Weekly Fish Reports

Last of the Buffaloes
January 29, 2012

Jack mackerel, rich in oily protein, is manna to a hungry planet, a staple in Africa. Much of it is reduced to feed for aquaculture and pigs. It can take more than 11 pounds of jack mackerel to raise a single pound of farmed salmon. Stocks have dropped from an estimated 30 million metric tons to less than a tenth of that in 20 years. The world’s largest industrial trawlers, after depleting other oceans, now head south toward the edge of Antarctica to compete for what is left.

Rising wealth in Asia and fishing subsidies are among factors driving overexploitation of the world's fish resources according to U.N. marine experts. Oceanographer Daniel Pauly sees jack mackerel in the southern Pacific as an alarming indicator. “This is the last of the buffaloes,” he said. “When they’re gone, everything will be gone.”

Delegates from at least 20 countries will gather this week in Santiago, Chile for an annual meeting to seek ways to curb the plunder. Dr. Pauly thinks this global trend will not change unless a major power — the European Union or the United States — takes firm action. “Somebody has to take the high ground,” he said, “and others will follow.”

Beaufort, NC is one of the finalists in Budget Travel’s contest to select the coolest small town in America. One of Beaufort’s main assets are the boats that fish the waters off Cape Hatteras, and our friend Jack Cox has been unloading vermillion snapper, amberjack and triggerfish from the F/V Seamint and F/V Emily’s Weight, as well as wahoo, yellowfin tuna, and mahi-mahi from the F/V Provider2. The F/V Iron Maiden has been unloading Summer Flounder, but availability has been rough with bottom closures for US Navy training in a lot of the old flounder honey holes. Jack writes “Weather has been great for us. Winter has not reared its head yet and we are hoping we go straight into spring and keep catching it up.” I know what town I’m voting for.

Catch 35’s Eddie Sweeney has taken the plunge and is now serving discerning Chicagoland diners pristine Florida Wild Shrimp. We are shipping these frozen-at-sea critters IQF, FedEx Next Day Ground, throughout the Northeast and Midwest at a $2/lb cost savings. This is a great way to support Gulf fishing communities, and once you have tasted the difference, you will appreciate having your shrimp and eating it too.

Tessa Dinkeloo Dimin
January 22, 2012

Tessa Dinkeloo Dimin died last week after a long battle with ALS. She was my lover, friend, and partner of 38 years, a beautiful woman inside and out, with infinite patience and a magnificent fierce spirit. She was a painter, sculptor, mime, world traveler, bus driver, paintings restorer, softball coach, hippie, business woman, cookie baker, hula-hoop champ, master gardener, gourmet cook, hip-hop dancer, fishmonger, student, teacher, and the mother every kid wished they’d had. She gave me five extraordinary children. We miss her forever.

Michael Dimin

Old Time Florida
January 16, 2012

People in Destin, FL refer to their town as the "World's Luckiest Fishing Village".

Destin traces its history to a fisherman, Leonard Destin, who settled in Northwest Florida about 1845. For decades, he and his descendants fished and navigated the only channel passage to the Gulf of Mexico between Panama City and Pensacola, known as Destin’s East Pass. In 1879 Leonard hired a 13-year-old boy named William Marler. Captain “Billy” sailed the mail in and out of East Pass and created an informal post office. In 1904, an inquiry from Washington requested the name of the official new post office and Captain Billy responded with “Destin” in honor of his first employer. Destin remained undiscovered and pretty much an island unto itself until the mid-1930’s when the Marler Bridge was built and the world began trickling in, with Destin becoming officially incorporated in 1985.

Luck was none too good in 2000, when declining fish populations and a state ban on net fishing effectively put Destin’s 11 commercial fishing boats out of business. But due to new management practices fish populations have begun to rebound. In 2007, the National Marine Fisheries Service instituted a “catch share” program in which commercial fishermen are pre-assigned a quantity of snapper they can land, ending the free-for-all frenzy of the past. Now, red snapper numbers have more than doubled. This year’s red grouper quota was increased, and yellowfin tuna populations are up. Chatham Morgan is landing the F/V Toni Lynn each week with snapper and grouper, as is Captain Gary Jarvis and the F/V Miss Shannon with line caught yellowfin tuna. Striped mullet, an under utilized and under appreciated species, is almost always on the dock. Not only can we support the rebound of this traditional fishing community, but it is our good luck to enjoy some of the best fish anywhere.

