If you like fish, or have a group of friends that enjoy fresh fish, you should check out the fish CSA going on in Gloucester. They have pick points in many places – possibly near you!
In the kitchen, community-supported fisheries require cooks to agree in advance to buy whatever fish or shellfish local fishermen catch. Fishermen are asked to embrace plentiful species like skate or redfish, once routinely tossed overboard. With about 80 percent of the seafood on the American plate imported and “traceability” the mandate du jour, community-supported fisheries of varying sizes and ambition are springing up around the country, from Cape Ann in Massachusetts to Santa Barbara in California. There are about 30 nationwide, including two in New York.
Overfishing continues to be a major issue; the allowable catch for cod is projected to be cut up to 70 percent for next year, said Peter Baker, the director of Northeast Fisheries programs for the Pew Environment Group. The steady decline of fish resulted in increased federal regulations, including limits on the number of days at sea.
When I think of over fishing, I think of those large trawlers with nets just scooping up whatever crosses their path. We, as a global population, never see the danger in what we are doing till it is too late. Or, we do know, but short term profits outweigh the environmental damage done later. Something no fine, no matter how big, can fix.