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Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Just heard on our TV news that cheap fish from the polluted Mekong River being sold here in NZ...

A sunset on the Mekong River.Image via Wikipedia
 
Just heard on our TV news that most of the fish sold in New Zealand for fish and chips comes from Vietnam. It is called Basa. It is a cheap quality catfish grown in the Mekong River - one of the dirtiest and polluted rivers in Asia, and maybe the world.



Unfortunately it is cheap quality budget valued fish that suits a depressed economic market. It has been described as tasteless with almost no smell. Most of our supermarkets are stocking the fish. Many of our fishing boats are tied up because the New Zealand hoki is not being sold in the supermarkets here.



A blind taste test resulted in nearly all of the tasters selecting the hoki. One customer became nauseated and was unwell for three days after eating the so-called Basa fish.



There is really something fishy down here in New Zealand, and it smells too! A bit of corruption perhaps, some graft and backhanders along the line? Much of the fish has been sold without a country of origin sticker. I bet that will change after the publicity on television here - something just fifty years old here too!


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