An Australian TV show showed a chef frying fish during a cooking segment last week, but those fish happened to be an almost extinct species. The broadcaster and chef have since issued an apology after anglers condemned the clip.
Austria's public broadcaster, ORF, has apologized for cooking the Frauennerfling, according to AFP.
The chef also said he was sorry and explained that he “asked a friend to bring him some fish” when he was asked to prepare a Lent-appropriate meal on the show. During Lent, devout Christians usually abstain from eating meat on Fridays, AFP reports.
“It was a series of unfortunate events, because I trusted my friend who had a license to catch a related species and he thought that included this fish as well,” he told AFP by phone.
According to the local publication Die pressduring this week's broadcast of the show “Niederösterreich today” Moderator Claudia Schubert issued an apology: “Last week we overcooked a fish in the Frauennerfling restaurant. But it is protected all year round. We apologize for that, we had different information about this matter.”
De Agostini via Getty Images/De Agostini via Getty Images
This fish has been listed on the red list in Austria since 2002 and is on the verge of extinction, according to Agence France-Presse.
Also called “female nerfling” in translations, or “pig,” year-round fishing for this carp has been banned since 1998. In Germany Since at least 2006 In Bavaria. It has been red-listed – meaning it is at risk – By ICUNan international conservation organization that is part of the United Nations, since 2013.
Gregor Gravogel, director of the Fisheries Association of Austria, said his organization filed a complaint this week about the fishing of endangered species. “This is a very sad incident that I have never encountered in my career yet,” Gravogel said.
The recipe from the cooking section is still available online, and it is recommended that the fish be “from a fisherman you trust,” according to Agence France-Presse.
CBS News has reached out to ORF and Gravogl for more information and is awaiting a response.
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