Robert De Niro Caught Selling Endangered Fish in His Restaurants
This past weekend, undercover operatives from Greenpeace tested the DNA of fish served in several London-based restaurants that are part of a chain known as Nobu. The restaurants are partially owned by actor Robert De Niro. The tested fish were discovered to be endangered bluefin tuna. In an incredibly stupid response, Nobu’s principal manager has decided to label the endangered fish with an asterisk on the restaurants’ menu, rather than stopping to serve it.
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Do I think this response will ultimately be acceptable to the world community? Absolutely not. If De Niro is as good at managing his restaurants as he is his acting career, then the appropriate action for this embarrassing incident should be a no-brainer. But instead, De Niro’s partner has shot them in the foot.
According to the Telegraph, Richie Notar, the chain’s manager has said that an asterisk will now be put on the menu to aware customers of the fish’s status. They add the following: “Mr. Notar said he would like to take bluefin off the menu altogether, but the move was being resisted by the chain’s Japanese chefs who serve it in sushi and sashimi. In Japan, bluefin is considered the most delicious of all tuna species.”
I guess you have about the same size backbone as the fish you are serving, Mr. Notar.
In fairness to Notar, it is not illegal to sell bluefin tuna. The Telegraph notes on the other hand that “scientists have warned that fishing for bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic is taking place at levels far higher than stocks can stand. A crisis meeting to discuss a possible ban on fishing takes place in November.”
My guess is that De Niro’s restaurant chain will suffer a serious decline in business because of Greenpeace’s sting operation. Whether or not the international community is as outraged as I am remains to be seen. Hopefully De Niro will come forward and do the right thing.
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Photo Credit: Siebbi on Flickr under a Creative Commons license
Honeslty greenpeace u b*****ds what the hell okay so the fish is not illegal to sell so now what you want to be up De Niro’s a** cause his selling it..OKAY ..what will you do if I sell it?..wait let me answer that for you..>NOTHING>.you wouldnt do SH*T ..why..probably because I dont have the money you want..I support animal shelters I support nature as a whole..but you guys..you guys are *SOMETIMES* a**holes..why? I dont know.. but why do you guys have to do a STING operation to see what an actors restaurant is selling..eff the restaurant next to that was probably selling Bull testicles..you guys dont give two shit about the fish o’er money..
“My guess is that De Niro’s restaurant chain will suffer a serious decline in business because of Greenpeace’s sting operation.”
Good thing you are a moron and a bad guesser. Blue Fin tastes fucking good!
Well, who really loses if these fish are driven to extinction? Not the fish, they’re dead. It’s all the idiots who were capitalizing off of them… there goes your cash cow.
So eat up, you non-forward thinking imbeciles.
Blue Fin tuna are a giant tuna, their backbones are as large as, to twice as large as an adult human.
The reason Greenpeace finds the asterisk so appalling is because they’re ignorant. This is what restaurants do for endangered fish species, such as the patagonian toothfish. Of course calling greenpeace ignorant these days is beyond redundant.
They asterisk the fish, not to boast, but to warn customers that the fish is endangered, and that you might want to order something else. Customers who care will make conscientious decisions, while customers who desire that particular dining experience are also satisfied. This lets people make their own decisions, instead of the restaurant playing Food Police all the time.
why am i reading this? it’s a fucking fish. who the fuck cares!
What honestly will be the difference? An elite fish to eat is probably well known before they order it. If people have the opportunity to eat a delicassy like that and know it, I next to guarantee they will.
Putting a little star beside it makes it more exciting to eat!
Think of it, we make laws and rules to what….? BREAK THEM!!!!!!!!!!!
wow - u r lame.
i want my 3 minutes back.
I will be sure to tell my buddy in London to go check out the delicious tuna asap. Thanks for the tip on where to find endangered fish. Everything tastes better when it’s almost gone.
“My guess is that De Niro’s restaurant chain will suffer a serious decline in business because of Greenpeace’s sting operation”
My guess is that you’re totally wrong on this one.
As others have said, while it’s noble that Greenpeace feels that their sting operation will deter patrons from ordering blue fin, the reality is nothing’s changed. The audience that this restaurant attracts will be pleased to find a rare delicacy on the menu available for consumption….at whatever price necessary.
This has nothing to do with backbone or ethics. Until it’s illegal to sell bluefin, the restaurant has every right to sell blue fin at whatever price point they’d like to whomever they’d like as often as they’d like. Bottom line.