Disclaimer: The opinions, halachic and otherwise, expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the Orthodox Union.
Monday, March 16, 2015
New fish regulations, and how they don't help kosher
Today, the Presidential Task Force on Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing and Seafood Fraud, co-chaired by the Departments of Commerce and State, released its action plan (ED:based on the full report here).
Background: lots of countries do stuff when catching fish the US doesn't like. This report details what the US doesn't like, and calls out countries that violate that (primarily, so it seems to me) to be able to put trade restrictions against those countries or otherwise engage in protectionist practices.
Issues relating to kosher: these vessels often caught/injured protected species including turtle and shark (not kosher). There is no evidence that the instances of turtle or shark on tuna vessels compromised kosher certification.
Non-addressing of issues relating to kosher: our major issue is that there is nothing (really) stopping someone from fraudulently misrepresenting a kosher species for a non-kosher one. Though technically economic fraud is forbidden, it is rampant, has been going on for decades and everyone knows about it. To be fair, most of it doesn't relate to kosher, but is rather "gotcha" issues. Studies such as Oceana note that "white tuna" (escolar) isn't a tuna at all (despite being kosher, and only being forbidden because FDA hasn't officially recognized "white tuna" as a legitimate market name for escolar, though anyone who wants to knows what it is). Or wild salmon being substituted for (cheaper) farmed (yawn.) Or various species of (easier to get) snapper being sold as "red snapper" instead of the market approved "scarlet snapper", "pink snapper", etc.
For kosher customers, there is no quick and easy fix. We cannot rely on any gov't entity to guarantee species integrity. The cheap, simple and easy fix? Buy skin on, check it for simanim. Nuf said.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
What's the story with Costco Salmon (Part I, to rinse or not...)
OK, here's the story with the "why does it say I should rinse wild salmon" inquiry:
1. Kirkland sells both wild and farmed salmon products in their freezer section, typically 3lb bags with multiple portions (individually wrapped in clear plastic, often mixed with a salt brine to keep them moist). See below:
2. A concern was raised several years ago that some wild salmon fisheries glaze the fish with a solution made of a minute amount of corn syrup (batul MANY times past shishim). Most glazes are plain water, or salt water. The purpose of the glaze is to protect the fish from bruising and dehydration, so the advantage of adding small amounts of corn syrup is minimal and its use (while legal) isn't all that extensive.
3. Corn syrup itself is kitniyos shenishtaneh, meaning that even for Ashkenazim we would normally be lenient (particularly since the amount is VERY batul, and it is used before Passover and otherwise unable to be detected). However, since there was a concern, it was deemed appropriate to recommend consumers rinse the offending glaze off of the wild portions.
4. Why are wild different than farmed? Due to the nature of the processing plant, we have never seen farmed fish glazed prior to their injection with the salt water brine (which effectively does that job).
5. As such, it was recommended to rinse wild, with no need to rinse farmed, and technically there is no need to rinse wild either (just a Passover stringency).
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
They see "parasite" and everyone gets nervous
For the record:
1. Tuna sometimes eat crab and other non-kosher fish. They rarely find their way into cans.
2, Even if it would have been the parasite it appeared to be (which is assur since it is found in the fishes mouth, and all agree that bugs found there are forbidden -- See RA"E to YD 84:16 with his version of Sha"ch from wording of gemara) it is found in the head which is not part of commercially processed tuna. Interestingly enough, it eats the tongue of its host and then grabs from everything the fish eats. Ingrate!
3. A single instance of anything forbidden is not basis for forbidding other things. How often does it happen? So infrequently that it was newsworthy. Nuf said.
Bottom line: continue to enjoy your canned tuna without fear of parasites, though if you open a can and see something looking back at you... remove it.
Return to blogging!
Sometimes, we need to take our own advice. While speaking to someone about blogging on a topic they have expertise in, I remembered you, my dear kosherfish fans. As of today, I've had over 6300 views (and most are not just me and my mom... I hope). If so, someone out there may be interested in the latest in kosher fish, and I intend to (bli neder) bring that back to you. Email kosher questions to goldbergc@ou.org, bearing in mine that this is my work email, and my blog is in no way connected to my work (other than that it is the source for most of what I know).
Gratefully,
Chaim
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday, June 08, 2009
Fish coughs up golden watch
ELE‘ELE — With tennis shoes on, wallet in pocket and a bamboo stick in hand, Kaua‘i resident Curt Carish on Wednesday may have written himself into the most eccentric fisherman’s history book.To catch a fish with such simple gear would be an interesting tale in itself. But after Carish hauled in a nenue, the 10-inch fish coughed up a gold watch.“I was just sitting on a picnic table looking out into the ocean of Port Allen beach when I saw a nice-size fish awkwardly swimming close to shore,” Carish said. “So my friend Allen Hall gave me a bamboo stick and said, ‘Go get ‘em.’”Carish jumped into the waist-high water and struck the nenue a few times with the dull stick until the fish went limp.He said its stomach was abnormally large but he just threw the fish in the cooler along with his frozen chicken that he was going to barbecue that night.Tanley, a good friend of Carish, opened the cooler minutes later to discover a gold watch laying inches from the nenue’s mouth.“And the funniest thing is that the watch was on time and still ticking,” Carish said.Carish, who often hangs out at the private Port Allen Club with many other members, said in all of his 30 years on Kaua‘i he has never encountered anything this bizarre.
Monday, March 23, 2009
New York - Swedish Study Finds Fish Diet Boosts Intelligence Scores
The fish diet appeared to "increase combined, verbal and visuospatial intelligence scores by an average of 6 per cent."
Eating fish more than once a week almost doubled the score, according to the study published in the March issue of Acta Paediatrica said.
The researchers used responses from 3,972 males in the survey with cognitive scores registered in their Swedish military conscription records three years later.
"We found a clear link between frequent fish consumption and higher scores when the teenagers ate fish at least once a week," said Professor Kjell Toren of the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, western Sweden.
The researchers said they did not know what mechanism was linked to fish consumption and improved cognitive performance.
One theory was the benefits were linked to long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fish.
The leading author of the study, Dr Maria Aberg from the Centre for Brain Repair and Rehabilitation at the University of Gothenburg, said the team had considered other factors including ethnicity, where the teenagers lived, what level of education their parents had achieved, how often the teenagers exercised, their well-being and weight.
"Having looked very carefully at the wide range of variables explored by this study it was very clear that there was a significant association between regular fish consumption at 15 and improved cognitive performance at 18," Aberg said.
The researchers are now set to investigate whether the results were affected by the kind of fish eaten.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Rabbi Chaim Goldberg presenting at Lander College for Men
Around 30 students attended our Lander College excursion, where we talked about tilapia, trout, basa vs flounder, and salmon. A good time was had by all, especially me!!!
Monday, February 02, 2009
Rabbi Goldberg Hits Boston!!!
Many of my hardcore fans are already familiar with this appearance, but with my limited web skills (and lots of work going on) I finally got around to up loading this badboy. Hope it works this time!!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Global Warming's Fish-Gender Effect

