Latest news with #Wainwright
The Star
3 hours ago
- Science
- The Star
Six endangered fish species found in fish maw from Singapore and Malaysia's stores: Study
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): The DNA of six endangered fish species was found in fish maw products from stores in Singapore and Malaysia, a new study found. This was uncovered by a pair of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), who analysed the DNA of 480 samples of fish maw. The duo published their research on June 24, in the journal Conservation Letters. Fish maw – a delicacy in Chinese cuisine – is derived from the dried swim bladder of fish. Also known as the air or gas bladder, the organ helps fish modulate their buoyancy, allowing them to remain at a desired depth without floating or sinking. Widely consumed throughout much of East and South-East Asia, fish maw is regarded as an indicator of wealth, prestige and status in Chinese culture. It is also a popular ingredient in stews and soups, as it brings purported health benefits. The mysterious origins of fish maw The trade of fish maw products is hard to regulate, however, as it is difficult to visually identify them by species, said NUS Assistant Professor Benjamin Wainwright, one of the study's authors. He said: 'Fish maw has been processed, flattened, cleaned and washed. 'You can't determine what species the maw comes from without using genetic methods – so we have no idea of what species are involved in this trade in South-East Asia.' The aggregation of fish maw and other dried fish products under a common commodity code has also made its trade harder to oversee. Prof Wainwright said: 'Commodity codes are meant to say, this is shark fin, this is shrimp, this is fish maw – but at the moment, all these products are lumped together and imported as dried fish goods.' Thus, the two researchers – Dr Seah Ying Giat of UMT and Prof Wainwright – set out to collect fish maw samples from stores in Malaysia between October and December 2023, and in Singapore from January to April 2024. Within the Republic, they visited dried goods shops such as those in Victoria Wholesale Centre and Albert Centre, Prof Wainwright said. 'Just from walking around Chinatown, you can see maw everywhere – sold in lots and lots of shops. In supermarkets, there's fried maw all over the place as well.' DNA was successfully analysed from 118 samples from Malaysia and 362 samples from Singapore, and a total of 39 fish species were identified across both countries. The dried fish maw products sampled in Singapore ranged from $80 to $1,184 per kilogram, the researchers found. The most commonly identified species was the blackspotted croaker (Protonibea diacanthus), which made up 58 of the 480 samples. It is classified as near threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, which outlines the conservation status of animals, plants and fungi. This means that though the species is currently not threatened by extinction, it is likely to become endangered in the near future. Among the species identified from the maw samples, there were also four endangered and two critically endangered ones on the IUCN Red List. The endangered species identified were: the cassava croaker (Pseudotolithus senegalensis), American eel (Anguilla rostrata), fourfinger threadfin (Eleutheronema tetradactylum) and iridescent shark (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus). Maw samples were also found to originate from the large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) and European eel (Anguilla anguilla), which are critically endangered. Notably, 11 samples of fish maw were identified as coming from the European eel, despite the European Union's enactment of a zero-export quota on the fish in 2010, which bars its export from the region. On this, Prof Wainwright said: 'It's not that surprising that eel maw has been sold, because you can find the eels here. 'But it's interesting that the European eel is still making it here, because that should have been banned a long time ago.' Consider more sustainable alternatives Ultimately, as fish maw products often do not specify the exact species used, it may be difficult for consumers to make informed choices, said Mr Chester Gan, the marine lead at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Singapore. Businesses and corporations thus play a vital role, he added, and should examine their supply chains to ensure they are sourcing ingredients responsibly and reducing environmental impact. He said: 'Given that fish maw may originate from fisheries with little data, endangered species, or unsustainable fishing practices that harm vulnerable marine life, we urge both consumers and businesses to consider more sustainable alternatives.' To Prof Wainwright, the best option is to not consume fish maw, especially if its species, country of origin and the sustainability of the fishery it is from cannot be confirmed. He said: 'The hope is, as more people become aware of the damage caused by unsustainable fishing, they may turn away from products of unknown origin and towards seafood from sustainable fisheries. 'Otherwise, when a species targeted for fish maw gets fished out, it's very likely we'll turn to another species and fish that one out, and then do the same for the next ones.' - The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Science
- Straits Times
Six endangered fish species found in fish maw from Singapore and Malaysia's stores: Study
