Strange Seafood

Abstract:
For seafood to be exotic, it must be out of the ordinary for an individual. In other parts of the
world, foods that are common to you may be considered exotic to others. Each region has
different animals in their environments, but aren’t limited to them because of imports and
change in shipping capacity and demand. Travel gives humans the ability to try and enjoy
different foods than they are used to.

Research:
One type of exotic seafood is the Uni. This is the Japanese word for sea urchin. It commonly
grows in California waters but isn’t commonly eaten in the U.S. Most of it is exported to Japan,
where it is a delicacy served raw. The sea urchin can be sold for up to $360 per kilogram. It
belongs under the phylum Echinodermata. They inhabit all oceans and depth zones and have
five part symmetry. They move with their hundreds of tiny tube feet and feed on algae or slow
moving animals.

Another type of exotic seafood is the Nordic wolffish. It’s appearance is similar to an eel and is
eaten in Nordic countries. They are mostly caught off of Iceland’s shores by the Arctic Circle. It’s
diet is made up of mostly shellfish so it’s meat tastes alike to shrimp. They are often cooked as
stews or fried as cutlets. The wolffish is under the phylum Chordata. Currently, Iceland’s wolffish
population has declined because of overfishing and bycatch. Recreational fishing poses a threat
to the species. It is classified as a Species of Concern by the National Marine Fisheries Service.

In Korea, it isn’t uncommon to find San-nakji on the menu in restaurants. This is a type of raw
dish made with the long arm octopus, which is a small species of octopus. This octopus is found
off the coasts of China, Korea, and Japan. The octopus is kept alive until it is ordered by a
customer, where the chef kills it and serves it in small pieces. By this time, the neurons in the
octopus’ limbs are still active, making the bits of its tentacles move around on the plate. The
suctions on the tentacles maintain their gripping power even after the octopus is killed, and
poses to be a choking hazard for consumers. The Octopus minor is under the phylum Mollusca
and has one third of its neurons located in its tentacles.

In China, seahorse is deep fried on skewers and is considered a delicacy in other parts of the
world. It is said to taste like pork rinds with spices. It is considered an everyday food, but can be
sharp and cut your gums when eaten. The seahorse is a Chordate and has spiky skin.

Discussion:
With my research, I found that many people from all over the world enjoy foods that I didn’t
know existed. I also learned that some food that people enjoy are at risk of extinction due to
human greed and that humans everywhere need to be more conscious about sustaining the
environments of the species that they wish to keep benefiting off of.

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San-nakji
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus_minor
https://www.samuelsseafood.com/blog/6-crazy-fish-you-can-actually-eat/
https://www.thedailymeal.com/travel/exotic-seafood-you-have-travel-slideshow/slide-2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seahorse