Oceans in different parts of the world can seem to be quite different. Temperatures vary from frosty to bath-like. The color of the water can be deep green or bright blue. Some oceans are wild and rough and others calm and quiet. Waterfronts can be industrial or pastoral. That’s why it’s so amazing to find similar species living in so many different oceans around the globe. Part of the reason is that all oceans are all connected and many species travel over long distances from one body of water to another. But, some of these species have evolved to live in very different conditions while keeping some basic similarities. Take tidepool animals, for example. Barnacles, snails and limpets can be found clinging tightly to rocks along the shore just about anywhere there are rocks along an ocean edge.

Not far underwater, you’re likely to find more invertebrates like urchins and sea stars along with some kind of crabs and lobsters. Even the greenery in an unfamiliar ocean may be familiar. Rockweeds are found worldwide as well as shallow water eelgrasses and spongy or slippery algae species. Then, there are the fish. Fish may seem to be the most different at first – dingy olive colored cold water species versus brightly colored reef fish. But, even here there are similarities. One of the most interesting and diverse family of fishes are the rockfish. Rockfish are part of the Sebastidae family of fishes. In the tropics, they can have impressive spines, some of which can be poisonous. But, others are delicious and often find their way onto plates of seaside eateries. They are some of the tastiest freshest offerings and are celebrated in many different local dishes. Here in the Northwest Atlantic, we also have rockfish, but they often often end up being ignored. They live in deep cool water and are spiny funny looking creatures. Fishermen have known that they are tasty for ages, though they are more traditionally used as bait because their hasn’t been a market for them as a consumer species. That, however, is starting to change. With limitations on other stocks like cod and haddock, both chefs and fishermen are looking for other options. Why not rockfish?

The rockfish species we have in Maine is the Acadian redfish. It is also sometimes called red drum or ocean perch, though it isn’t related to fresh water perch. Redfish can be red, but are sometimes more orange in color. They have large eyes and a large mouth with lots of teeth. Their bodies are long with a dorsal fin that runs along their entire back. They live in deep water and are known to bite onto just about anything, so they aren’t too hard to catch. There are also plenty of them. The redfish population hit rock bottom in 2012, but has since been rebuilt and it is currently listed as a healthy stock according to NOAA fisheries. That’s impressive since it is one of the few fish species to have live birth and therefore has fewer young than egg laying species. Their offspring, however, have a higher survival rate, which has helped in their recovery.

Although there are plenty of redfish, that doesn’t mean there’s a market for them. Trying to sell an unfamiliar fish to the consumer can be challenging. It takes work from the fishing community as well as the culinary one. One recent local collaboration of this type has been through Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA)’s What’s the Catch? initiative. MCFA has paired fishermen with chefs to showcase species that sometimes go unnoticed. Redfish was the recently featured species at the One Fish, Two Fish, Redfish . . . Delish! event in Portland in February. The idea was to share how delicious and sustainable this fish is in order to promote it in the marketplace. They’ll be featuring other species in the upcoming months. Perhaps here in New England we will soon be celebrating rockfish on our plates as they do on warmer coasts. It’s just one of the many lessons to be gleaned from other places and cultures that are all connected through the world’s oceans.

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