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If you think speculation about Mariah Carey’s New Year’s Eve performance fail should be reserved for entertainment magazines and the likes of the Cannabist, then this may not be your kettle of fish.

The singer made a lot of headlines this week after an epic failure in Times Square on New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. I happened to catch it live. I guess that makes me lucky? But truth be told, she was already on my radar for touting a diet composed exclusively of Norwegian farmed salmon and capers (origin unknown).

I hope we can all agree it’s foolish to look to celebrities for guidance on dietary choices. And yet, we also know Hollywood has a remarkable influence on all kinds of markets. So when A-listers mention fish, I pay attention (and usually end up cringing).

Carey has a new reality show to promote, hence the interview about her fishy diet and her performance on New Year’s Eve. Which seems crazier to me? I have to vote for the diet, though it’s less entertaining, to be sure.

In retrospect, I’m relieved wild American salmon can’t be tied to her performance and what appeared to be a total lack of focus and stamina (among the reasons some speculate she was partaking in buds other than capers before the performance). Maybe she was just acutely malnourished! Would she have felt the same if she’d been eating wild instead of farmed salmon? Am I the only person who thinks about fish marketing while watching a talented singer flop like a fish out of water on live television?

When Carey revealed her diet in an E!News interview promoting her show as her secret to staying fit, I first rolled my eyes and then wondered what this might do for Norway’s salmon farmers and their wild competition Stateside. The Norwegian fisheries minister revealed this week that the value of its farmed salmon rose 23 percent in 2016 and the nation is expecting another record this year, so they’re clearly doing something right.

But the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute has long thrived on the philosophy that farmed salmon is an entry point to non-white fish. Consumers might try it at a chain restaurant that relies on the streamlined and year-round resources provided by fish farms around the globe. If they eat it enough, they will begin to develop a palate for finer fishes. And that’s where ASMI aims to swoop in and convince them to try the wild and sustainable version of their favorite coral-fleshed fish.

So hey Mariah, if you’re Googling yourself, I realize you’re highly unlikely to see this among the onslaught of coverage of your not-so-rockin’ New Year’s Eve. But if you happen to stumble across this, I beg you to consider buying salmon from your own country and the pristine waters of Alaska or the U.S. West Coast. You could even use it as an opportunity to repair your reputation — tell everyone your live performances deserve a second chance now that you’re eating better!

As far as the capers go, I say carry on. Those briny buds are a safe choice to brighten your dish, and they don't dull the senses.

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Jessica Hathaway is the former editor in chief of National Fisherman.

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