Around 500 samples of fish maw were collected from stores across Singapore and Malaysia, and sent for DNA analysis. PHOTO: SEAH YING GIAT Six endangered fish species found in fish maw from Singapore and Malaysia's stores: Study SINGAPORE - The DNA of six endangered fish species was found in fish maw products from stores in Singapore and Malaysia, a new study found. This was uncovered by a pair of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) , who analysed the DNA of 480 samples of fish maw. The duo published their research on June 24 , in the journal Conservation Letters . Fish maw - a delicacy in Chinese cuisine - is derived from the dried swim bladder of fish. Also known as the air or gas bladder, the organ helps fish modulate their buoyancy, allowing them to remain at a desired depth without floating or sinking. Widely consumed throughout much of East and South-east Asia, fish maw is regarded as an indicator of wealth, prestige and status in Chinese culture. It is also a popular ingredient in stews and soups, as it brings purported health benefits. The mysterious origins of fish maw The trade of fish maw products is hard to regulate, however, as it is difficult to visually identify them by species, said NUS Assistant Professor Benjamin Wainwright , one of the study's authors. He said: 'Fish maw has been processed, flattened, cleaned and washed. 'You can't determine what species the maw comes from without using genetic methods - so we have no idea of what species are involved in this trade in South-east Asia.' The aggregation of fish maw and other dried fish products under a common commodity code has also made its trade harder to oversee. Asst Prof Wainwright said: 'Commodity codes are meant to say, this is shark fin, this is shrimp, this is fish maw - but at the moment, all these products are lumped together and imported as dried fish goods.' As such, the two researchers - UMT's Dr Seah Ying Giat and Asst Prof Wainwright - set out to collect fish maw samples from stores in Malaysia between October and December 2023 , and in Singapore from January to April 2024 . Within the Republic, they visited dried goods shops such as those in Victoria Wholesale Centre and Albert Centre , Asst Prof Wainwright said. 'Just from walking around Chinatown, you can see maw everywhere - sold in lots and lots of shops. In supermarkets, there's fried maw all over the place as well.' DNA was successfully analysed from 118 samples from Malaysia and 362 samples from Singapore , and a total of 39 fish species were identified across both countries. The most commonly identified species was the blackspotted croaker (Protonibea diacanthus) , which made up 58 of the 480 samples. It is classified as near threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List , which outlines the conservation status of animals, plants and fungi. This means that though the species is currently not threatened by extinction, it is likely to become endangered in the near future. Among the maw samples, there were also four endangered, and two critically endangered species as per the IUCN Red List. The endangered species identified were: the cassava croaker (Pseudotolithus senegalensis) , American eel (Anguilla rostrata) , fourfinger threadfin (Eleutheronema tetradactylum) and iridescent shark (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) . Additionally, maw samples were also found to originate from the large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) and European eel (Anguilla anguilla) , which are critically endangered. Notably, 11 samples of fish maw were identified as the European eel, despite the European Union's enactment of a zero-export quota on the fish in 2010 , which bars its export from the region. On this, Asst Prof Wainwright said: 'It's not that surprising that eel maw has been sold, because you can find the eels here. 'But it's interesting that the European eel is still making it here, because that should have been banned a long time ago.' Consider more sustainable alternatives Ultimately, as fish maw products often do not specify the exact species used, it may be difficult for consumers to make informed choices, said Mr Chester Gan, the Marine lead at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Singapore . Businesses and corporations hence play a vital role, he added, and should examine their supply chains to ensure they are sourcing ingredients responsibly and reducing environmental impact. He said: 'Given that fish maw may originate from fisheries with little data, endangered species, or unsustainable fishing practices that harm vulnerable marine life, we urge both consumers and businesses to consider more sustainable alternatives.' To Asst Prof Wainwright, the best option is to not consume fish maw, especially if its species, country of origin and the sustainability of the maw fishery it is from cannot be confirmed. He said: ' The hope is, as more people become aware of the damage caused by unsustainable fishing, they may turn away from products of unknown origin and towards seafood from sustainable fisheries . ' Otherwise, when a species targeted for fish maw gets fished out, it's very likely we'll turn to another species and fish that one out, and then do the same for the next ones .' Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Times
20 hours ago
- Times
A spectacular seven-mile walk over the Lakes' soaring Scout Scar
A t the Lake District's southeastern corner, the limestone escarpment of Scout Scar rises abruptly above the Lyth Valley, a line of white cliffs that's stark against the softly green pasture and woodland. Alongside neighbouring Cunswick Scar, it is one of Alfred Wainwright's Outlying Fells, with a quiet drama distinct from Cumbria's more famous summits. From Underbarrow Road a neat path climbed through scrubby hawthorn and young ash. Higher up, a break in the trees revealed a surprise view over wooded Whitbarrow to the Furness Fells, Windermere hidden in the folds of the hills. At the top, the full length of the precipitous scarp stretched ahead, Morecambe Bay shimmering in the distance. We made our way along the edge, detouring up to the Mushroom shelter, a local landmark built in 1912 for the coronation of George V. Away from sun or rain, it's a delightful spot to pause and take in the views: west to the jagged tops of Coniston and Langdale; north to the rolling Sleddale and Bannisdale fells — more of Wainwright's outliers; east to the Howgills.
