The Catch
DINING
The Catch
As the WWF’s Sustainable Seafood Festival kicks off (June 8), we ask how Singapore is doing with protecting the oceans. By Samantha David
S
ingaporeans consume approximately 140 million kilos of seafood each year, more than 90 percent of it is imported and most of it comes from countries like Indonesia and the Philippines, home to delicate ecosystems—making the issue of sustainable seafood very relevant to us. The buzzword has been in and out of the news the past few years, mostly in relation to anti-shark fin campaigns like Shark Savers’ I'm FINished with FINS and hotels like the Hilton removing all shark-related products from their menus. But actively going after sustainably sourced seafood is another matter, and the WWF’s week-long event brings to light difficulties restaurants face making it an all-year business decision.
Bottom of the Food Chain
to believe the same could happen for seafood, especially Ivan Brehm, executive head chef of Bacchanalia (23A when we see places like Tanjong Beach Club (120 Coleman St., 6509-1453, www.bacchanalia.asia). First and foremost, it seems that there Tanjong Beach Walk, 6270-1355, www.tanjongbeachclub. Some restaurants forgo certification and try and just isn’t enough of the good stuff com) working with The Naked Finn (#01-13 Gillman do their part in other ways. The Cajun Kings (15-1 available from suppliers for chefs to get Barracks, 41 Malan Rd., 6694-0807, www.nakedfinn. Jalan Riang, 6284-4426, www.thecajunkings.sg) serves their hands on, says Francois Mermilliod, com) coming up with a sustainable seafood menu for a Dungeness crabs which are caught in the US and Canada head chef of French restaurant Absinthe Francois barbecue special in June. Fingers crossed that more will only if they’re a certain size and released back into the (72 Boat Quay, 6222-9068, www.absinthe. Mermilliod follow in their footsteps. ocean if they are females, in order to maintain healthy sg). The restaurant is participating in the Ultimately, and this might sound obvious, it population growth. Julien Royer, the chef de cuisine WWF festival, but Mermilliod adds that it’s hard to serve comes down to the consumer. “Consumers at JAAN (70/F Equinox Complex, Swissôtel The sustainable seafood all year round. “Another challenge are reluctant to pay more for sustainable Stamford, 2 Stamford Rd., 6837-3322, www.jaan. is the price. Some sustainably sourced ingredients do seafood if they don't understand what makes com.sg), sources less endangered options like come at a higher price, but I feel that the more chefs and it different, like whether the fish was wild diver scallops, line-caught fish, prawns, king consumers support sustainability, the more economical caught or farmed, if it tastes any better, and salmon, oysters and seabass grouper. and accessible it will get.” so on,” says Wee Teng Wen, managing partner But that’s not enough, according to Elaine When it comes to the price differences, like you, we’d of The Lo & Behold Group (which owns Tanjong Tan, CEO of WWF Singapore. “It is definitely a good like more exact figures. But pricing, it appears, is a strange Wee Teng Wen Beach Club). “I believe wild caught seafood step for a business to start questioning where their game with lots of backend politics. We tried to get two generally tastes better as they have more room seafood comes from and how it is caught. However, chefs to talk about numbers, but neither would comment, to move, improving both taste and texture, [and] I don't the certification program also looks into issues like the apparently not wanting to upset suppliers. think wild-caught seafood necessarily means that it's not health of the wild population of the species, if sustainable.” there is quota management in place to ensure Paperwork & Red Tape The sustainable choice will be more expensive and we are not taking out more than is sustainable Perhaps more than with organic produce, the may or may not be more delicious. But the principle still from the ecosystem and if the harvest method certification process for sustainable seafood is remains: if there is no demand, restaurants won’t have causes any harm to the marine ecosystem. complicated, also preventing industry players enough incentive to invest in sustainably sourced seafood With the international seafood supply chain so from getting on board. For a restaurant to be and prices will continue to remain sky high. With this one complex, it can be difficult for a purchaser and certified as one serving sustainable seafood, they week festival, WWF hopes to give restaurants a chance to consumer to establish these facts.” Ivan Brehm must only purchase produce that is certified. “These test the waters, serving only sustainably sourced seafood are not as easy to find as one would think, and Where to Eat from their suppliers. Will the response be better than quality of ingredients [and] variety are not [criteria] that Organic produce had a slow start in Singapore, too, though expected? We sure hope so. Get out there, people! guarantee a company or farmer their certification,” says it’s becoming much easier to find now. So we’re willing The Sustainable Seafood Festival takes place June 8 to 15. To find out more about the campaign and participating restaurants, visit picktherightcatch.com. Tanjong Beach Club’s event will take place later this year. For updates, follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tanjongbeachclub.
Sinful Seafood No matter how yummy they seem, stay away from these five favorites.
14
I‑S MAGAZINE FRIDAY, june 6, 2014
Bluefin tuna
Shark
Chilean seabass
Flower crab
Tiger prawns
Farmed or wild-caught, Bluefin tuna is severely overfished.
An estimated 80 percent of shark species that are caught are endangered.
Only choose it if it has an MSC-certified label, or if it comes from South Georgia in the UK, Australia or New Zealand.
The uncontrolled fishing methods used by small fisheries in the South China Sea are causing the population to deplete rapidly.
To make way for tiger prawn farms in Indonesia and Thailand, mangrove forests are cleared, which in turn affects other species.
