'The exotic species that dried the seeds of the native fish is coming up on the table?'
The news is that bass and bluegill, which were thrown away 'at a cost' as representative ecosystem-disrupting fish, have been reborn with high-quality processed food ingredients.
On the 9th, South Chungcheong Province announced that it had succeeded in developing tender meat and fish meat that can be used as raw materials for processed foods such as crab meat, sausage, fish cake, and ham.
Bass and bluegill were introduced in the late 1960s to be used as fishery resources (edible) in inland waters, but they have been neglected as Koreans prefer their unique fishy smell and soup and steamed dishes.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, bass and bluegill settled in lakes, dams, and rivers, eating shrimp, carp, and small fish fry, and their population increased explosively.
As a result, it is branded as an ecosystem-disrupting fish, and local governments across the country, including Chungcheongnam-do, are disposing of them with a budget to combat bass and bluegill.
To solve this problem, South Chungcheong Province paid attention to the fact that the taste of bass and bluegill is similar to that of white fish used as raw materials for processed food. We started developing raw materials.
The initial reaction is once successful.
Fish cakes made with fresh bass and bluegill have the same taste as regular fish cakes sold in the market, and fish cakes made from processed bass fish meat are similar to jupo made from turkey fish.
In the blind taste evaluation for public officials and residents, there were many opinions that it was rather plain and savory than commercial fish cakes and juppo.
Officials in the fishery industry predicted that the quality would be superior and price competitiveness would be superior compared to imported tender meat and fish meat.
If the provincial government succeeds in commercializing raw materials for processed foods such as bass and bluegill, it is expected to achieve economic effects of KRW 5 billion per year in the province alone and KRW 20 billion nationwide.
Cho Won-gap, director of the Chungcheongnam-do Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Bureau, said, “Recently, among anglers, the perception that bass and blue gills taste as good as sea bass or tuna fish are spreading. It can work,” he said.
Meanwhile, South Chungcheong Province is accelerating the industrialization of the three major disturbing fish species in the inland waters, confirming that Kang Jun-chi has sufficient value as an alternative bait for mackerel and sardines.
This is a 'news pick'.