Cousseau, B. and Perrotta, R.G. / Fishbase.org
"We found that in fish that do have temperature-dependent sex determination [TSD], a rise in water temperature of just 1.5 degrees Celsius can change the male-to-female ratio from 1:1 to 3:1," says Piferrer, the study's co-author. In especially sensitive fish, a greater increase can throw the balance even more out of whack. Ospina-Alvarez and Piferrer have found that in the South American pejerrey, for example, an increase of 4 degrees Celsius can result in a population that is 98% male.
What makes these findings especially troubling, of course, is that the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that ocean-water temperatures are likely to rise by 1.5 degrees over the course of this century — and they may even go up a few degrees more. "If climate change really does result in a rise of 4 degrees, which is the maximum the IPCC predicts, and if species can't adapt in time or migrate, then in the most sensitive cases of TSD, we're looking at extinction," says Piferrer.
Most research into fish sex determination has been done in the lab (for obvious reasons), but the pejerrey is one of the few species that scientists have been able to study in the field. And those studies have revealed that already, its proportion of males to females is skewed. "It could be because of chemical pollution or it could be because of climate change. We don't know," cautions Piferrer. "But the field data matches our predictions."
At this stage, it is hard to tell what these results bode for already declining fish populations around the world. Of the estimated 33,000 piscatorial species, only 5,000 have had their sex-determination mechanism affirmed. But the study by the two CSIC scientists also suggests that the percentage of TSD fish is lower than previously believed. In tests of 59 species believed to be reproductively sensitive to temperature, only 40 proved to be true TSDs.
That would be good news in this grim era of climate change if it weren't for one factor: even genotypic sex determination can be affected by anomalous conditions, including anomalous temperature. "Basically, if you freeze it or cook it enough," says Piferrer, "you can get whatever sex you want."
Monday, July 21, 2008
Fish pedicures: Carp rid human feet of scaly skin