The Catch
As the WWF’s Sustainable Seafood Festival kicks off (June 8), we ask how Singapore is doing with protecting the oceans. By Samantha David
S
ingaporeans consume approximately 140 million kilos of seafood each year, more than 90 percent of it is imported and most of it comes from countries like Indonesia and the Philippines, home to delicate ecosystems—making the issue of sustainable seafood very relevant to us. The buzzword has been in and out of the news the past few years, mostly in relation to anti-shark fin campaigns like Shark Savers’ I'm FINished with FINS and hotels like the Hilton removing all shark-related products from their menus. But actively going after sustainably sourced seafood is another matter, and the WWF’s week-long event brings to light difficulties restaurants face making it an all-year business decision.
Bottom of the Food Chain
to believe the same could happen for seafood, especially Ivan Brehm, executive head chef of Bacchanalia (23A when we see places like Tanjong Beach Club (120 Coleman St., 6509-1453, www.bacchanalia.asia). First and foremost, it seems that there Tanjong Beach Walk, 6270-1355, www.tanjongbeachclub. Some restaurants forgo certification and try and just isn’t enough of the good stuff com) working with The Naked Finn (#01-13 Gillman do their part in other ways. The Cajun Kings (15-1 available from suppliers for chefs to get Barracks, 41 Malan Rd., 6694-0807, www.nakedfinn. Jalan Riang, 6284-4426, www.thecajunkings.sg) serves their hands on, says Francois Mermilliod, com) coming up with a sustainable seafood menu for a Dungeness crabs which are caught in the US and Canada head chef of French restaurant Absinthe Francois barbecue special in June. Fingers crossed that more will only if they’re a certain size and released back into the (72 Boat Quay, 6222-9068, www.absinthe. Mermilliod follow in their footsteps. ocean if they are females, in order to maintain healthy sg). The restaurant is participating in the Ultimately, and this might sound obvious, it population growth. Julien Royer, the chef de cuisine WWF festival, but Mermilliod adds that it’s hard to serve comes down to the consumer. “Consumers at JAAN (70/F Equinox Complex, Swissôtel The sustainable seafood all year round. “Another challenge are reluctant to pay more for sustainable Stamford, 2 Stamford Rd., 6837-3322, www.jaan. is the price. Some sustainably sourced ingredients do seafood if they don't understand what makes com.sg), sources less endangered options like come at a higher price, but I feel that the more chefs and it different, like whether the fish was wild diver scallops, line-caught fish, prawns, king consumers support sustainability, the more economical caught or farmed, if it tastes any better, and salmon, oysters and seabass grouper. and accessible it will get.” so on,” says Wee Teng Wen, managing partner But that’s not enough, according to Elaine When it comes to the price differences, like you, we’d of The Lo & Behold Group (which owns Tanjong Tan, CEO of WWF Singapore. “It is definitely a good like more exact figures. But pricing, it appears, is a strange Wee Teng Wen Beach Club). “I believe wild caught seafood step for a business to start questioning where their game with lots of backend politics. We tried to get two generally tastes better as they have more room seafood comes from and how it is caught. However, chefs to talk about numbers, but neither would comment, to move, improving both taste and texture, [and] I don't the certification program also looks into issues like the apparently not wanting to upset suppliers. think wild-caught seafood necessarily means that it's not health of the wild population of the species, if sustainable.” there is quota management in place to ensure Paperwork & Red Tape The sustainable choice will be more expensive and we are not taking out more than is sustainable Perhaps more than with organic produce, the may or may not be more delicious. But the principle still from the ecosystem and if the harvest method certification process for sustainable seafood is remains: if there is no demand, restaurants won’t have causes any harm to the marine ecosystem. complicated, also preventing industry players enough incentive to invest in sustainably sourced seafood With the international seafood supply chain so from getting on board. For a restaurant to be and prices will continue to remain sky high. With this one complex, it can be difficult for a purchaser and certified as one serving sustainable seafood, they week festival, WWF hopes to give restaurants a chance to consumer to establish these facts.” Ivan Brehm must only purchase produce that is certified. “These test the waters, serving only sustainably sourced seafood are not as easy to find as one would think, and Where to Eat from their suppliers. Will the response be better than quality of ingredients [and] variety are not [criteria] that Organic produce had a slow start in Singapore, too, though expected? We sure hope so. Get out there, people! guarantee a company or farmer their certification,” says it’s becoming much easier to find now. So we’re willing The Sustainable Seafood Festival takes place June 8 to 15. To find out more about the campaign and participating restaurants, visit picktherightcatch.com. Tanjong Beach Club’s event will take place later this year. For updates, follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tanjongbeachclub.
Sinful Seafood No matter how yummy they seem, stay away from these five favorites.
14
I‑S MAGAZINE FRIDAY, june 6, 2014
Bluefin tuna
Shark
Chilean seabass
Flower crab
Tiger prawns
Farmed or wild-caught, Bluefin tuna is severely overfished.
An estimated 80 percent of shark species that are caught are endangered.
Only choose it if it has an MSC-certified label, or if it comes from South Georgia in the UK, Australia or New Zealand.
The uncontrolled fishing methods used by small fisheries in the South China Sea are causing the population to deplete rapidly.
To make way for tiger prawn farms in Indonesia and Thailand, mangrove forests are cleared, which in turn affects other species.
