Was flake illegal in NSW?

[Franco Cozzo]

I've heard rumours that flake was illegal in NSW due to its mercury content.

Is this true? Or is this Chinese whispers.

[Yellow_Festiva]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flake_(fish)

Sent from my LG-M700 using Tapatalk

[Raptor]

Some truth, but not the whole story;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flake_(fish)

During the late 1960s it became apparent that larger individuals of several shark species were contaminated with high levels of heavy metals, particularly mercury, and a public outcry eventually led to a ban on the sale of large school sharks in 1972, which remained in effect until 1985.

[EDIT] Doh, too slow :(

[aussiblue]

I think it's flake news.

[Craig@AUDI]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

I think it's flake news.

[roKWiz]

There I was thinking he was talking about a chocolate bar.

[Franco Cozzo]

Thanks all - we should have an AFF general knowledge trivia team

[roKWiz]

On the fish thing, how come it used to be illegal to sell flathead tails once but now every man and his dog sell them.

[Bossxr8]

My first thought when reading the topic was metal flake paint, and I was thinking why the hell would that be illegal.

[Raptor]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

My first thought when reading the topic was metal flake paint, and I was thinking why the hell would that be illegal.

Ha, me too. Then I thought that'd be right in NSW

Distracting to other drivers, dazzles the speed/phone camera's making detection harder. Bloody nanny state

Then I thought nah, he mentioned mercury, he's talking about fish'n'chip shop flake (shark)



.

[FairmontGS]

I don't know about it being illegal but it's been some time since I've seen it offered and when it is it's prohibitively expensive. Most of the stuff at the local chippie is Dory, Blue Eye or from Vietnam.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by FairmontGS

I don't know about it being illegal but it's been some time since I've seen it offered and when it is it's prohibitively expensive. Most of the stuff at the local chippie is Dory, Blue Eye or from Vietnam.

It's all over Vic, it's the 'standard' fish and chip shop battered fish

Mind you fish and chips isn't really on my radar when I'm out and about so I don't actively seek it out.

I don't think I've ever had anything else other than flake, except once in Brisbane at Clayfield seafood markets, that was the best fish and chips I've ever had.

I think the bar for fish and chip shops is pretty low, nothing has overly stood out except two experiences - Cornell's Blue Fin in Blairgowrie on the Mornington Peninsula (who wouldn't let me and my mates eat inside because they had a dress code - WTF?!) and Clayfield seafood markets who didn't seem so judgemental on the attire.

[mick taylor]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

It's all over Vic, it's the 'standard' fish and chip shop battered fish

Mind you fish and chips isn't really on my radar when I'm out and about so I don't actively seek it out.

I don't think I've ever had anything else other than flake, except once in Brisbane at Clayfield seafood markets, that was the best fish and chips I've ever had.

I think the bar for fish and chip shops is pretty low, nothing has overly stood out except two experiences - Cornell's Blue Fin in Blairgowrie on the Mornington Peninsula (who wouldn't let me and my mates eat inside because they had a dress code - WTF?!) and Clayfield seafood markets who didn't seem so judgemental on the attire.

I come from QLD 1960's and people would come up from down south and talk about this flake = Small shark and I was like you southerners eat crap fish bro who would bother to eat shark I thought because it has no scales and us Jews do not eat such rubbish, the main thing with such is that the skin is the problem as such fish regardless rots, it goes off and sets off the flesh real fast. you can not eat the rubbish unless it's fresh caught and don't eat the skin at all.
I first ate this flak in 1985 I think, in QLD and it was real nice but it was real fresh, but down south I have always found that real fresh fish is really hard to come by and the flak down their was crap as is all sea food.

I moved down to Brisbane and the Gold Coast in 1988 and all the sea food is crap, shocking rubbish ! the Lobster is rubbish ! you name it, it's all crap and cost way too much.
A mate from up north came down to Suffers Parasite and had a fit, I said that's the way that it is down here, he did not believe me and went up the management and totally ranted about it all

Fresh fish is best and the best I have eaten was a red emperor caught and eaten for breaky within a hour in alfoil on the sand of woody island beach with nothing added but the plain fish on it's own and that way you are tasting the fish and you only add things to fish because it's crap fish.

[Franco Cozzo]

I'm not actually a fan of seafood, canned tuna in oil and flake from a fish and chip shop is about my limitations with what comes out of the ocean.

Convenience is about the only reason I'd give it a crack, wouldn't order seafood from a restaurant menu.

Interesting the comments about seafood down here being crapola, maybe that's why? Never really liked any of it.

[guzzis3]

I thought the decline in flake availability and rising prices was because they improved fishing techniques reducing bycatch ?

I ate it regularly in NSW in the 70's and 80's but maybe is was small sharks ?

Orange roughy is the nicest of the mild white fish, but they live around oceanic undersea mountains and it was fished out long ago. The only commercial fishery now is NZ and it's pretty expensive. Sold as sea perch but sometimes they substitute inferior species... coral trout is worth a look. I refuse to eat garbage fish like hoki nile perch and cod.

[guzzis3]

I think you are generalising.

I lived in sidinee for 30 years. You can find good fish but yes some of it is rubbish.

Good fresh fish in SEQ is harder to find than in sydney. Most customers don't seem to know the difference.