Just down the road in sleepy Port St. Joe, the Wood family has been shrimping for five generations. Two years ago Ed Wood invested in state-of-the-art high-speed blast freezing equipment that allows Wild Florida White Shrimp IQF (individually quick frozen), both head-on and tails-only. Using the efficiencies of FedEx, we are shipping these shrimp from cold storage, using Next Day Ground within about 300 miles of either New York or Chicago at a significantly reduced carbon footprint and cost. When you taste the difference and compare the price of these crustaceans with the Asian farmed product that has flooded the market, you will be shocked- in a good way.

Although we haven’t yet won the battle against overfishing, we have turned a corner and are beginning to see many of our important stocks rebound. A remarkable milestone has been achieved with all federal fisheries having catch limits in place in time for the 2012 fishing season. “It’s something that’s arguably first in the world,” said Eric Schwaab, NOAA administrator for fisheries. “It’s a huge accomplishment for the country, and we recognize the tremendous amount of effort and sacrifice on the part of our nation’s fishermen and fishing communities to get us here”.

This week Michael will attend the TEDx conference “Changing The Way We Eat”. Our friend Michel Nischan, whose talk was the highlight of last year’s event, is honored in Food and Wine as one of 10 superstar chefs who are helping to make the world a better place. We love seeing special people get the recognition they deserve.

Don't Frack with my Pizza
January 09, 2012

As evidence mounts over the danger to water supplies by the fracking to release natural gas, a group of NY chefs including B&B Group’s Mario Batali and Brooks Headley are leading the fight to ban this dangerous process. Duke University recently linked natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing with a pattern of drinking water contamination so severe that some faucets can be lit on fire. The group’s founder, PRINT Restaurant’s Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez, focuses the issue: “NYC is the greatest city for pizza, and a lot of people say that’s because of the water. If we destroy the water supply, we destroy New York pizza”.

Another environmental mess in the making is brewing in the Gulf of Mexico where monstrous Asian Tiger Shrimp, over a foot in length, have been found, and no one knows why. "It has the potential to be real ugly," said Leslie Hartman, of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. "But we just do not know". What we do know is that Asian shrimp farm ponds, where these creatures are grown, are destroying mangroves at an astonishing rate, flooded with antibiotics, and that they consume over 3 pounds of wild fish to produce one pound of shrimp. Meanwhile, our shrimpers in Florida are responsibly harvesting beautiful Wild American White Shrimp on both the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, and once you taste the difference, it is hard to go back.

Although US fisheries management has made great strides in increasing populations of Atlantic Yellowfin Tuna, major problems remain around the world. Schools of tuna circulate around the entire Atlantic, and off the coast of West Africa net fishermen capture tuna illegally. These actions threaten our Carolina fishermen and fish as the same schools feed in the waters off Cape Hatteras. And last week a world’s record was set when a single magnificent creature, a 593 pound Bluefin Tuna, was sold in Tokoyo’s Tsukiji fish market for a whopping $736,000. Endangered species are expensive.

In the shadow of the St. Louis Arch, a burgeoning food scene continues cooking. A shout out to Farmhaus’s Chef Kevin Willman , Sidney Street’s Kevin Nashan, and continued success to Niche’s Gerard Craft with his new Pastaria.

Year of the Wild Fish
January 02, 2012

The New Year brings renewed hope for fishing communities around America.

Wild Florida Shrimp landing on both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts provide a healthier and better eating alternative to imported farmed shrimp. On the Florida panhandle, catch share quotas are assuring that American Red Snapper and Grouper are landing every week, as well as the underappreciated Grey Mullet.

Vermillion Snapper season opens today in the Carolinas, while plentiful Yellowfin Tuna swim in local waters. In the resurgent Chesapeake, Striped Bass are running strong, as are Channel Catfish and Perch. Further north in Montauk, NY, Fluke and Golden Tilefish land each week.

Winter in New England usually means snow, but does not deter the hearty fishermen. In Rhode Island, Fluke, Skate, and Squid are landing, while in New Bedford, Scallops and Monkfish are on the dock almost every day. Hardshell Maine Lobsters are now traceable to the harvesting vessel and trap, and next day from the water to your kitchen. Saithe, Hake, Haddock, and Rockfish land multiple times per week on the dock in Portland, and although there is concern about Atlantic Cod, Pacific Cod season opens today in Alaska with quotas increased by 14.5%.

To be able to enjoy these bounties and support traditional fishing communities is a blessing. May you and your family enjoy a healthy and prosperous 2012.

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