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- Ready for the latest in spa pampering? Prepare to dunk your tootsies in a tank of water and let tiny carp nibble away.
Fish pedicures are creating something of a splash in the D.C. area, where a northern Virginia spa has been offering them for the past four months. John Ho, who runs the Yvonne Hair and Nails salon with his wife, Yvonne Le, said 5,000 people have taken the plunge so far.
"This is a good treatment for everyone who likes to have nice feet," Ho said.
He said he wanted to come up with something unique while finding a replacement for pedicures that use razors to scrape off dead skin. The razors have fallen out of favor with state regulators because of concerns about whether they're sanitary.
Ho was skeptical at first about the fish, which are called garra rufa but typically known as doctor fish. They were first used in Turkey and have become popular in some Asian countries.
But Ho doubted they would thrive in the warm water needed for a comfortable footbath. And he didn't know if customers would like the idea.
"I know people were a little intimidated at first," Ho said. "But I just said, 'Let's give it a shot.' "
Customers were quickly hooked.
Tracy Roberts, 33, of Rockville, Md., heard about it on a local radio show. She said it was "the best pedicure I ever had" and has spread the word to friends and co-workers.
"I'd been an athlete all my life, so I've always had calluses on my feet. This was the first time somebody got rid of my calluses completely," she said.
First time customer KaNin Reese, 32, of Washington, described the tingling sensation created by the toothless fish: "It kind of feels like your foot's asleep," she said.
The fish don't do the job alone. After 15 to 30 minutes in the tank, customers get a standard pedicure, made easier by the soft skin the doctor fish leave behind.
Ho believes his is the only salon in the country to offer the treatment, which costs $35 for 15 minutes and $50 for 30 minutes. The spa has more than 1,000 fish, with about 100 in each individual pedicure tank at any given time.
Dennis Arnold, a podiatrist who four years ago established the International Pedicure Association, said he had never heard of the treatment and doubts it will become widespread.
"I think most people would be afraid of it," he said.
Customer Patsy Fisher, 42, of Crofton, Md., admitted she was nervous as she prepared for her first fish pedicure. But her apprehension dissolved into laughter after she put her feet in the tank and the fish swarmed to her toes.
"It's a little ticklish, actually," she said.
Ho said the hot water in which the fish thrive doesn't support much plant or aquatic life, so they learned to feed on whatever food sources were available - including dead, flaking skin. They leave live skin alone because, without teeth, they can't bite it off.
In addition to offering pedicures, Ho hopes to establish a network of Doctor Fish Massage franchises and is evaluating a full-body fish treatment that, among other things, could treat psoriasis and other skin ailments.
Ho spent a year and about $40,000 getting the pedicures up and running, with a few hiccups along the way.
State regulations make no provision for regulating fish pedicures. But the county health department - which does regulate pools - required the salon to switch from a shallow, tiled communal pool that served as many as eight people to individual tanks in which the water is changed for each customer.
The communal pool also presented its own problem: At times the fish would flock to the feet of an individual with a surplus of dead skin, leaving others with a dearth of fish.
"It would sometimes be embarrassing for them but it was also really hilarious," Ho said.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Rabbi Chaim Goldberg's Fish DVD Released To the Public!!

View video here!!!
What makes a fish kosher, you say? Fins and scales. Everyone knows that. But very few people know that some scaled fish are as non-kosher as lobster! (See below to find out why.)
OU Kosher, as part of its ever-widening program of kashrut education, announced today the release of a new 30-minute DVD: “The Kosher Fish Primer – The Secrets Revealed,” featuring Rabbi Chaim Goldberg, an OU Kosher Rabbinic Coordinator who travels the world certifying fish as kosher. In his engaging manner, Rabbi Goldberg will delight audiences from young elementary school children to adults, as he explores the various issues the kosher consumer must consider when buying fish. Rabbi Goldberg doesn’t perform alone – fish are featured in the DVD as well. The recording is excellent for classroom and synagogue presentations.
Rabbi Goldberg, who received rabbinical ordination at Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin in Brooklyn, NY, has directed the Kosher Fish Desk at the OU for six years. Rabbi Goldberg's "fish-finding missions" for the OU have taken him to Alaska, Chile, British Columbia, Peru, Colombia, Trinidad and Iceland. When he closes his tackle box, Rabbi Goldberg returns to Brooklyn, where he resides with his wife and three children (but as he states, “no fish tank, yet”).
The DVD covers:
· The textbook definition of kosher fish;
· Pre-empting some potential misunderstandings about kosher fish (why one cannot rely on fish lists or other identifications of fish by common name);
· The potential Torah and rabbinic prohibitions relating to fish;
· An explanation of how to identify a kosher fish;
· A hands-on demonstration of how to identify a kosher fish yourself; and
· A quick tutorial on how to buy kosher fish from any fish store – even if it is not kosher certified.
“The presentation is titled ‘The Kosher Fish Primer’ to indicate that we are in no way claiming to have covered every topic worth teaching about kosher fish, but rather as a thorough introduction to more advanced study, depending on the level of the students,” Rabbi Goldberg explained. “We hope that after viewing this DVD, the viewer will be a properly informed fish consumer, who will be able to buy fish wherever in the world one travels.”
The new DVD is the latest in a series of initiatives of OU Kosher’s educational outreach. This outreach includes programs such as “OU Kosher Coming,” which sends OU experts to schools, synagogues and campuses to share their knowledge of Jewish law and food technology; it features as well as the “Kosher Tidbits” web series, consisting of more than 100 short seminars on innumerable aspects of kashrut, and available on http://www.ouradio.org/. The “Kosher Kidz” video has been sent to yeshivot and day schools throughout North America to provide a basic understanding of what makes food kosher, with the production of kosher ice cream as the example.
Now, about that non-kosher fish with scales. Some fish have scales which cannot be removed from the fish without ripping the skin (like some sharks and eels). These fish are not kosher, as Rabbi Goldberg explains.
The video can be obtained from OU Kosher by contacting Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, OU Kosher Senior Rabbinic Coordinator and Vice President of Communications and Marketing, at safrane@ou.org.
http://www.ou.org/
http://www.oukosher.org/
Monday, April 28, 2008
Think before consuming...
The view from the beach of Puerto Montt, Chile Jan 2006. Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Kosher Fish Video, starring Rabbi Chaim Goldberg in the works!!

