Fish First

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More About

• Sue Zelickson
• Minnesota Zoo
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media
• Food and Cooking

Before the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, you probably didn't give much thought to where your seafood was caught. Fishermen might have netted endangered sea turtles in addition to your canned tuna, and you'd be none the wiser. The Minnesota Zoo is working to change that. This is the fourth year that the zoo has hosted Fish First, a seafood-tasting soirée designed to funnel consumer purchasing power toward the world's most sustainable fisheries. The event is the brainchild of local foodie Sue Zelickson, a contributor to Minnesota Monthly. The party is catered by a lineup of six prominent seafood joints. Highlights include McCormick & Schmick's ahi tostadas, Stella's mussel and heirloom tomato bruschetta, and Oceanaire's Laughing Bird shrimp ceviche. The zoo will pass out pocket guides listing fish that are safely farmed (Alaskan wild salmon, U.S.-farmed tilapia) as well as fish farmed in ways that harm the environment (imported King Crab, imported shrimp). And if you're giving that tuna a second look, the zoo recommends avoiding all canned tuna that isn't labeled troll- or pole-caught—other fishing methods often entangle and kill rare sea turtles, seabirds, dolphins, and sharks. All proceeds benefit the Zoo's conservation programs worldwide. 21+.
Thu., Oct. 7, 6 p.m., 2010