Mussels and sea anemones take center stage at the 4th Meeting of the Seas
The closing day of the congress reiterated the same idea that had driven it from beginning to end, including presentations, visits, and meals: working—consuming, cooking, and researching—with all marine species, focusing on fishing for those species that can best benefit the human body and alleviate global hunger.
The mussel has been and continues to be the subject of research for Galician scientist Uxío Labarta, a marine biologist with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) who has dedicated himself to promoting mussel farming, “our superfood, with a low environmental footprint and high protein content, whose price has not increased in recent years.” Labarta was awarded the Sartún Prize at the closing session of the congress on Thursday.
Another of these superfoods are anemones, which were discussed this Friday by sea anemone collector José Pérez, who denounced the scope and consequences of the Asian algae plague that “has wiped out the sea anemones in Cádiz and could do so to the entire marine biodiversity,” or the myctophids presented by marine biologist Susana Agustí, “the most abundant vertebrate on the planet, which lives between 200 and 1,000 meters deep, and has great nutritional value” but whose fishing “can alter other important cycles of the sea.”
Ángel León, chef of Aponiente *** (El Puerto de Santa María), defended the use and appreciation of bycatch as a means of achieving what he called balance in the sea, speaking at the closing session yesterday. León reviewed his work with these fish and advocated for their consumption, “but not only in restaurants. I want to reach the wider public, so that bycatch is available on supermarket shelves. It will happen in a few years,” he predicted.
The man from Cádiz didn't talk this time about the seaweed he has historically promoted so much. Instead, Nicolai Ellitsgaard, Norwegian chef of the underwater restaurant Under* (Lindesnes), recreated on stage the great biological and gastronomic variety of the Norwegian sea, explaining how he uses his restaurant's structure to allow mollusks and seaweed to grow on it. "In Norway, we don't just have salmon," he said. A large part of his approach is to highlight other species, including seaweed.
The problems of fishing
New possibilities were discussed, such as those offered by aquaculture as an alternative to fishing. Representatives of the aquaculture sector raised their voices at this meeting, urging that these options be valued, as otherwise, “the sector could disappear in two generations.” Julio Morón, director of the Organization of Associated Producers of Large Freezer Tuna Vessels, conveyed the message of the Spanish and European tuna sector: “It is impossible to compete on price with other fleets that do not meet labor or environmental quality standards.” To address this, he pledged to improve communication with the market so that consumers demand the quality and environmental responsibility with which they operate.
Morón concluded his speech by denouncing that the legislation "requires information on everything related to fish sold at fishmongers, but not yet on canned fish. We ask that this be done, so that consumers are better informed when choosing a can."
This year's congress traveled through the provinces of Huelva and Cádiz, from Ayamonte to Chiclana, stopping in Doñana National Park and crossing into Portugal, where a luncheon was held at the Vistas restaurant. In total, 18 activities took place in eight different locations, covering nearly 800 km, and included six lunches and dinners featuring 60 different dishes. Among the chefs who cooked and spoke were Xanty Elías, Juanlu Fernández, Diego Gallegos, Pepe Solla, and Pedrito Sánchez and Ángel León, who cooked together for the first time on Thursday.
