Webchat with Waitrose fish experts, Mon 22 June, 1-2pm

[GeraldineMumsnet]

As some of you may already know, our friends at Waitrose are sponsoring the film The End of the Line, which is all about ocean sustainability and the dangers of over-fishing.

And on Monday (22 June, 1-2pm), Quentin Clark and Neil Nugent from Waitrose will be joining us for a live webchat all about fish.

Neil is an executive chef at Waitrose and will no doubt have lots of lovely fish recipes up his corporate sleeve. Quentin is Waitrose's fish buyer and knows all there is to know about responsible fishing (and fish-eating).

We hope you'll join us for the chat on Monday but, as ever, if you can't (or you can't wait), please post your advance questions here.

I buy tilapia but have tos ay it very fast as I dont really know how to pronounce it.

A survey done in 2004 for the journal 'Science'. Their conclusion, using the standard set by the environmental protection agency was that because of the concentration of pollutants in salmon food, the vast majority of farm raised salmon is only fit to be consumed at a rate of one meal or less per month. The same survey concluded that Scottish farmed salmon should be no more than three times a year. That is from a health RISK point of view.

In other words farmed salmon is dangerous for human consumption.

Can i recommend the book 'Bottom Feeder' by Taras Grescoe. The End of the Line cites much of the same research. If you are really promoting this film, what are you doing selling anything but wild salmon.

It really is not acceptable.

god you are serious today soph.
say tilapia.
go''rn

Responsibly farmed Tilapia in an enclosed system so that it isn't polluting water sources is fine.

I am very serious about this, dh lives and breathes this stuff, and has been concerned about it for years. We do not eat any farmed salmon and would never give it to ds.

So many people have no idea about this, that's what makes me angry.

you said it right.

well done

I thank you.

apparently you say it with the emphasis on the LAP as in sitting on my lap.

ti-LAP-ia

oi how was that party and what did you wear in the end?

was fantastic. wore THOSE shoes. and green dress. and big bangles that matched the shoes.

[fish credibility leaves the building]

no no
i meant the one with the yellow gap top

AND how are the blue shoes? omg

I had a vague idea that there were issues with farmed salmon, sophable, but didn't know they were so serious. Thanks for bringing it up - have just looked up the study you mentioned.

Was planning to have Waitrose salmon this evening (not so keen now). It says on the packet:

"From Waitrose dedicated farms in locations carefully chosen for their highly oxygenated, fast flowing tidal waters, where the salmon are reared to the highest welfare standards with care for the environment."

You wouldn't think there could possibly be anything wrong, would you? Hope Waitrose fish experts can answer sophable's question.

I avoided farmed salmon in both of my pregnancies, and only eat it occasionally now, much preferring to buy wild salmon. Most people seem to think that I'm mad and that my midwife was mad for suggesting this (I had no idea previously), so I'm glad to have affirmation!

unstrung that packaging is the equivalent of asda 'farmer bloggs bred beef, he really cares' i.e. the only thing that can be said for it is that it is british. it is better than chilean farmed salmon (your cheapest stuff, any economy atlantic salmon). but it is still very bad for your health.

i have to say, that the main reason most people eat salmon is for the health advantage of it being rich in omega 3. but the health advice about farmed salmon is to make sure it is really well cooked and to dispose of it's skin and as much of the oil (where toxins are concentrated) as possible. modern farm techniques increasingly use food which is not rich in omega 3, so the health advantages are gone.

cantsleep you were given very good advice indeed. and same goes for giving farmed salmon to children. not advisable.

have to add that if you look at the study, it says that toxins are greatest in farmed salmon from scotland and faroe islands. less so in chile. HOWEVER, there are far fewer restrictions on anti-biotics and de-licing treatments outside Europe.

It makes for pretty grim reading doesn't it?

Am very interested to hear what Waitrose have to say on this.

(Didn't know about toxins being concentrated in the skin - I always give it to the cat for a treat. Poor little thing's probably in toxic overload.)

The USDA recommend eating farmed salmon no more than twice a year. We never eat British salmon at all- just Wild Alaskan when I see it. (Only seem to have smoked wild Alaskan at christmas/New Year time- bah!)

How would I know if I'm eatimg farmed salmon, say if it were in a fish pie ready meal?

fish pie ready meal is definitely farmed. probably the cheapest kind of farmed.

if it doesn't say it is wild it is farmed.

Good timing, I posted this week to ask if anyone had some ideas on how to include omega3&6 in our diet more (rather than suppliments). I'm not a huge fish eater although I love sashimi (??) and am a bit lost how to cook it, so I need educating. Which are the best fish for omega 3's and do you have some great ideas on what to do with them?

PS - a lovely man on the Waitrose fish counter saw me floundering (s'cuse pun) and sorted me out wish some salmon and a garnish bag - was fab.

Oh this is brilliant, feels very 1940s for some reason to be having a housewifely chat all about fish

Am I right in thinking that squid has no sustainability issues?

DH and the DDs love it - they usually have it with chilli, garlic, a few prawns and squid ink spaghetti. Any other ideas?

May I ask whether this livechat is on the same basis as I guess the other livechats are?
I.e. usually there is some sleb or author with a book to puff and they come on and talk without money changing hands, on the grounds that they get free publicity and MN gets some interesting content to pull in the punters.

Is that the way this livechat operates? Or are Waitrose paying for the slot? I do kind of feel the terms ought to be clear. This feels much more like a conventional advert than other livechats have, just because of the nature of the product being promoted I suppose -- a supermarket rather than a book.