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Once upon a time, hairtail fish was one of the products of the four seas of the mainland, and was known as "civilian seafood" because of its cheapness, and was deeply loved and sought after by the masses. Whether it's a traditional festival like Chinese New Year or an ordinary weekend retreat, there is always a carefully prepared hairtail dish on the table of every family. Every spring, fishermen all over the country go into the water to catch hairtail, and whenever the harvest season comes, the output is as high as millions of tons! Because of the abundant supply, the price of hairtail fish in the market has always been maintained at a very people-friendly level, so it is warmly welcomed by countless ordinary families.
Children's love for hairtail fish stems from its delicate meat and delicious taste, and the elderly also love this dish because it is rich in high-quality protein and a variety of minerals that the body needs, which helps to replenish nutrition and strengthen the body. The aunt at home only needs to cook a few simple home-cooked dishes to give the hairtail an attractive aroma, and the delivery boy often finds that the restaurant always has stock in stock to cope with the large number of orders that may appear at any time.
However, not long ago, there was a sudden shortage of hairtail fish in some areas. Due to the sharp decline in production, the price of hairtail fish in the market has gradually climbed, and in some remote towns, the price of hairtail fish even exceeds that of many high-end ingredients by several times. The "civilian seafood" that was once at their fingertips seemed to have become out of reach in an instant, making ordinary people feel lost.
In the face of this predicament, people can't help but worry: Will this delicacy, which we are most familiar with and love, disappear from our lives forever? Will it follow in the footsteps of the big yellow croaker and eventually become an endangered rare and protected animal? Looking at the declining number of hairtail fish and the rising price, the sense of intimacy that was once everywhere seems to have faded away.
Historically, in ancient times, hairtail fish was regarded as a daily ingredient for ordinary people, and the price was low, and everyone could buy and enjoy it. However, some noble nobles are disgusted with eating hairtail, believing that this "commoner seafood" will tarnish their noble status.
With the advent of modern civilization, the original hierarchy has been completely eradicated, and in its place, people have become more free and independent in their dietary choices, only following their own taste needs, without any other restrictions and constraints. Hairtail, once a derogatory ingredient, has now entered the public's attention with a new attitude and has become a delicacy for many diners.
When it comes to the big yellow croaker, people inevitably feel a deep emotion in their hearts. This once-beloved seafood was overfished and was once on the verge of extinction. In order to save this rare species, the government had to take a series of strict protection measures, such as formulating relevant laws and regulations, implementing a fishing ban policy, etc., to keep the giant yellow croaker from extinction temporarily.
However, hairtail fish, which is now known as "civilian seafood", seems to have sounded a similar alarm bell. When we witness the current situation of declining production and rising prices of hairtail fish, we cannot help but worry about its future fate, fearing that it will follow in the footsteps of the giant yellow croaker and eventually go to extinction.
As a social marine creature, the fishermen are able to achieve a very fruitful harvest every time they are caught. But it is this overfishing that leads to the rapid depletion and loss of hairtail stocks. According to statistics, the depletion of hairtail fish resources is an indisputable fact. As early as 2015, experts and scholars warned that the catch of mainland hairtail fish showed a significant downward trend. By 2018, this decline had intensified, with the total output of hairtail fish on the mainland reaching only 940,000 tonnes that year, falling below the symbolic mark of one million tonnes for the first time, far from meeting the demand for hairtail in the domestic market.
Faced with the increasing scarcity of domestic hairtail fish resources, we can only turn overseas to seek imports. However, the price of foreign hairtail is generally high, coupled with additional costs such as transportation, so that the price of domestic hairtail has also risen, bringing heavy economic pressure to the majority of consumers. Watching the price of hairtail fish soaring, people suddenly realized that the "civilian seafood" we love has long been at a critical juncture of life and death.
At the same time, many consumers' love for hairtail fish has made merchants optimistic about this huge business opportunity and quickly put a large number of hairtail fish into the market. Undoubtedly, the profits brought by fishing hairtail are extremely considerable, which undoubtedly inspires more and more businesses to invest in this industry, resulting in the production of hairtail fish far from meeting the market demand.
People can't help but think deeply that the fate of the big yellow croaker was extinct back then, precisely because of the endless greed and overfishing of human beings. If we can't take measures to protect the hairtail in time, will it also follow the old path of big yellow croaker? Such worries have undoubtedly deepened people's worries about the future development of hairtail.
In the face of such a dilemma, consumers must be vigilant when buying hairtail, first of all, to judge its freshness by smell, and secondly, gently press the hairtail, if it is a formaldehyde-treated hairtail, its surface will become extremely hard and stiff, difficult to press, while fresh hairtail is soft to the touch, and can slowly return to its original shape after pressing.
In addition to this, you can also try to observe after frying the hairtail at home, the formaldehyde-treated hairtail will quickly "bloom" and crack when exposed to high temperatures.
It is worth noting that when buying hairtail, you also need to know an important information - the white substance on the surface of the skin, although commonly known as "silver scales", is not actually fish scales in the true sense of the word, but a protective layer composed of special fats, which is rich in high-quality fats with high nutritional value and no fishy smell. Therefore, it is not that the whiter the scales, the better, on the contrary, if the white is too thick, it is likely that the content of fat, purines and other substances contained in the hairtail is too high.
The nutritional value of hairtail fish depends mainly on the quality of protein and the total amount of fat it contains. The reason why we are so fond of this fish is largely because it is rich in high-quality protein and a variety of mineral elements, and is loved by a large number of office workers and other groups as a nutritious and delicious ingredient. Unfortunately, with the year-on-year decline in hairtail production, this delicacy may be gradually moving away from our lives.