In the crowded kitchen of Sushi Samba’s high-volume restaurant on Miami Beach’s swank and sexy Lincoln Road, fish is on the frying pan and the BP oil spill is in the air.
Because inside the Sushi Samba Group’s 7 kitchens and raw bars– including New York, Chicago and Las Vegas–the impact of the Gulf oil spill is right there in the ice pile, where the Oysters keep cool.
“We have changed the oysters,” says executive chef Juliana Gonzalez. “We’re not getting them from there (the Gulf of Mexico.) We’re getting them from Washington, California and Canada.”
The National Fisheries Institute rates the effect of of the ongoing oil spill as “severe” and “devastating.” This is limiting what seafood consumers can eat and what seafood suppliers can get. According to the Institute, Gulf-harvested oysters represent 70% of the nation’s domestic supply. Gulf-caught shrimp also account for 70% of the US catch. Supplies of both are down dramatically, with the price of Gulf shrimp now 50-percent more expensive; Gulf oysters are 30-percent pricier now.
As a result, Red Lobster Restaurants are removing oysters from their menus when the chain’s current supply of Gulf oysters is fully depleted, which is expected in mid-July.
In order to keep restaurant and consumer supplies abundant and affordable, many large seafood distributors are replacing where they shop. So, when it comes to shrimp, Asia now becomes a bigger player. However, seafood experts warn that when you get certain Asian shrimp, they can be smaller than what you’re used to.
And another fish is also in the oil spill zone of concern: the Atlantic Blue Fin Tuna. Already overfished–thanks to sushi lovers around the world–the fish’s low population may be being further depleted. Scientists are studying the impact the oil spill is having in 1 of only 2 Blue Fin Tuna spawning grounds in the world (the other is the Mediterranean Sea.)
This week, Vice President Joe Biden and several world-reknowned New Orleans Chefs reminded everyone that, yes, NOAA, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration has closed off about 30% of the Gulf of Mexico to fishing, but that 70% of the Gulf remains open and safe to eat.
“There’s good, inspected seafood here. So we realize it’s not all doom and gloom,” said Chef John Folse.
But for many Americans, this oil spill connotates nothing but doom and gloom.
When it comes to Gulf of Mexico seafood right now, public perception remains a big part of the issue.