OK, that's not news to most of you, but this is different...I stopped by our local fish monger today to pick up a few shrimp for Sheryl and I to enjoy for dinner and I saw something that horrified me. Now, before anyone hauls me onto the carpet calling me a hypocrite, I do understand that we (I) eat fish and fish products, prvided that their stocks are managed responsibly..When I can, I do go salmon and halibut fishing, not to mention wahoo every trip I make to Bonaire...but...Sheryl and I try to keep abreast of what is happening to fish products and we do, where we see an issue, refrain from purchasing, from either a fish monger or restaurant, species which have been identified as being in trouble....cases in point...we do not eat or order Orange Roughy or Chilean Sea Bass, knowing that both are being heavily overfished, and their populations are dwindling. But what I saw today, I have never seen before and it scares the hell out of me...perhaps I am naive, being from the prairies...maybe someone can enlighten me and tell me that this has been going on for years...today I saw two new species on the menu...triggerfish and parrotfish!!! Again, I do not want to sound like a hypocrite, but it seems to me that some country has had their traditional fish stocks decimated, and are now moving toward the harder-to-catch-in-a-big-bundle species...how can a species, such as the parrotfish, survive mass fishing, traditionally used for the large schooling fish? I am bewildered, perhaps naive...sorry for the rant. By the way, the fillets I saw were tiny..I can't see a parrotfish yielding much meat. Thoughts anyone?

Cam that is pretty bogus. I like you try to stay informed about which fish species to eat (unlike 95% of the people). Refer to Monterey Aquarium for a list of good seafood vs. bad.

Now about the Parrotfish, this sucks on many levels. First its a very limited species, a slow grower, a slow breeder and worse of all catching them would be a nightmare. A hook and bait will not work, so you would have to net them over live coral, oh yea, thats sustainable, one time.

Exactly my thoughts Cecil...if some podunk fish monger on the Canadian prairies can get parrotfish, imagine what it must be like in other centers...if you are right and they are netting over live coral, it isn't good for any fish residing there...I will try to find out what country(s) is/are allowing parrotfish to be caught and sold for export.

Fish cages?

One of our first trips to Bonaire we were walking down the steps by Karpata and a local was gutting a parrotfish. I fell down the stairs and ripped my shin pretty bad!
Very upsetting! Is this allowed on Bonaire?
Cecil thanks for the link.

I hear tell triggerfish is tasty by the locals but I believe parrotfish is poisonous....at least in Florida.

I just couldn't eat something that was so.....beautiful and colorful.

Once in Pompano we were on the pier fishing with the skids and kids, and a tough guy pulled in a yellowtail snapper and slammed it hard on the deck to kill it. It hurt me and I almost went in on him and said something bad in a rage, but thought about the divide between divers and fishermen (being both, here) and talked it out with Larry and the s/kids. It's a thin divide what to respect and let go, and what to respect and keep to eat. Now I know yellowtails are supposed to taste good, but they are my dive buddies so I just couldn't eat one. And one guy caught a barracuda, and I was glad to hear him say they weren't good for eating, and he let it go. Thank goodness.

Timmmmy, I hope they are poisonous, just so people won't eat parrots. Triggers, they're just too cute to eat, and besides, they're kind of blueish. Silvery fish are for eating, unfortunately, but not blue, red, yellow, purple, orange, mixed...y'know. Or that's my take on it, being a fisherwoman and a diver, and one who loves to eat seafood.

Here's a little bit of info on parrotfish from the Miami School of Marine & Atmospheric Science Library

www.rsmas.miami.edu.support/lib/seas/seasQA/QAs/p/parrotfish.html

I could never ever eat a Parrotfish & why?

(Message edited by judytraff on October 8, 2006)

(Message edited by judytraff on October 8, 2006)