“Planet Ocean: tides are changing” – Introducing Invasive Fish Species to the Global Plate

World Ocean Day (#WOD) was originally proposed at the 1992 Earth Summit. The ground-breaking UN Conference on Environment and Development was hosted by Canada’s International Centre for Ocean Development (ICOD) and the Ocean Institute of Canada (OIC) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

It has proven a global success in supporting the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals.

The UN World Oceans Day 2023 theme is “Planet Ocean: tides are changing”. 

This year, the UN is collaborating with indigenous leaders, decision makers, scientists, civil society, private sector executives, celebrities and youth activists for a holistic mission that puts the ocean first. 

AFRICA: Seen & Heard (ASH) share this assignment in our work with indigenous peoples, primarily the unrepresented Ogoni nation in Nigeria’s Niger Delta. The Niger Delta sits directly on the Gulf of Guinea which is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Its ecosystem and fishing industry have been devastated by crude oil pollution.

We strongly support The Sustainable Restaurant Association’s (SRA) 10-point Food Made Good Framework, which evaluates the impact of food service businesses across the three pillars of Sourcing, Society and Environment. 

The SRA recognises the world’s five oceans as the lungs of our planet and an integral part of the biosphere.

Hospitality operators have the power to take a champion position in the protection of the ocean.

Through supply chain management and purchasing decisions, it is possible to influence the sustainable management of marine resources. 

Tackling invasive species

Invasive fish species are defined as a non-native species that deliver negative consequences to their new habitat . Introducing these species to menus can help to  turn the tide on their destructive impact on marine ecosystems.
 
Invasive fish species have been introduced into freshwater environments by many means, from  aquarium fish being dumped by irresponsible owners to amphibians, crustaceans and fish that have been introduced for aquaculture, biological control, improvement of wild stock or sport. In the latter cases, their escape is often accidental.

The impact of invasive fish can be environmentally and socioeconomically devastating. They alter natural environments by introducing pathogens and competing with indigenous species for food and living space. Their devastation of fish stocks also affects communities who are reliant on local fisheries for employment and food security.

Invasive fish species are a major problem in the world’s better accessed Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. 
They have even reached our planet’s newest “named” and most isolated Southern Ocean. 


Serving up sustainable options

Around the world, ASH’s investigation of invasive species and how best to incorporate them into the hospitality sector uncovered that conscientious restaurateurs and buying decision-makers are doing their best to introduce them to menus and the dining public.

Chef Allen Susser is a James Beard award-winning chef who was named “One of the Best 10 Chefs in America” by Food & Wine magazine and was acclaimed for his marine sustainability practices at Chef Allen’s in Aventura.

Since the Miami restaurant closed in 2011 after 25 years of success, Chef Allen has written a number of cook books that have positively changed the way people eat. 

His 2019 title, “Green Fig and Lionfish – Sustainable Caribbean Cooking,” actively influences the paradigm shift required to take invasive fish species from the seabed and warming global waters to fish markets and diners’ plates.

The lionfish problem

Prior to the 1990s, there were no lionfish in the Atlantic Ocean. By 1994, their presence was identified off the Florida coast. During the 2000s they swiftly colonised the USA’s eastern seaboard. By 2014, the lionfish invasion had advanced throughout the Caribbean islands with densities reaching 1,000 per acre. Their numbers have doubled each year since 2010 and they have reached Venezuela and Colombia and moved westward through the Gulf of Mexico. They also threaten Brazil’s coastline. 

Chef Allen – who was first introduced to the species as a catch of the day by local divers whilst working as the consulting chef for Saint Lucia’s Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain hotel resorts – appraised, 

“Not only are they dangerous to fragile ecosystems, they can also inflict an extremely painful sting on humans. Therefore, we need to jump in and put these delicious fish on our dinner plates.” 

He realised that the venomous predators were perfect for ceviche, grilling, sautéing and stewing. Their introduction into his culinary repertoire supported the local community and fed tourists well.

In terms of catching, lionfish are among the most sustainable fish in the world, as they don’t fall for baited hooks or gather in a school; they must be caught with a net or speared.

Beneath their glamourous armour, lionfish have dense fillets and an elastic bite making them an adventurous substitute for endangered North Atlantic white fish species such as cod and grouper across global plates.

In the UK, well-travelled gastropub punters and even the fussiest of children would likely delight in the je nais se quoi of Caribbean beer-battered lionfish or breaded lionfish fingers. Perfect accompanied by sweet potato chips, mushy green pigeon peas and some habanero ketchup!

