Hoki Fish is overfished
What type of fish does McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwich use? It’s the Hoki Fish. It is a bad-looking fish, but very delicious. McDonald’s alone used roughly 15 million pounds of Hoki Fish each year.
The Hoki Fish is common on the waters of New Zealand. However, New Zealand has slashed the allowable catch in steps, from about 275,000 tons in 2000 and 2001 to about 100,000 tons in 2007 and 2008 — a decline of nearly two-thirds, due to overfishing.
Some restaurants cut back on hoki amid the declines and the controversy.
Gary Johnson, McDonald’s senior director of global purchasing, said hoki use was down recently to about 11 million pounds annually from roughly 15 million pounds. He noted that McDonald’s also used other whitefish for its Filet-O-Fish sandwiches.
Other restaurants using hoki fish included McDonald’s, Denny’s and Long John Silver’s.