Worldwide Mahi-Mahi Shortage Forces Fish Taco Purveyors to Stop Serving the Fish

mahimahiflickrerikcharlton.jpg
Flickr user Erik Charlton

This is scary shit: Gringo Bandito, the bueno hot sauce of Offspring head hombre Dexter Holland is set to host a taco-eating contest at Fred's in Huntington Beach August 3, with legendary competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi set to compete. The initial meat in the tacos was supposed to be mahi-mahi, the fish used by many fish-taco sellers in Southern California.

Now word comes from Gringo Bandito sales manager Matt McCollum that they're going to have to drop the mahi-mahi because of a worldwide shortage due to overfishing.

"We were planning on using Mahi for the tacos in our contest in early August, but because it's becoming increasingly difficult to find we're considering using chicken or possibly a different kind of fish," McCollum tells the Weekly. "It's a bummer because Mahi tacos have been a staple of Southern California Beach-Mex for a long time, but we run into the same type of problem sometimes when droughts make it hard us to find peppers for sauce at certain times of the year. The environment can throw you a curve ball sometimes, and honestly, if this is the worst of this type of problem we're facing in So Cal, I'll take it."

Gringo isn't the only fish taco lovers who have had to drop the fish. The Sharky's chain currently advises customers on its website, "We are temporarily out of our wild caught Mahi Mahi, due to a Mahi shortage."

I personally don't like the flavor of mahi-mahi--too strong--but fuck, people: we need to control overfishing!!!

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