By hoki but not forever

Hoki, found in the dark Pacific depths around New Zealand, is the favourite fried meat for McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish burgers, and a fish “whose bounty it seems, is not limitless,” writes William Broad for The New York Times. “The hoki may be exceedingly unattractive, but when its flesh reaches the consumer it’s just fish – cut into filets and sticks or rolled into sushi – moist, slightly sweet and very tasty. Better yet, the hoki fishery was thought to be sustainable, providing New Zealand with a reliable major export for years to come. But arguments over managing this resource are flaring not only between commercial interests and conservationists, but also among the environmental agencies most directly involved in monitoring and regulating the catch. A lot of money is at stake, as well as questions about the effectiveness of global guidelines meant to limit the effects of industrial fishing.”