New Statesman
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Statesman
Martha Wainwright, in her own right
'Though I was a 'daughter of' twice over, doors seemed closed to me,' writes Martha Wainwright in her 2022 memoir Stories I Might Regret Telling You, recalling the difficulty she had getting her music career off the ground in the late Nineties. Wainwright – the daughter of the American songwriter Loudon Wainwright III and the Canadian folk artist Kate McGarrigle, and the younger sister of the singer and composer Rufus Wainwright – was born into a family renowned for its musicality. Yet far from the ease with which some might have expected her to glide into stardom, Wainwright found these associations worked against her. This was in 'stark contrast to the attention paid to the 'sons of' musical stars', she writes, naming 'all those boys' she hung out with in New York and Los Angeles: Teddy Thompson (son of Richard and Linda), Sean Lennon (son of John and Yoko), Chris Stills (son of Stephen), Harper Simon (son of Paul). Two decades on from that time, performing at London's Union Chapel in late May to mark the 20th anniversary of her self-titled debut album, Wainwright, now 49, is far from over this early push-back. After opening her set with 'Far Away', on which her voice retains the almost unbelievable balance of childish twee and adult gravel captured on the original recording, and 'GPT', named after Brooklyn's Greenpoint Tavern bar, she explains why it took her the best part of a decade finally to release this album in 2005. 'There was already a lot of Wainwrights in the room, and a couple of cute McGarrigles,' she says to laughs from the crowd – so the industry big shots weren't much bothered by her raw, untethered songs. How could she ever change that? Martha Gabrielle Wainwright was born in New York State in 1976. Her parents were living in Woodstock at the time, but they soon separated, and Martha and Rufus moved with their mother to her native Montreal, where they grew up in a bohemian, folkish family. Wainwright is often asked if her parents 'made' her do music, she writes in her memoir, and the answer is yes. 'But I liked it and I wanted the attention and fun of performing. I was a misfit, and often unhappy, but singing and playing made me feel good.' But she doesn't consider herself 'naturally gifted. I don't hear music in my head… I get intimidated.' No wonder, given her relatives. Loudon Wainwright (now 78) is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter of tracks that have become classics of Americana, including 'The Swimming Song' and 'Motel Blues'. Meanwhile Kate and her sister Anna McGarrigle (Kate died in 2010; Anna still lives in Montreal) are Canadian folk royalty: their self-titled 1976 record was Melody Maker's 'best record of the year', while The McGarrigle Hour (1998, featuring Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt) remains a stalwart of the modern folk canon. This musical prowess continued into the next generation: Rufus Wainwright signed to DreamWorks Records when he was 22, had hundreds of thousands of dollars poured into his 'artist development' and is now a household name for his baroque pop, as well as his soundtrack and opera work. 'Growing up, I never played the piano – how could I with my brother wailing away on it day and night?' Wainwright writes. Numerous aunts and cousins of the Wainwright-McGarrigle clan are musicians too. At the Union Chapel, Martha's cousin Lily Lanken (Anna's daughter) sings backing vocals. But it wasn't just that her family all wrote and played songs; they wrote and played songs about each other – and no one was more candid than Loudon. Martha Wainwright's father was absent for much of her childhood, 'almost denying my existence', she writes. She portrays a man who instead of caring for his family wrote songs about them. When she was 14 and he was 44, Martha was sent to live with Loudon in New York City for 'a year of discontent'. His song 'Hitting You' is based on that year. Over lively guitar he recalls hitting Martha in the car when she was much younger, moving on to how he felt the need to hit her again: 'These days things are awful between me and you/All we do is argue like two people who are through/I blame you, your friends, your school, your mother, and MTV/Last night I almost hit you/That blame belongs to me.' It's brutal. A decade later, Wainwright learnt that another of her father's songs, 'I'd Rather Be Lonely' – which she'd always thought was 'a bit stupid and mean-spirited', and probably about a girlfriend – was actually about that same year with her. She was in the crowd at a Loudon Wainwright concert, having opened for him, when he introduced