Fiji resort moves to sustainable fish menu

Transcript

Fiji's InterContinental resort says it has stopped serving the fish grouper during its peak breeding months, hoping to revive the declining fish stock.

Executive Chef Nicholas de Visch told Jenny Meyer how the resort came to change their fish menu.

NICHOLAS DE VISCH: It actually came through the organisation 4FJ who got in touch with us. When they approached me and told me about the story behind that, well it became really important for us to act directly and to make sure that in the future those fish will still be available for everybody in the ocean and especially for the Fijian people and the future generation of Fijian people to see that this fish will be available. And it really makes so much sense for us here at InterContinental Fiji to be part of this project to keep in the 'go green' idea of InterContinental Fiji when it comes to selecting the product or the ingredients we have in the resort.

JENNY MEYER:  It's just a temporary measure is it, to take this particular fish off the menu while it's the breeding season, will it come back on at another time?

NDV: Yes, yes indeed, well I'm a diver and I really like to see all kinds of diversity of fish available in the ocean and of course I like to defend the ecological part of the project as well. It really became quite easy to make it happen by just changing different type of fish available in the country which are more in big numbers and to keep that rotation going in to the menu. So the fact that from June until September we won't fish the grouper but after that of course we will be able to fish that. And our guests coming into the resort actually do not see the difference even if we are keeping them aware of the situation and said 'look, at this moment we do not have grouper in the menu because we are part of this project' and they really understood that.

JM: So do you think some of the other resorts and hotels, restaurants in the country will follow your lead and work towards a more sustainable type of fish menu?

NDV: I would sincerely hope so. I think 4FJ is a very big group here in Fiji and I'm pretty sure they will be able to convince them to do so.

JM: What's the response been from customers? Is anyone complaining that they can't have that particular fish that they might have as a favourite? Or do they understand once you explain?

NDV: No, no. They go for it, they really understand, they think it's great, it's a good venture that we are joining. And they really understand the fact that we need to protect our own planet and our own environment here, especially when they see the ocean here around the island and especially in our resort, that beautiful beach, that beautiful sea which is around, they really understand that we need to protect that and by keeping the biodiversity they really understand the fact that this will be a winning project, they love it.