The New York Times Magazine did a piece on the overfishing of bluefin tuna populations to near extinction and cited a correspondence that Ritchie Notar, co-owner of sushi hotspot chain Nobu, had with Greenpeace in 2008.
He offerred what has to be the most historically inaccurate or intentionally deceitful defense for continuing to serve the nearly endangered fish. He basically said he doesn’t want to disrespect Japan’s “centuries” old traditions:
The Japanese have relied on tuna and the bounties of the sea as part of their culture and history for centuries. We are absolutely appreciative of your goals and efforts within your cause, but it goes far beyond just saying that we can just take what has now all of a sudden been declared an ‘endangered’ species off the menu. It has to do with custom, heritage and behavior.
Well that’s culturally sensitive of Nobu, except for one thing, it’s not true. Sushi historian Michiyo Murata notes that tuna wasn’t incorporated into the sushi tradition till about 170 years ago and historically, red meat fish was looked down upon as poor people’s food compared to the more favorable white fish varieties.
170 years is perfectly fine for the establishment of custom and heritage. Admirable though your motives are, if you're going to call *untrue* on someone, it should be defensible. This isn't.
I read the article and I thought Notar's comments regarding "centuries old traditions" referred to the seafood consuming culture in Japan, not specifically sushi.
This is pretty weak.
"The Japanese have relied on tuna and the bounties of the sea as part of their culture and history for centuries"
You're saying that this is not legit because until 170 years ago only poor Japanese would have eaten tuna?
The Japanese have NOT relied on tuna and the bounties of the sea for centuries because the only gauge of said reliance is 1) What rich people eat, 2) How long rich people have been eating it and 3) Whether it is part of the "sushi tradition"?
Further, because of this obviously intentional and unconscionably wicked deception designed to get us all chowing down on some 'nearly endangered' fish like a poor Japanese of something greater than 170 years ago, we should… what? Not get into any business deals with Mr. Notar unless our lawyer and personal sushi historian is present? Not eat at Nobu? Probably won't be a problem on either front.
Thanks for the shocking revelations.
Really weak.
In terms of Bluefin being served at Nobu…I very seriously doubt they are serving Bluefin at all. They are probably serving No.1 or high No 2 grade Big Eye and Yellowfin tuna, but the prized and elusive BlueFin just isn't abundant enough in this market to be on their menu. My experience importing, exporting, grading and selling fresh tuna here on and abroad tell me, they are buying BS from their purveyor most of the time. Unless the chef can actually see the actual fish in the round, where he can see the shape and curve of the fishes neck cavity and gill plate, there scant chance Nobu can be sure they are consistently getting Bluefin. Though many believe that a good deal of high grade tune that is exported to Japan, is just sent back to the high end US market. While this is at times true, the venerated BlueFin rarely makes this storied round trip.
Let's challenge Mr. Notar and ask, how can he be so sure such an elusive and rare fish such as the endangered Atlantic Bluefin Tuna is truly the real deal on being delivered Nobu.
I assure you Nobu actually has Blue Fin tuna. We are his supplier!
@Robert: Wrong, they do serve it. http://www.noburestaurants.com
"Centuries" would indicate at least 200 years
170 years is pretty close to 200
this is a dumb article
with a dumb conclusion
about a very serious issue
way to shoot yourself in the foot
Turco,
No Bluefins=No Bluefins
I agree they offer Bluefin Tuna on the menu, No argument there. I am sure they stand firm in their willingness to assure their customers that it is true Bluefin tuna they are eating.. However, my experience tells me, that it is not uncommon for other species of tuna, like high grade, rich red and fatty Big Eye and/or Yellowfin tuna are often substituted with or without knowledge of the buyer..
Most purveyors deliver tuna loins to their customers, eliminating the chance of visual confirmation that the fish is a true Bluefin. I have personally and sadly seen this occur at the most respected seafood purveryor to top Japanese restaurants on the Eastern Seaboard. Bluefin Tuna is not the only fish that these kind of shenanigans occur. Wild v. Farmed Salmon is one, though not as profitable example, Dry scallops, diver scallops are another example of misleading offerings.
NOAA requiresliicensed Bluefin Tuna dealers to keep a bi-weekly landing and trade report. The low number of Bluefin caught at any given time rarely provide the adequate supply to meet the markets demand. Purveyors, not all, but many take advantage of this to substitute other less expensive tuna to meet the demand and keep other purveyors out of their accounts.
One of the most damaging parts of the Bluefin story is illegal sale of unlicensed Bluefin catch, and these rogue fisherman often selling undersized Bluefin..
I am not a fan of selling Bluefin Tuna. I have great concern for the conditions of our oceans and our fisheries. But I also am believe if Nobu and others restaurants like it consistently told the truth, -We have no Bluefin today-They could realize the facts and conditions regarding the state of the Bluefin fishery are real. They would see that there are very few Bluefins left in the ocean. .
Not to worry….with the Nobu portion sizes this is not an issue. If Nobu was the only Bluefin threat we would have a Bluefin overpopulation issue!!
Ahh, the old "cultural tradition" argument again. Just like the ones supporting bullfighting, dog fighting, female genital mutilation, honor killings, and so many more wonderful cultural traditions.
Debbie:
Right on. Same old boys argument.
Honestly. If you want to continue a tradition of eating Bluefin tuna wouldn't it be smart to maybe cut back on overfishing the species to extinction. It really is the stupidest argument that you can't stop eating because it will disrespect tradition. Ever heard of preserving tradition? Pretty much every culture does it because they fear it will die off. The scientists have spoken. WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF FISH. Either we replenish the stock or we won't ever have a Bluefin food tradition. It'll just be a 170 year old fad. Sad
For the Japanese to consume Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, people must take into account the invention and development of the airplane and Ice/Refridgeration. The Wright Brothers first flight was in 1903, and commercial shipping via Airplane was developed centuries later. Refridgeration began in 1844. There is no way the Japanese began consuming Atlantic Bluefin Tuna due to the lack of means to ship fresh fish from the Atlantic ocean in an expeditious time.
Having lived in Japan for nine years this argument is painfully familiar. It has nothing to do with justification. It is a deflection of criticism.
In a rational society if you learn that a behavior is damaging or wrong you change it. In America we used to smoke tobacco, keep slaves and drink a quart of whiskey a day, but we learned the error of our ways and changed our behavior.