the next song as being about his daughter, and proceeded to sing: 'You're still living here with me, I'd rather be lonely/All the time I look around/For excuses to leave town/Everybody wants somebody, but I'd rather be lonely.' It's no wonder, then, that when Wainwright came to write, her songs burst out with a wily, frenetic energy, as though charged with resentment for her father's tunes and insistent on making their own mark. Many of the tracks from Martha Wainwright use unusual guitar tunings – 'what I thought were genius tunings,' she says at the Union Chapel, 'now it turns out they're just a pain in the ass' – a lot of piano, and rickety drums. On stage she introduces 'Ball and Chain' as a song of 'desperation, about wanting to be loved and desired', before giving in to its jangling intensity, anchored by her five-piece band. On the fan favourite 'Factory' she sings, 'These are not my people/I should never have come here,' with ferocity. Yet as the song goes on, her vocals, elsewhere hard edged, morph into a beautiful sloppiness, her vowels soft around these words as her body, too, finds an elastic effect, her legs bending and slinking below her guitar. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe If Wainwright's assertion of being withheld the full benefits of nepotism because of her gender is hard to swallow for those of us who will never have the luxury of benefiting from nepotism whatsoever, another of her declarations is undeniable: that unlike Loudon and Rufus, her career has been held back by motherhood. Wainwright is the mother of two teenage boys, their father her ex-husband and former producer Brad Albetta, who comes off particularly badly in the memoir. In London she plays an unreleased track, singing: 'I chose my children over my career/But I still have to feed them and they are dear/And that is why we are here tonight.' Further into the song, she reflects: 'I sound more like my father every day/But I can't call him on Father's Day.' She is being at least partially comedic, the song a wink to the audience who know exactly who her father is – and that he writes about her too. All of this is, of course, part of the appeal. 'She's got her father's wit,' one woman behind me whispers, approvingly. But the song's point is potent: Wainwright is one of many women whose careers have not run as ascendant a course as they might have had they not paused to have children. That hits harder for Wainwright, given her absent father continued to garner renown as a prolific songwriter. Although her family patter occasionally feels like theatrical shtick, it ultimately lends a melancholia to Wainwright's performance, reinforcing her belief that she hasn't found proper success in the context of her family name. 'In so many ways, my career is a failure,' she writes in her memoir. It's immensely sad, because these songs are fantastic. They are jagged, raucous, yet introspective things, and live, her unburdened stage presence and full-bodied guitar-playing makes them all the wilder. Martha Wainwright was acclaimed upon its release 20 years ago, but never placed higher than 63 in the UK charts, and 43 in the US. The six albums she has released since then have been similarly well received by critics without breaking through into the mainstream. But it is a feat to sell out a 900-capacity venue, in a country that is not your own, playing a record that's two decades old. Wainwright's cult listeners don't care that Rufus isn't there to join her on her rendition of her brother's song 'Dinner at Eight' (about Loudon, of course) – yet she still sounds apologetic when she tells them so. They do, however, care for the single encore track, the rambunctious 'Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole', first released on an EP in 2005, included on the debut record, and now performed by Wainwright solo on acoustic guitar. It's the song that made her name, although she doesn't play it often any more. It is typically – and wrongly – described as a song about Loudon. Wainwright admits she once told a journalist it was about her father, which probably didn't help the matter. But really it is about the industry, about 'getting the short end of the stick' in her career, she writes – being that 'daughter of' rather than 'son of'. 'I will not pretend/I will not put on a smile/I will not say I'm all right for you/When all I wanted was to be good/To do everything in truth,' she sings, boldly and then softly. Martha Wainwright will always be a Wainwright. It is up to her whether she chooses to write like one. [See also: Keir Starmer's grooming gang cowardice] Related
Spectator
16-06-2025
- Spectator
Is the Lake District still as Wainwright described it?
