding by a politician.



So what I think is being shaped by the medias of the world, which makes me wonder because now unless I actually go down there, I won't have an honest to goodness opinion of what is happening, I'll have an honest to goodness opinion on what the news is reporting, but that is about it...

Meanwhile I actually am scheduled to go to New Orleans in July, but I doubt I will be anywhere near the coast. I will eat crawfish, no matter what the dummies think.

Crabfest A No-Go

For the last five years I have always gone to the Soft Shell Crab Fest in Port Royal. I had every intention to go this year. Until rain got in the way. I was bummed. I love me some soft shelled crab. So what to do?

I call the Bluffton Oyster Company and order up some soft shelled crab and shrimp and oysters too... plus some cod for my wife (she doesn't eat shell fish, even though I've tried to convince her otherwise). I fry it up and, for about the same price I get to add oysters and shrimp and some fish into the mix. Sometimes you can't bring the man to the mountain, so you're forced to bring the mountain to the man... or in my case, the festival indoors, to my house.

BlueGill

I've tried taking pictures, but it just doesn't work, at least not yet. Basically I've gone fishing in the back yard for the last few days. And believe it of not, I have caught a few. It's all pretty much bluegill which are pretty easy to catch, and a always throw them back but it's good, cheap fun, and it helps me take my mind off things for a little while.



My daughter (the older one) caught the biggest fish, and was resigned to let it die... because she wasn't going to touch that thing. I explained to her that if you are "man" enough to pull something out of the water, she had better be fully prepared for any and all circumstances. It didn't work (my speech) but we did eventually get the fish back in the water.

Grand Isle

When I was a young child… between the ages of say 4 and 11 we used to go to Grand Isle. Just getting there was an adventure, but even when we got there, it was still maybe a mile or so to the Lafourche rocks. It was about 110 miles from our house to what I would like to say is the fishing Mecca of the world. Driving past sugar cane fields and shrimp boats, it was a trip I liked and hated at the same time.

It was a rock jetty, and it was unlike anything else in the world there. You could catch red fish, mackerel, white and speckled trout, mullet, and drum, not to mention catfish, or flounder, or shrimp and crabs. It was a fisherman’s paradise. In fact there were some people that fished for shark there too.

We would get there early in the morning, my father would get us up and half the time we’d quickly fall asleep in the car again. And we practically had the place to ourselves, now my grandma used to have a camp in Cocodrie that was also nice… but before my time… anyway I always felt like we were going though a lot of trouble to get to this place; we had better make the best of it. Even my brother would tease me less going out there, than he would other times… we were on a mission.

We had crab lines to put out, and things the setup, and sand castles to build (I guess it wasn’t all work). My dad always stopped at the ice house and the grocery store along the way to get ice, food and drink, and chicken necks for the crab line. We would have two sticks usually two net poles and a string running between them. Every so often we’d have a neck and we would check it every 5-10 minutes. By the end of the day, we’d have at least one, maybe two ice chests full of crab. We would go out there with about 4 or 5.

One time my dad brought his trawl and boat with him, he never did get the boat out there, but did manage to pull the trawl by hand… that day we were giving everybody there some shrimp, because we simply could not take it all. The funny thing is, I thought this was how it was everywhere, so I really didn’t think twice about it. No mercury poisoning, no regulators, no limits. It was just fishing. I didn’t know how good I had it.

We eventually moved away from Louisiana, and Grand Isle, and never even came close to the success we had there. In fact I’ll tell my greatest fishing story, which had me perched up on the rocks, just fishing (we took breaks in-between fishing, to swim and what not… yes in the very same waters that some people were catching sharks in… felt plenty of “things” brush up, or even knock you down… freaks me out now… but not then), so anyway, my attempt was half hearted at best, but I did hit something (because really, one or two casts was all you needed) and boy oh boy was I in for a fight.

All I had was a Zebco 202 “Snoopy” pole and it was quickly becoming a pretzel. In fact the reel really didn't want to pull whatever was on the other end so I had to resort to an old fisherman's trick. Pull up and on the descend to pull up again reel it in. This was something that deep sea fisherman do, not Zebco Snoopy poles. The reel was literally whining as the fish came closer and closer. I almost fell in the water, because the fish really was a fighter. Eventually I won out, and my dad even took my picture with the fish, a sheepshead. The thing was big, I don't really know how big, and we would have simply thrown it back but it was a moment of pride, especially for my dad. It a very bony fish, not good eating, but we brought it home and my mom cooked it anyway. I'll have to dig around and find the picture, it really was big... maybe even record. lol

An Update to Yesterday’s Post Concerning Local Seafood

A friend of mine recently contacted the South Carolina Seafood Alliance and passed along some additional pertinent info that deserves public exposure. The most shocking is that 83% of the seafood we eat, comes from waters not our own. Not only are we missing out on local and fresh “taste”, we’re contributing to the downfall of our local seafood industry by not supporting it.

State House Bill H 3028. If enacted it will provide for punishment to those that misrepresent the identity of food or food product that is served. Call or write your representative and tell them food origination and integrity is important to you.

Here’s a link to The SC Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative. This is another organization that seeks to promote good business practices while promoting a healthy environment for local businesses and wildlife. Look for the restaurant list that identifies local establishments who support sustainable local seafood.

The South Carolina Seafood Alliance (SCSA) is working with the South Carolina Department of Agriculture to certify sellers of local seafood and have them display the new "SC Brand." Look for this label as a sign of assurance for a quality local food product.

**EDIT**

Just because a business claims to support local seafood doesn't mean you can shop or order without worry. I noticed a local eatery on the "good restaurant" list and yet their menu is almost completely devoid of any local fair. As always, buyer beware.

South Carolina's Dirty Little Secret.

Fresh local seafood (with the exception of oysters and maybe some shrimp) is a farce in South Carolina. The way the state regulates commercial fishing and game fish designators makes it nearly impossible to obtain fresh locally harvested seafood, unless of course, you go out and pull it from the water yourself. In fact, the majority of “fresh seafood” one would find at a market here is of the same quality (and origination) that one would find in say Kansas City or Denver… which is to say, from foreign waters (farmed or otherwise) from a delivery truck, empirically not a local fisherman’s net.

If you’ve been to any of the higher priced establishments around Beaufort County you’ve probably noticed fancy wording for otherwise ordinary fish. This is not just for the air of sophistication; it likely has a lot to do with the fact that the ordinary (aka local) version of the very same fish is not available commercially. Case in point: An area restaurant sells “Dorado” (for almost $30 a plate). Dorado is the South American import version of Dolphin fish or mahi-mahi (all are the same fish by the way). 30 bucks for some frozen South American fish? How fresh is that?

Some restaurants claim to “specialize in fresh local seafood” but that’s a far cry from guaranteeing the locality (maybe one dish on the menu entails local oysters or shrimp) and is misleading at best. At any rate most seafood restaurants are banking on customers assuming that since they are located close to the water, therefore must have fresh and/or local seafood… which in actuality is not the case at all.

That’s not to say the area is devoid of tasty seafood fair, but my point is just because you’re this close to the water doesn’t mean you’re getting fish from that same water, which is a damn shame.

There’s a glimmer of hope. The backlash from cheap Chinese imports has caused outright bans and brought prominence to quality local shrimp.

It’s time we demand better. Make informed food choices and assume nothing. Ask for local seafood from your food server or fishmonger.

For more info checkout the South Carolina seafood Alliance.