Annual Southend Whitebait Festival set to take place next month (From Southend Standard)

Hmmmm 40+ years I've lived in Southend and this is the first time I've eevr heard of this "annual" tradition.

Andycal 172D wrote:
Hmmmm 40+ years I've lived in Southend and this is the first time I've eevr heard of this "annual" tradition.

yea me too,,why would you celebrate whitebait..anyway isnt that what poor people eat

V trendy is whitebait! But still I suppose it's like the Fisherman's Festival earlier this year...

How can whitebait be "one of the starter choices"? ffs, it's a whitebait festival, all the starters should be whitebait.

Nebs wrote:
How can whitebait be "one of the starter choices"? ffs, it's a whitebait festival, all the starters should be whitebait.

Has anyone considered the whitebait's opinion on this? They might be very happy to give up their place to prawn cocktails, oysters Caprice, scallops or kalamari.

Dr. Lang O Stine
Piscine and marine invertebrates rights consultant
The Hague

"The festival, a thanksgiving for the harvest of the sea, will take place on September 28 at the Sands restaurant on Southend seafront. "


Shouldn't a festival of thanksgiving take place at the point of harvest?

Oh... http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Whitebait#U
nited_Kingdom_Whiteb
ait says "Given that UK and imported Whitebait still consists of immature herring, sprat, sardines, mackerel, bass and many others, it is not an ecologicial foodstuff. Removing these fish at such a juvenile stage, before they have had a chance to grow and reproduce, might severely reduce future fish stocks."

John the resonator wrote:

Nebs wrote:
How can whitebait be "one of the starter choices"? ffs, it's a whitebait festival, all the starters should be whitebait.

Has anyone considered the whitebait's opinion on this? They might be very happy to give up their place to prawn cocktails, oysters Caprice, scallops or kalamari.

Dr. Lang O Stine
Piscine and marine invertebrates rights consultant
The Hague

As local representative for the Amalgamated Union of Prawns, Oysters, Scallops and Kalamari I have to say that my members are in total disagreement with your proposals. Once again we see so-called Marine Invertebrates Rights Johnnies in Europe riding roughshod over British seafood, and their proposal that we should feature at the Whitebait Festival is tantamount to a death sentence for our members.
If we are to appear on the menu then we DEMAND equal billing, with the festival renamed as the Prawn, Oyster, Scallop, Kalamari and Sundry Other Seafood Festival. For far too long we have played second fiddle to the whitebait and if this quite reasonable demand is not met then we shall have to ballot our members for peaceful industrial action which will include the wanton destruction of the whitebait fleet and fisticuffs at the festival dinner.

There's something fishy about all of this.

Nebs wrote:

John the resonator wrote:

Nebs wrote:
How can whitebait be "one of the starter choices"? ffs, it's a whitebait festival, all the starters should be whitebait.

Has anyone considered the whitebait's opinion on this? They might be very happy to give up their place to prawn cocktails, oysters Caprice, scallops or kalamari.

Dr. Lang O Stine
Piscine and marine invertebrates rights consultant
The Hague

As local representative for the Amalgamated Union of Prawns, Oysters, Scallops and Kalamari I have to say that my members are in total disagreement with your proposals. Once again we see so-called Marine Invertebrates Rights Johnnies in Europe riding roughshod over British seafood, and their proposal that we should feature at the Whitebait Festival is tantamount to a death sentence for our members.
If we are to appear on the menu then we DEMAND equal billing, with the festival renamed as the Prawn, Oyster, Scallop, Kalamari and Sundry Other Seafood Festival. For far too long we have played second fiddle to the whitebait and if this quite reasonable demand is not met then we shall have to ballot our members for peaceful industrial action which will include the wanton destruction of the whitebait fleet and fisticuffs at the festival dinner.

My friend, or should I call you brother, those are responsibilities of belonging to a wider community.

If your members could get out of their shells a bit more they might realise the world is their oyster. In the greater scheme of things how significant is it really if a few crabs gets pinched or a couple of eels slip away.

The whitebait have taken all the weight of this festival on their not very broad shoulders for years. Time for others to step up to the plate and not be so shellfish. We stand to net huge gains if we don't allow ourselves to be shouled down the river.