Originally Posted by
Cholula
But you bring up an interesting point. Is it legal for a Chinese fishing vessel to fish close enough to the US to catch what they can "legally" call Alaskan Cod? Or maybe there aren't any binding regulations on what you can call Alaskan Cod.
I'm not sure which agency enforces the "Wild Alaskan," er, "appellations" (for lack of a better term), and/or what specific verbiage is protected. I'd investigate, except that I never buy prepackaged/processed fish. My pecking order for good Alaskan fish is thus:
1. Properly cooked and consumed at a good restaurant (no self-respecting Alaskan restaurant serves anything other than fresh Alaskan fish). One of my faves: Simon and Seafort's halibut cheeks, braised in a beurre blanc sauce and served with buttered, sauteed asparagus...mmm...
2. Obtained from generous friends who fish
3. Fresh-frozen at Costco (cheap!)
4. Fresh-frozen at other grocery stores (someday will have to try New Sagaya--they're a bit pricier but probably better than Fred's or Carrs)
5. Caught myself (what can I say...freezing in rainy weather in a boat on choppy seas is NOT my idea of a good time...)
I very, very rarely get past #1 and NEVER get past #2. I can count half of one hand the number if times I've done 3, 4 and 5. (Even #2 is rare, since I rarely cook--hey, I'm a lazy college student...)
I do seem to recall finding out recently that a lot of Alaskan-caught fish is processed in Asia. Apparently, it's cheaper to ship it over and process it there and ship it back because of the much lower cost of labor. I believe it's still caught in Alaskan waters and by Alaskan fishermen, though, but I'm FAR from an expert in these matters...
Surely there's an FTer around who commercial fished at one point in his/her life and knows the industry and procedure...?