Friday, March 28, 2008
Teach your Children How to Tell if a Fish is Kosher!!!

Does Illness Affect Kosher Status of Fish?

Sea lice from young wild salmon. Photo by Alexandra Morton
Question: Does illness affect kosher status of fish?
Answer: In short - absolutely not!
Illness does not affect kosher status of any fish, which is determined exclusively by the presence (or absense) of "kosher scales", namely scales which can be removed from the fish without ripping the skin.
The question came up because of a recent NY Times story here about Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) . While in animals and birds there IS a concern about disease, there is no such limitation found in salmon.
Fear not!
Now, for the long(er) version:
"The practice of aquaculture is not without negative impacts. The harmful consequences and risks associated with aquaculture can be broken down into the three subcategories below. They are: risks to the farmed fish themselves; risks to the surrounding environment and organisms; and risks to the human population. "
This quote is from: Duke University's Biology dept, whose cite can be found here. They know more about the effect on people than me, so read up!
To the best of my (little) knowledge, the diseased fish are not usually sold, and any fish whose disease would impact humans are not (spuuopsed to be) sold.
I do not see a practical issue for my subscribers.
Same thing for salmon lice (which some kosher agencies are crazy about). As I remember from a conversation I had with Avi Attias (co-owner of Banner Smoked Fish in Brooklyn, NY) any lice on the fish fall off after they are frozen, and are so huge and ugly that they would never wind up in the food supply.
In long: fear not!
Monday, December 11, 2006
Species Focus: John Dory

In case you are wondering why we started with John Dory, the answer is: why not!
I have not personally even eaten John Dory (also known as St. Peter's Fish) which is one of those "exotic" fish that people inquire as to whether or not it is kosher because it seems exciting. It comes from Australia, which means two things to most kosher consumers:
1. It is going to be expensive
2. It is likely to be skinned
For those of you not excluded because of #1, #2 is going to be an issue. The first rule in kosher fish is that it must either have skin on (so that you can check for kaskeses yourself) or have hashgacha.
Yes, from what we have seen John Dory (Zeus Faber) appears to be kosher. Its scales seems to be small and smoewhat embedded (referred to as scutes), though they are still kosher if they can be removed without ripping skin. Someone who has tried it themselves should kindly reply to this post and tell us about it.
Just to mention, talk about John Dory feeding on non-kosher species should not discourage you from buying it (for those familiar with the prohibition of eating something whose entire plumpness is derived from forbidden foods). We noted that it feeds on kosher species as well.
There was one place that had interesting recipes that looked possible for us non-professional type's, but it is likely to fit in any recipe for tilapia. For what is is worth, Fishbase.com notes that it can be, "steamed, fried, broiled, microwaved, and baked".
If you buy it whole, note that yield is rather low (about 30-35% of the whole fish can turn into edible dinner). For more details on the texture, taste, and nutritional values for John Dory, click here.
New Regular Feature on Kosher Fish Destination!!!
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Truth about red salmon
Last week's HaModia featured part 1 of an article written by Yissachar Brody and myself addressing objections raised by other kashrus organizations about the soundness of saying that any fish which looks like a salmon is a salmon. While I am reticent to accept the idea that all red-fleshed fish are kosher, I personally think it is correct to say that there is no fish which one can practically substitute for salmon. The unedited version of the article (part 2 included) will eventually appear at OU.org. A copy can be e-mailed to you upon request.