When we visited NZ I was really shocked at the seafood. They must export all the good stuff. They were all eating Hoki and thought it was alright!

I'm indifferent to seafood. Don't love nor hate it. If it was the same price as chicken or beef i'd eat it more often but the $ and the hassle of finding decent fresh fish I just can't be bothered.

[aussiblue]

Bear in mind:

a) Australia does not produce enough wild caught fish (and at this point even enough wild caught and farmed fish) to meet domestic demand; and
b) Places like China and Japan are prepared to pay more for high quality and premium wild caught seafood (like Rock Lobster) than Australians so most of this is exported.
c) a significant percentage of the world's fish production also goes into things like, fishing bait, fertiliser, medications, cosmetics, pet food (pets dogs, pet cats and pet fish) and farmed fish food.

[mick taylor]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

Bear in mind:

a) Australia does not produce enough wild caught fish (and at this point even enough wild caught and farmed fish) to meet domestic demand; and
b) Places like China and Japan are prepared to pay more for high quality and premium wild caught seafood (like Rock Lobster) than Australians so most of this is exported.
c) a significant percentage of the world's fish production also goes into things like, fishing bait, fertiliser, medications, cosmetics, pet food (pets dogs, pet cats and pet fish) and farmed fish food.

What I seen of it in the 1980's was that the Japs were netting all our fish from the other side of Fraser Island and right up the coast and our mob were s-it on by our Federal Government, not to mention still are being shafted.

[Steve FGXG6E]

I’m pretty sure it was QLD that put a hold on small short sale, excluding black tip. Manly due to the cheap flake undercutting the northern fisheries, hence mixed reef fish was used more commonly in chip shops than flake

[aussiblue]

What I seen of it in the 1980's was that the Japs were netting all our fish from the other side of Fraser Island and right up the coast and our mob were s-it on by our Federal Government, not to mention still are being shafted.

There are two major factor that make Australia have much less fish abundance than other continents:

a) we have a much narrower and less expansive continental shelf; and
b) our waters are fed a much much lower level of nutrients as we a mostly comparatively desert like continent with few permanently running rivers carrying nutrients to the sea (and seem determined to make that worse by killing the few we have). Our waters are comparatively nutrients poor; and no adding fertiliser run-off to rivers from farming does not improve things (they are not nutrients edible by fish).

In essence we have more water than most but with very much less fish densities.

Foreign fishing (illegal or legal) while still an issue, is very much less so for Australia as, unlike most other countries, for the most part we do not have to share our borders and coastal waters with other nations and fight about who owns the waters and fish within them (think of the much greater difficulties in Europe, places like the South China Sea, South America and even North America where you have nations, states and even city Government trying to managed shared fish resources).

[guzzis3]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

a) we have a much narrower and less expansive continental shelf; and
b) our waters are fed a much much lower level of nutrients as we a mostly comparatively desert like continent with few permanently running rivers carrying nutrients to the sea (and seem determined to make that worse by killing the few we have). Our waters are comparatively nutrients poor; and no adding fertiliser run-off to rivers from farming does not improve things (they are not nutrients edible by fish).

The continental shelf off queensland goes out a fair way but as you say for most of our coast...

Also while we have fewer rivers and rainfall we also have far lower nutrients in our soil anyway. Australia is an "old" continent (or island). With little volcanic activity our soils are impoverished. Pick up a hand full of dirt in NZ, one of the youngest countries on earth, and you'll soon see the difference. So lovely you'd almost eat the stuff....

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by guzzis3

The continental shelf off queensland goes out a fair way but as you say for most of our coast...

Also while we have fewer rivers and rainfall we also have far lower nutrients in our soil anyway. Australia is an "old" continent (or island). With little volcanic activity our soils are impoverished. Pick up a hand full of dirt in NZ, one of the youngest countries on earth, and you'll soon see the difference. So lovely you'd almost eat the stuff....

Probably cause NZ is still moving.
Best fish and chips I ever had was on Steward Island way down at the bottom of NZ.

[minheim]

Not all flake is created equal. Gummy shark is the best in Victoria and you will often see fish and chip shops state gummy shark expressly when listing their flake.

[mick taylor]

Originally Posted by minheim

Not all flake is created equal. Gummy shark is the best in Victoria and you will often see fish and chip shops state gummy shark expressly when listing their flake.

Gummy Sharks ! I thought they were people, that's what my brother calls the local yobbo fishermen in his neck of the woods. good people tho just they have no teeth or Job.

[naddis01]

Did you know that somewhere in the Tasman Sea there is a line that separates the fish from the fush?

[aussiblue]

The continental shelf off Queensland goes out a fair way

Not compared to many parts of the world; especially in the north of the northern hemisphere see: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped.../Elevation.jpg

[guzzis3]

Originally Posted by aussiblue

Not compared to many parts of the world; especially in the north of the northern hemisphere see: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped.../Elevation.jpg

Maybe, remember that map is flattened. The arctic looks a lot bigger than it is.

South america eastern side and west of europe maybe...in places it goes out 300km here....

[aussiblue]

Did you know that somewhere in the Tasman Sea there is a line that separates the fish from the fush?

But the ones on the other side of the line are in trouble long term as they sux rather have sex.