[Tinned fish opened and plated inside DECANTsf bar]
Simi Grewal (interview): “We are operating as a bar without a kitchen license. So one of the great easy solutions to that conundrum is definitely the tinned fish idea. This is a concept that’s been around in Europe for hundreds of years but is really new here in the US.”
[Opening and eating tinned fish inside DECANTsf bar]
Simi Grewal (interview): “Definitely here in the US, we’ve always had this idea that tin fish is not an elegant food, and a lot of that is because what we were getting here in the supermarkets was kind of just smelly, not super great quality, not being fished sustainably, which are all really important things.”
[Cannery Row]
[Fish canning exhibit inside Monterey Bay Aquarium]
John Field (interview): “The catches that were perhaps sustainable during that period of high productivity, were not sustainable when conditions cooled in the 40s and 50s, and in the combination of a lack of reduction of harvest rates and catches, that led to the crash of the California sardine.”
[Sardine display inside Monterey Bay Aquarium]
John Field (interview): “These fisheries can be very sustainable. Most of the animals that are tinned tend to be low trophic level species, really rich in omega-3 fatty acids so they’re good sustainable sources of protein and good things to eat.”
[Chef making tinned fish sandwich on deck of her boat house]
Maria Finn (interview): “It’s a really great way to eat dynamically, sustainably and quite frankly, they look good on a little charcuterie platter. So we can thank some of the high-end restaurants for that.”
[Anchovy platter]
Maria Finn (interview): “So if we can eat down the food chain, it’s better for the ocean and it’s also good to be better for your health. You’re going to have fewer contaminants, PCBs.”
[Tinned fish on shelves for take home purchase inside DECANTsf bar]
Simi Grewal (interview): “I think this trend is here to stay. And I think the more and more people discover it and realize how much variety is out there, it’s just getting stronger and stronger and even more so. There are more domestic producers coming up now as well. And so I think that’s a sign that the cultural shift is happening and it’s going to be here to stay for a while.”
[FishWife brand tinned fish placed into boxes at packing facility]
Becca Millstein (interview): “From our first year in business in 2021 to our second year, the business grew 250%, and this year we’re on track to grow 150%.”
[Boxes of FishWife tinned fish]
Becca Millstein (interview): “Tinned fish really does sort of sit at the nexus of all of the growing consumer trends. So, you know, interest in ready to eat meals, interest in very healthy meals, high protein and interest in sustainability. So those are all rapidly ascending consumer trends and tinned fish really speaks to all of them.”
[FishWife brand tinned fish placed into boxes at packing facility]
This script was provided by The Associated Press.