A group representing fishermen in Massachusetts is pairing with a growing number of local restaurants in an effort to get more local seafood on diners’ plates in the Bay State.
The Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance’s Pier to Plate program will launch over Memorial Day weekend. In its inaugural year, it will feature 20 restaurants, a fish market and a catering company serving locally caught seafood. The program is focused on increasing popularity and consumption of underutilized species including dogfish and skate.
“Cape Cod small-boat fishermen sustainably catch ‘under-loved’ dogfish and skate in abundance right off our shores, but 99 percent of this plentiful, white fish is shipped overseas to restaurants in Europe and Asia. Our goal is to create consumer demand for these fish on Cape Cod and across the country,” the organization said in a press release. “By ordering dogfish and skate dishes, you are supporting sustainable fishing on Cape Cod, a healthy marine environment and a new local fish movement.”
Participating restaurants are located in Provincetown, Wellfleet, Orleans, Brewster, Chatham, Harwich and Dennis, Massachusetts.
On Saturday, 3 June, the program will kick off with a skate tasting at Chatham Fish and Lobster in Chatham, Massachusetts. Local fisherman will be in attendance to answer questions about skate fishing.
On 15 June, the Bowling with the Dogs night at Big Dogs Barbecue at the Orleans Bowling Center in Orleans, Massachusetts, will include discounted bowling, free samples of dogfish and skate, and dogfish and skate dishes made to order by executive chef Paul Rogers.
On 17 June, fishermen and local elected officials and representatives from the Cape Cod National Seashore will appear at the Far Land on the Beach Summer Kick Off at Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown to discuss healthy local eating and sustainable fishing.
On 28 June, at the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen's Alliance Meet the Fleet event at the Nauset Marine Marina East in Orleans, fishermen John Tuttle and Tim Linnell will talk about dogfish and skates and how important they are to local fishing businesses. In addition, chef Caleb Hessler of What's Cooking Catering & Events at the Lazy Lobster will offer cooking tips, tastes and recipes. The event is both free and open to the public.
