An article on National Public Radio here in the US describes the efforts of a group to re-establish the sardine as the king of seafood in Monterey, California, home of Cannery Row and John Steinbeck.
The "Sardinistas" are a sardine-loving group that might be best described as green foodies and their aim is to knock off the big three: tuna, salmon and shrimp.
The familiar bogeyman, overfishing, is used to convince consumers to try alternatives: fish like tilapia, barramundi and the lowly sardine.
One up for the Aussies.
The once massive sardine fishery crashed in the mid-1950s but the group claims the Pacific sardine population has now recovered. And they are "packed with protein and vitamin D and lots of omega-3 fatty acids. And since they're low on the food chain, they don't have the organic toxins and heavy metals, like mercury, as the higher food-chain fish do."
They are planning to market a replacement for cans of tuna; cans of sardine meat, minus the bones and head. The group is also working to get local chefs to put fresh sardines on the menu.
Just north of Monterey, the sardine boats are unloading at Moss Landing. In one load, about 40 tonnes of sardines, are pumped into plastic containers on the dock.
And at this point Australia gets a poke in the eye!
About 90 percent of these sardines are headed down under to be used as fish meal for tuna.
