Fish Friday: Consider (the future of) the Oyster

Sourcing sustainably for a growing business and healthy ocean
By Patrick McMurray
So where do we go from here? We, as humans are great at eating everything we come across. We are at the top of the food chain, and without checking ourselves, we will consume everything – the collapse of the Northern Atlantic cod fishery is a lamentable example. Gone but not forgotten are the days when the fishermen of the North Atlantic thought that cod was an “endless fishery”. Not any longer.
There is a greater consciousness these days of what we eat, who gets it, and how it is harvested or grown, and even how it is delivered to us – no matter where we are.
Part of my job at Starfish is sourcing the ingredients that we use daily, from apples to New Zealand wine. I have the last say to what we serve, which is a strange but significant responsibility. If I wanted to, I could serve mass-produced value added vacuum packed foodstuffs and factory farmed meats and fish. But I don’t.

Noooo, I had to pick oysters – one of the hardest things to understand how to source and sell. Toronto does not have any “local water” – ocean water that is – so we got good at sourcing and importing oysters. And with that knowledge of finding the oysters, came the fish.
It would be easy to use fish that everyone knows and loves to eat all the time. Cod, swordfish, tuna, salmon. If we only showed those choices, we would drain the oceans of fish faster than I can shuck oysters. I choose to serve smaller, lesser known varieties of fish, balanced out with well-known sustainable wild or aquaculture fish.

Luckily, finding great sustainable seafood today is not as hard as it sounds. It just takes a little research and trust. Research is what I’m doing all the time, to find the best products for my restaurants. Now there are great systems and groups that aid in my sourcing. Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, OceanWise and MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) are great sources for information and can help point you in the right direction. Over the years, I’ve come to trust the research these bodies put forth and balance that with the fishers and product I know my customers will like. Customers trust me when it comes to the oyster choices I offer, and they are not surprised when my fish matches the shells.
Why does all of this work? For me, it is exciting and fun to show people new products and tastes from across Canada and around the world. Without knowing it, most folks leave Starfish having learned something about the food they choose and the reason I bring it in. Sustainability is all about my children’s children. I want to leave this place in better shape than I found it, one oyster at a time. Hopefully, future generations will have an ocean of possibilities when it comes to seafood choices.