ISU Bengal

Issue date: 2/21/07 Section: Outdoor

Ian's allergen free chicken nuggets and fish sticks.

Since the only kind of fish that many college students know much about is the kind that comes in either a blue or a yellow box labeled: "FISH STICKS," this week the species focus is fish sticks. (Ok, I know that I'll probably catch a lot of flack for using a prepared food as the species focus, but I'm sure there are some of you out there who are as curious as I am about what exactly fish sticks are made of).

So, what are fish sticks made of? Definitely, we Idahoans wouldn't sacrifice our precious trout to be used for fish sticks all over the country. The $4 box of fish sticks from the supermarket doesn't seem to add up to the $12 or more dollars a pound a guy could pay for some fresh tender halibut, so the idea that halibut is in most of those boxes can be eliminated. Of course, one can buy boxed, breaded halibut at a slightly higher price, but remember we are college students.

Fish sticks and other cheap forms of fish products are almost always made from a fish called Pollock. Pollock are found and netted in huge concentrations in the ocean, and are processed and frozen for shipment to several continents. Pollock is an important type of food-fish for ocean creatures as well as humans.

Although Pollock in the form of fish sticks is often considered an inferior fish product (partially because it is usually a composite of chopped up pieces of Pollock, and partially because it is compared to other higher class fish products like fresh halibut, sea bass, or salmon), Pollock continues to dominate the fish market and is arguably the most important species of fish used for human food.

While it is not salmon, I hope you are glad to know that the fish sticks you may be having for dinner tonight are from a fish and not some other animal or sea creature. (I can't say the same for imitation crab that is used in crab salad, which tastes good, but is actually a whitefish.) Anyway, with enough good tartar sauce or lemon juice, even chunks of Pollock can taste pretty good. Bon appetite!

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