bass

A NY Times article this week talked about the changing fishing culture in Greenland. Climate change has diminished commercial fishing opportunities, and mining is being considered as an economic alternative. While this might bring new jobs to the region, it's not a change that everyone wants. "It's about traditions, the freedom of a boat, family professions," says Greenland's housing and infrastructure minister. We've heard this sentiment before. Fishing is more than a business for our Maine fisherman friend Terry Alexander. "It's a way of life for us," he explains. Maybe it's time fishing cultures get more consideration.

The sustainable seafood movement doesn't seem to have taken off the way the local/organic food movement has, and we wonder if that's because the human component of fishing has too often been ignored. Local farms were recognized as a necessary part of our cultural fabric, and now chefs and home cooks alike take pride in knowing the name of the guy who grows their vegetables. We see restaurant menus that can name the person who produces their salt, but can't name the guy who catches their fish. Don't tell me about your warehouse, tell me about your fisherman.

Fish are jumping off Beaufort, NC, where Captain James Holden of the F/V Sea Mint is landing beautiful day-boat Wahoo and Mahi. Captain Dave “Grouperman” Tucker is bottom fishing for serious grouper, and the pound-netters are landing Flounder, Sheepshead and Drum. Two greenstick boats are pulling beautiful Yellowfin Tuna, and the day-boat Wahoo is $11.90/lb delivered, less if you are within 300 miles of the dock. This is the season to enjoy the incredible bounty from the bottom of NC’s Outer Banks.

PBS Newshour ran a frightening story this week about shrimp farmers from Thailand exploiting workers for cheap shrimp. Why would someone want antibiotic-filled imported shrimp that tastes bad, when they can have wild, sustainable, delicious shrimp and support Gulf Coast shrimpers? Beats me.

The fall season begins the end of the Northeast Striped Bass season. Please take a minute and watch this awesome 1956 newsreel about the passion of striper fishermen. Way cool.

The owner of a NYC Chinatown fish market was arrested for allegedly selling dangerously dirty clams that she smuggled in on the luggage racks of passenger buses that regularly travel from Washington to Boston. Packaged in burlap, about a dozen packages would arrive on each bus Mondays and Tuesdays. Tests showed high levels of fecal matter and other bacteria that made the claims unfit for human consumption. “Bottom line is this: would you want to eat something stored in the luggage cart of a bus since at least Philadelphia?” asked Department of Environmental Conservation Officer Brent Wilson. Meanwhile, in response to worldwide outrage that the practice of “finning” sharks has decimated the shark populations of all the oceans, the Chinese government announced that they would no longer serve shark-fin soup at state dinners.

The growing problem of fish fraud does not seem to get the attention it deserves. A Boston Globe investigation found fish bought at restaurants across New England was mislabeled about half the time. Sometimes it was innocent error due to the opacity of the supply chain, but often the switch was deliberate, driven by profit. The solution is simple: know where your fish comes from. Our transparent model hopes to shed some light on these issues, as we are most proud of the fishermen whose catch we sell.

Striped Bass season opens in both Massachusetts and New York next week, and it looks like a bumper season ahead. Sockeye Salmon arrived late to Bristol Bay this year, but it looks like the harvest will meet expectations as more that 2 million fish have already been landed. With the mining threat to the world’s greatest salmon nursery remaining virulent, remember that the best way to save a wild sockeye is to eat a wild sockeye.

With reports that agribusiness giants Monsanto and Cargill are now aggressively marketing Genetically Modified Soybeans as feed to salmon farmers, one can’t help notice the similarity of aquaculture and industrial meat production. Once you look behind the curtain at a chicken processing plant or a fish farm, the protein does not taste quite as good. Scientists at Oceana have recently proposed that with proper management, the world’s oceans are capable of doubling the harvest of sustainable wild fish to help feed the world’s growing human population. I find the idea of supporting natural systems very appealing. We all know that happy chickens lay better eggs.

The Center for American Progress reported on the top five fish stories of 2011: fisheries management success, pirate fishing, forage fish, fish farming, and sharks. It’s good to see fish in the news.

