One Fish Foundation’s blueprint for community engagement has been to host intimate, interactive conversations where folks learn about why they should care about the story of their seafood.
I constantly tell students and adults I want them to think about buying seafood the same way they buy eggs at a farmer’s market, where they can ask questions, get answers and build strong relationships with those who produce their food.
Photo: Angela Prout of Shored up Digital
Those strong bonds were on display at the Chatham Harvesters Cooperative (CHC) 3rd annual Seafest held outside of the CHC facility on Cape Cod on Sept. 27. About 80 people came from across the Cape to celebrate local seafood, meet the fishermen that provide their seafood, and learn more about why they should care where their seafood comes from. This event was a co-production of CHC, One Fish Foundation and Slow Fish North America.
Many attendees were already shareholders of the CHC community supported fishery. Think community supported agriculture (CSA) for seafood. Others were curious, and later signed up to become shareholders, effectively buying a share of the upcoming harvest to get excellent locally caught fish. They all heard the stories of the seafood they were eating directly from the producers and/or chefs who caught the fish or prepared the dish.
Chef Rich Kendall, a CHC fish share member, puts the finishing touch on saba, mackerel ceviche. Photo: Angela Prout of Shored up Digital
Seafood with a story
They learned about how the mackerel harvested that morning by Eric White on the F/V Believer was properly bled and iced down prior to being cured (salt and vinegar) to make it sing as saba, or mackerel ceviche, prepared by Chef Rich Kelly. Talk about fresh!
They heard Ernie Davis describe the effort to harvest quahogs, a Cape Cod staple whose numbers have dropped over the decades due to a variety of reasons, including climate change, management policies and shifting consumer appetites. Ernie and his wife Shareen Davis, CHC co-founder and marketing and sales manager, grilled the quahogs to perfection.
Dogfish graced with a vibrant gremolata prepared by Chef Gavin Smith aka, @foodmindedfellow. Photo: Angela Prout of Shored up Digital
CHC Cofounder Doug Feeney described dogfish (which he landed aboard the F/V Noah), explaining how it is an abundant, locally available species that is delicious, despite its appearance and the bad rap it gets with many consumers. Chef Gavin Nelson showcased dogfish’s culinary potential in a tasty dish featuring broiled dogfish with a piquant gremolata finished with a citrus sprinkle.
Attendees learned how the black sea bass (harvested the day before by Joel Bois on the F/V Musquash) had been caught in pots, (not unlike lobster traps), prior to being grilled whole with a citrus and kale stuffing.
Building a local seafood community
Brett Tolley, CHC’s general manager and co-founder, reinforced the community supported fishery mission to create a local seafood system that supports local fishermen (ie, pays them a fair price for their fish) and the local seafood-eating community. Critical to that mission is forging direct relationships with shareholders and customers.
Russell Kingman of Fishing Partnership Support Services echoed the message about local seafood operations like CHC that enable fishermen to earn a living doing something they love while feeding their communities. Fishing Partnership Support Services provides services to improve the health, safety, and economic security of commercial fishermen, their families, and their communities.
All hands on deck … or the grill, where seasoned whole black seabass are nearly ready. Photo Rich Kendall
I had the pleasure of working with both chefs Gavin and Rich while also providing some larger context around why supporting operations like CHC matters. We discussed the domestic seafood consumption dynamic and how supporting local seafood not only turns the dial on this country’s high import volume, but also supports fishermen in their communities. We also talked about spreading the message and getting more folks to support local seafood and CHC so they can learn the full story of their seafood, down to the individual fisherman and the boat.
This kind of direct, intimate engagement is essential for bolstering community support for local seafood. Especially now. So we’ll keep collaborating with folks like Chatham Harvesters Cooperative on events like KNOW FISH Dinners, Seafood Throwdowns and other Slow Fish Rising Tide events across the country.
The 7 C’s of Sustainable Seafood were present and part of the conversation. Photo: Angela Prout of Shored up Digital
Big thanks to Brett, Doug, Shareen and the entire crew for hosting this event and inviting One Fish Foundation to Seafest to help spread the message!
Top photo: Angela Prout of Shored up Digital
