I'll Have A Filet O' Peanut Butter, Please

WOULD YOU PUT THIS IN YOUR MOUTH?

Fortunately, Lent is not just around the corner; otherwise, panic would be epidemic in nature. From fillets to steaks to sushi, it seems people worldwide cannot get enough fish. Remember the orange roughy? Can't get that much anymore: overfished. The same thing might be happening to the hoki (pictured above).
You might say to yourself that you don't eat that, but chances are, you have. It is a major component of fish meals at places like Denny's, Long John Silver's and, yes, McDonalds restaurants, who alone uses 15 million pounds of this ugly critter every year. This four-foot long fish resides in the deep, deep waters (half a mile deep to be exact) off New Zealand, and it was thought to be a never-ending supply of fish flesh. Its 25-year lifespan made it an ideal reproduction tool for a sustainable fishery...except it hasn't exactly worked out that way.
In fact, New Zealand cut harvest limits from 275,000 tons per year in the year 2000 to 100,000 tons per year in 2007. That is significant. The decline is not just from overfishing, though; damage to the ecosystem as well as accidental killing of skates and sharks in the area have limited growth potential as well. I am not sure why fewer skates and sharks equal fewer hoki, but would the New York Times lie? OK, trick question.
Spokespeople for all the restaurants named indicate that they are now using far less hoki and far more "other" whitefish for their entrees.
"Like what?' I'd like to ask.
I think I'll switch to the meaty peanut for my protein since beef is already out and the hoki is on its way out.
I wonder if anybody told them at Virginia Tech that they are endangered?