One story causing concern is a report that the most recent stock assessment of Gulf of Maine Cod was not as strong as it was two years ago. While fishermen are reporting good catches, scientists are worried. Even though the data have not been finalized, NOAA has taken the unusual step of convening a team to meet with fishermen and discuss options. A close cousin of cod, Gulf of Maine Saithe, has been abundant, with this years quota not being met, and next years being increased. It is a great eating fish at an excellent price. And from the Gulf of Alaska, our fishermen are landing Pacific Cod daily.

We are most pleased to now be working with fisherman Chris Lingerman from the Chesapeake Bay fishing community of Rock Hall, MD. Chris and his family are landing Striped Bass, Channel Catfish, and White Perch, and we are able to combine Blue Crab harvested down the road in Cambridge, MD in the same box.

Paul Greenberg wrote this week on the Whitefish’s Burden. And if you happen to be in NYC today, you might want to drop in at the Old Fulton Fish Market where Paul and Sea to Table will help celebrate Wintermarket with an offering of local seafood and wine. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Cooler weather is setting in with ocean temperatures dropping. Migratory species are well on their way towards wintering grounds and colder water species are just coming alive. In preparation of this we have partnered with a dock and number of boats in the historic port of New Bedford, MA where we will be seeing landings of Scallops and Monkfish steadily through Spring.

Scallops are landing as large as U8 all the way through 20/30 sizing. Because we are buying directly off the boat and from a local dock our scallops are never "soaked" with poly tri-phosphates which inflate scallop sizing and artificially prolong shelf life through water retention. These are truly Dry Scallops with our guys on the dock ready to attest to it. And, until temperatures hits freezing, we will be seeing limited landings of local Nantucket Bay Scallops. They are a real treat.

Landing at the same dock as the Scallop boats are beautiful Monkfish. We are shipping skin-off tails and are making most of the fish with Monk Cheeks and Monk Livers to be available soon. Both will be limited in quantity so please call ahead to reserve.

States from Maine to Florida voted Wednesday to set new, strict limits on catching menhaden from coastal waters and the Chesapeake Bay, handing environmentalists and sports fishermen a major victory in how this important little fish is managed. "This is great news for jobs, for our economy and for a society that values wildlife," said Will Baker, president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Menhaden or bunker have been dubbed “The Most Important Fish in the Sea” by author H. Bruce Franklin, who wrote the definitive book on the subject. They’re a vital source of forage at various life stages for a variety of species, especially Striped Bass and Bluefish. In addition, menhaden are filter feeders important to the ecosystem. Bunkers attract predators to our waters, and are a primary food for stripers and blues. The primary exploiter of the resource has been Omega Protein Corporation who catches millions of pounds to be reduced into fish meal and oils at its factory in Reedville, Va. The company’s giant reduction boats are now banned from state waters, where most of the approximately 160,000 metric tons the company boated last year came from. "Today's vote is a welcome step for a fish that hasn't caught a break since Dwight Eisenhower was president," said Peter Baker of the Pew Group. "When this little fish disappears, big fish (and the rest of us) are in trouble."

Michael appeared last week with our friend Patrick Martins on the Heritage Radio Network to talk about shrimp. Please give us a call to talk about all kinds of beautiful seafood.

As cooler weather begins on the east coast, large schools of tuna are feeding on various forage fish at the Hudson Canyon off NYC. Boats are landing at Gosman’s Dock in Montauk, off-loading beautiful fish. We are now able to deliver Yellowfin Tuna loins overnight for $12.40/lb, and if you are lucky enough to be located within 300 miles of Montauk, $10.40/lb. Word from the dock is that tuna should be plentiful for at least a month.

Sean visited the Chesapeake this past week, meeting with the Maryland Watermen’s Association. We are hoping to soon offer Striped Bass as well as Blue Crab from the bay. Our friends Steve Vilnet and Barton Seaver featured on NPR radio last week discussing the Chesapeake’s bounty.

While catch share management in the US makes significant progress in rebuilding fish populations and supporting fishing communities, “fisheries management in Europe is poor to non-existent” according to an EU report. European fishing subsidies, widely criticized, are not accomplishing the goal of sustaining both fish and fishermen.

And a shout out to Stephanie Izard, chef/owner of Chicago’s Girl & the Goat, named the official chef of CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR event. "Stephanie Izard is a rock star in her own right," said John Hamlin of Country Music Television. And a pretty good chef too.