The Lake District isn't really meant to be about eating. It's about walking and climbing and gawping. The guide one carries is not that by Michelin but Alfred Wainwright, whose seven-volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells turns 70 this year. Food is mainly to be consumed from a Thermos rather than a bowl, and eaten atop a precariously balanced upturned log rather than a restaurant table. The culinary highlight should be Kendal mint cake, gratefully retrieved from the pocket of your cagoule. And so I was as surprised as anyone to find real gastronomic delights on a recent trip. Not from Little Chef, though that was where Wainwright religiously went for his favourite meal: fish and chips, a gooseberry pancake and cup of tea. While the fells may stand immutable, the culinary landscape of the Lakes is unrecognisable from Wainwright's day. Thus, in this polite slice of England, I found an operatic dollop of Italian gusto in Villa Positano, tucked off the high street in Bowness-on-Windermere. As with San Pietro nearby, it's all family-run charm with the odd culinary mishap waved away as trattoria rusticism in a way only an Italian can get away with. Together with a trendy sourdough pizza joint just up the road (Base Pizza), it appears a small group of Italians have decided they've had it with Lake Como and are making Lake Windermere home instead. Though no amount of tiramisu can surpass a sticky toffee pudding from Cartmel. Then there is the famed Sarah Nelson's Grasmere Gingerbread. Spicy and sweet, it is like the ginger nut of one's dreams. Wordsworth's grave is just around the corner, in the shadow of St Oswald's Church, and I wander lonely as a cloud through the wild daffodil garden planted in his honour. There is nothing wrong with cliché when it is this idyllic. In Ambleside there is lots to enjoy. The venerable Great North Pie Co (choose between chicken and Stornoway black pudding or 14-hour braised beef, Manchester union lager and Henderson's Relish). Serious fine dining is to be found at Lake Road Kitchen and Old Stamp House, both with Michelin stars. To enjoy a roast loin of the region's iconic Herdwick lamb, there is the beautiful restaurant at Rothay Manor. Or for ales brewed on-site and hunks of sourdough dipped into fir oil and stout vinegar, drop into the Drunken Duck Inn. You can munch on fish and chips at the Waterhead, overlooking Windermere. Though a sign advertises that the chips are fried in oil, not beef dripping, and the fish batter made without beer. That is nothing to show off about. What else? You can sit outside at the Windermere Jetty Museum's cafe, spotting fast jets on low-flying training manoeuvres from nearby RAF Spadeadam. In Grasmere, stop for coffee at Mathilde's, or on the little terrace of the Tea Gardens by the stream. Lunch at Lingholm Kitchen, walking off your meal in the walled garden as Beatrix Potter used to do. Dinner could be at Fellpack House in Keswick, The Schelly in Ambleside or Brackenrigg Inn in Ullswater, or more upmarket at Heft in High Newton, or The Cedar Tree at Farlam Hall near Brampton. Come morning, we report to a retro 1950s dining room, frozen in aspic. What follows is one of the best cooked breakfasts in the land The Lakes may boast the (three Michelin) starry heights of Simon Rogan's L'Enclume, but there are simpler culinary pleasures to be found from a rucksack. A picnic at Friars Crag in Keswick, or at Haystacks, Wainwright's favourite. A hunk of ewe's milk cheese nibbled under a tree near Cockshot Point. The contents of your hip flask while watching the sunset at Fleetwith Pike. Arriving in the driving rain to the Old Rectory near Coniston, there is complimentary hot tea and moist cake served from bone china. The lemon and poppy seed is homemade by Ann who runs the B&B assisted − or impeded − by her other half, Michael (half Falstaff half Manuel from Fawlty Towers). We fill out complicated forms for our breakfast order (I half expect a Farrow & Ball colour chart to pick my preferred tea strength) and, come morning, report to a retro 1950s dining room, frozen in aspic. A Japanese couple inspect the golden syrup with close fascination while a colossal Hyacinth Bucket holds a fan in one hand and skewers kiwi with the other. What follows is one of the best cooked breakfasts in the land – the Cumberland sausage dense, the Cumbrian back bacon just the right amount of crisp. Not even reading over breakfast of the sewage discharges into Windermere can ruin it. Ann troops out from the kitchen concerned my boiled eggs are too hard. They aren't; they are what all eggs should aspire to be. The eating options in the Lake District may be better now than in Wainwright's day, but the Lakes also differ in a way that would not have pleased him: the crowds. Alfred would go out of his way to avoid fellow hikers, seeking seclusion. 'There are boulders you can get behind,' he told Sue Lawley on Desert Island Discs. One can still find escape here thankfully (tip: the North Lakes are less crowded than the South) but nowadays, in peak season and good weather, to dodge other walkers you might have to hide behind your boulder for rather a long time before the coast is clear. Good food is good. But a soggy sandwich and a Kendal mint cake isn't bad, so long as it's consumed in the bliss of solitude.