Giant tiger prawns

On the other side of the Atlantic, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa is a Calabar princess, Nigerian politican and international businesswoman. She was nicknamed “Mama Bakassi” for her role in supporting local communities and resolving conflict during Nigeria and Cameroon’s Bakassi border dispute.

The Bakassi peninsula includes a major fishing ground only comparable to Western Europe’s Scandinavia and Newfoundland in North America.
Senator Ita-Giwa is aware that 20% of fish species within the Cross River basin have marine affinities and could represent intrusive fauna. Understanding the long-term impact this could have on local fish supplies and food culture, she champions sustainable management of edible marine resources.

In 2019, Senator Ita-Giwa launched Echoes of Calabar. Her passion for Nigeria’s regional Calabar and Efik cuisines is delivered to a “wellbeing through fine dining” mission. Branches in Calabar, Cross River State and Victoria Island, Lagos State serve a sophisticated local elite and attract a regular clientele of epicurean expatriate diners. 

One of the most popular delicacies on the menu are the invasive species Penaeus monodon. The giant tiger prawn originated in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and is believed to have migrated to the Gulf of Guinea in the early 1990s.

It has made a permanent home in Nigeria’s coastal waters and become a profitable fixture throughout the nation’s top restaurants.

Kitchen manager Mr. Vincent explained Echoes of Calabar’s intercontinental style and healthy approach when presenting giant Nigerian tiger prawns. 

“We can grill it without any oil and serve with a choice of accompaniments, but for the African way we use it with seafood and okra.

African man always like to chop carbohydrates. (Across Nigerian food cultures, “swallows” of pounded tubers such as yam and cassava are a universal staple. They are rolled into a ball and served as a side accompaniment to regional soups and stews. They are dipped into the sauce, then swallowed.) 

On request we do it with afang (native leaf and assorted meat or fish stew) or edikaikong (Efik waterleaf stew).

It is very popular and at the same time tiger prawns are expensive as well. We order it from a supplier very close to the sea where they are getting it fresh.”

Echoes of Calabar is proud to adhere to the SRA’s Sourcing pillar standards to Source Seafood Sustainably, Support local Fishers and Celebrate Provenance.

Internationally, Nigeria’s wild-caught Tiger Prawns have delivered a steady stream of profits to the most stylish capital city eateries and Michelin-starred restaurants while making a positive impact.

Wild Nigerian Tiger Prawns’ unique selling point is magnified when diners understand that eating them is as much an ecological necessity as an enjoyable luxury. 

The “WOW!” factor of these delectable decapods has provided rich pickings and a strong brand cornerstone at BEAST, London’s “Best Surf and Turf” restaurant since it opened in 2014. 

Built on a legend of searching the world’s land and sea to find the best terroir and most majestic species, Beast’s reputation for sustainably sourcing “nature’s finest flesh” and bringing out its character with the application of flame and fire is well deserved. 

Wild king prawn prepared with lemon, garlic, parsley and chilli celebrates the provenance of Nigerian seafood and has been a popular menu item for many years. Chef Lukasz Bilnik observed, “The size of the prawn is quite impressive. It is 200, sometimes up to 400 grams. I know how invasive species just destroy everything. They move on the bottom of the ocean and just leave a complete desert.

We are helping the ecosystem to reduce the population. In one place it is a delicacy and in another it is an enemy. With the prawns we are about to change the menu; the crab is untouchable.” 

BEAST also harnesses the power of the Barents Sea and takes the invasive Norwegian King Crab (Lithodes maja) from the darkness to shine a gourmet spotlight on its sweet meat. The restaurant’s mission to plunder Norway’s sea bed of its invasive King Crab is a vital step to curb their colonisation of the ocean floor where they reign supreme without any natural predators. 

Paolo explained, “It is available 11 months out of 12. At the moment there is a moulting season so we don’t have King Crab available  for the whole of this month. We will get it back at the beginning of June. Until then we offer native lobster [rather than buy imports]. We prefer to give the possibility to local businesses to make lots of money.”

Wherever you are in the world, World Ocean Day is the ideal time to learn from the example of the chefs and restaurants we have highlighted.
Building brand DNA on the carcasses of the ocean’s most extravagant edible pests could be the making of many struggling food service providers. 

Will you consider taking an active position in the fight against the marine predators destroying our planet’s delicate ecosystems?