Cape Ann Fresh Catch

Welcome to the CAFC Blog.

Starting this week and each week hereafter we will be writing a new blog entry covering issues related to fishing, eating fish, fish politics and relevant fish events. One of our objectives as a CSF is to build on the “Community” that we have been able to establish. The CAFC Blog is a way for us to get news out to you about what is going on in the world of fish. You will still receive separate notifications on the day of your delivery about what types of fish and/or any problems with weather etc.

One of the things we know our community care’s about is the sustainability of the fish you get from CAFC. And on that front there is increasingly good news to report. Most, if not all of the fish you are receiving are from stocks that are growing. For example, the following quote comes from a June 25 press release from the New England Fisheries Management Council (NEFMC) (The NEMFC is one of 8 regional Councils set up by the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Act of 1976 to advise the government on fisheries policies. We will go into this in more detail next week):

“Gulf of Maine haddock are rebuilt and are being harvested at sustainable levels. Gulf of Maine cod is no longer overfished and is at a stock size that has not been seen in 30 years. Acadian redfish is very close to or fully rebuilt, although that determination awaits confirmation by a stock assessment. While they are not fully rebuilt, increases in many of the stocks in the groundfish complex are being observed for the first time in nearly a decade.”

Indeed a recent Pollack assessment changed that fish from overfished to abundant. So, after years of sacrifice and struggle, fishermen are encouraged by the rebounding stocks. Indeed for some fishermen the problem is that they are catching too many fish - a topic we will cover next week. So while there are still lots of issues, problems and challenges facing local fishermen, for the first time in a long time a scarcity of fish is not the main problem.

Each week we will try to tell you a little more about the fish, fishermen (and women), where and how they catch their fish and the shore-side processors – without who’s participation CAFC could not exist, as well as some of the fun events going on involving seafood.