Flake (fish) facts for kids
Flake is a special name used in Australia for the meat of young sharks. It mostly refers to the gummy shark. This name likely started in the late 1920s. That's when people began fishing for sharks on a large scale near Victoria. Before then, catching sharks was usually by accident, not on purpose.
What is Flake?
Flake quickly became very popular in Australia. It has a mild taste and a soft texture. Even after cooking, it stays firm and looks clean and white. A great thing about flake is that it has no bones! This is because sharks have cartilage instead of bones. These good qualities, along with being easy to find and once being cheap, made flake the most common fish in Australian fish and chip shops. Flake is still popular today, but it is not as cheap as it used to be.
Types of Sharks Used for Flake
While gummy shark is the main type of shark sold as flake, several other kinds are also used. Here are some of them:
- Gummy shark, known scientifically as Mustelus antarcticus
- School shark, or Galeorhinus galeus
- Elephant fish, called Callorhinchus milii
- Whiskery shark, known as Furgaleus macki
- Australian blacktip shark, or Carcharhinus tilstoni
- Sawshark (different types from the Pristiophorus group)
- Various dog sharks (from the Squalidae family)
- Wobbegong (from the Orectolobidae family)
Safety and Flake
In the late 1960s, scientists found something important. Some larger sharks had high levels of certain natural metals, like mercury, in their bodies. People became worried about this. Because of these concerns, a rule was made in 1972. It stopped the sale of large school sharks. This rule stayed in place until 1985. Today, flake sold in shops is safe to eat.
Flake in Other Countries
In Britain, a type of shark called nursehound is often sold as flake.
