The Boston Globe: After marketing killed the Chilean Sea Bass, it seemed no other fish was waiting to replace it as a ubiquitous, mild-flavored, un-overcookable presence on menus around the world. Until now. Meet the Next Big Fish: the barramundi — “which means ‘fish with big scales’ in an aboriginal dialect, or Lates calcarifer, if you’re speaking Latin at home.” Evolved off the coast of Australia, it’s now being farmed in the Berkshires. This in-depth article provides an excellent overview of the pros and cons of aquaculture versus overfishing, among other things. [Via Edible Nation]
Minneapolis Star-Tribune: An editorial hopes that the new Farm Bill will heed the recommendations of the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and other groups that serve the broad public interest. The Star-Trib’s editors write: “Lawmakers should bear in mind a current and broader set of public goals: economic stability in rural America, fiscal restraint, clean water and healthy land.”
Salon.com*: How the World Works columnist Andrew Leonard ruminates on the impact of the WTO’s decision on the feud between the U.S. and the European Union over the latter’s blockade against genetically modified organisms. While European consumers are still turning up their noses at GM food, the decision opens the door to “Frankenfuels,” or GM energy crops. Will there be a market for them?
Crain’s New York Business: New York, fresh from its trans fat ban, is considering banning foie gras, thanks to New York City Council member Alan Gerson. [DQ opines: It would be nice if any politician had the Rocky Mountain oysters to do something truly useful for animal-rights in this country, such as, say, extending protection to the 9 billion chickens excluded by humane-slaughtering laws. The handful of U.S. duck farmers obviously haven’t been making big enough campaign contributions.]
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