anchovies suicide; Caesar salads in peril!

The AP is reporting on a tragic story. Millions of young anchovies have washed up on the shore in Northern Spain and died. The speculation is that they were fleeing from predators (chefs in submarines?) and beached themselves. The fish are actually endangered in the region, and fishing of anchovies has actually become restricted to allow the species to bounce back.

If the beached specimens had grown to full maturity, they would have represented more than 100 tons of potential breeders.

"It's a bit of a disaster," said [Luis Laria of a Spanish marine protection organization]. "We can't fish them because they're so rare, and now they've killed themselves."

This of course is a threat to important culinary classics as well, including pizzas, puttanesca sauce for pasta, and caesar salad. On a personal level, my mom makes the best caesar salad ever for holiday meals, and this year just won't be the same if the anchovies grow scarce. Fortunately, that population of anchovies is only one of several worldwide, and exports from the West coast of South America are thriving.