Closed borders at Chinese New Year sparks surge in demand for blue cod

Wednesday, 10 February 2021

It is estimated up to 4 tonnes of whole blue cod (rāwaru) will be sold this week in North Island Pak ‘n Save supermarkets for Chinese New Year Celebrations.

Foodstuffs North Island seafood operations manager Brett Sellers said the celebration had become the second busiest period of the year for seafood sales, outstripping Easter.

“We’re expecting whole blue cod sales to be up 40 per cent compared to Chinese New Year last year,” he said.

Liyang Ma, who came to New Zealand from China in 2003 and calls both countries home, said many Chinese would normally return to China at this time of year for celebrations, but couldn't because of border closures.

This could be contributing to increased sales of the fish, she said.

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Blue cod is endemic to New Zealand waters and is mostly found around Bluff and Stewart Island, says Foodstuff’s North Island seafood operations manager Brett Sellers.

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Many Chinese immigrants and second generation New Zealand Chinese continue to celebrate culinary traditions. Eating whole fish at new year was symbolic of abundance.

Blue cod is popular with Chinese diners in New Zealand because it's well-suited to steaming, says Chinese immigrant Liyang Ma.

A Chinese saying helps to explain the association. “Nian nian you yu”, was a way of wishing abundance and surplus every year, Ma said.

The word “yu” sounds the same as the word for fish, and so fish is eaten symbolically.

“That’s normally a whole fish that is presented on the table and you leave it to the last dish that will be served. It’s like a wish that we will have something left over [at the end of the year],” she said.

Sellers said the supply of the fish was ordered just after Christmas in preparation for Chinese New Year, which falls on February 12.

Brett Sellers, seafood operations manager at Foodstuff's North Island says Pak ‘n Save will sell up to 4 tonnes of whole blue cod this week.

Blue cod would be sold for about $20 a kilogram. But in Pak ‘n Save Albany, which serves a large Chinese community, it would be sold for $18.88 a kilogram, because the number eight is considered lucky in Chinese culture, he said.

Ma said the reason for the fish's popularity among Chinese was due to it being well-suited for steaming whole, a popular style of cooking.

“Unlike other New Zealand fish it’s not too rough. Cod is fabulous and it’s very easy to steam.”

The head and tail must be kept on and it is served with the head pointing towards the eldest person in the family. They would also be the first to take a portion of fish, she said.

Blue cod is endemic to New Zealand waters and the largest fisheries were found around Bluff and Stewart Island, Sellers said.

The blue cod bought by Foodstuff's was caught using pots, the same way crayfish were caught, making it more sustainable, he said.

Commercially harvested blue cod was usually about 1kg in size, he said.

Sellers said there was a general lift in seafood sales around Chinese New Year, not just cod. More prawns and scampi were sold in particular. A box of scampi cost about $60.

Ma said another popular choice was lobster, because it was a rare treat.

“When you have a big family gathering you would eat prawns and lobsters and this kind of food. And it would be shared with lots of family members,” she said.

A Countdown spokeswoman said there was no significant increase in demand for blue cod or seafood at its stores ahead of Chinese New Year.