April 9, 2015 — "…environmentalists and fishermen have been working to promote more locally-caught seafood."
Fishermen are facing tougher quotas and declining populations for some of the most popular fish species, most notably Cod, a New England favorite. That’s one reason why environmentalists and fishermen have been working to promote more locally-caught seafood. Some, like lobster, quahogs, and other shellfish are catching on. But there are other fish that teem the waters of Narragansett Bay. There's one effort underway to raise awareness about scup, an abundant local catch.
It’s not unusual for chefs at Johnson & Wales University to take their students to local farms. So it’s no surprise to find Chef Bill Idell with one of his students on the Heather Lynn, a large commercial fishing boat at Point Judith.
While fishermen unload their catch at Town Dock, a wholesale seafood distributor, longtime commercial fisherman Fred Mattera shows Idell and his student what’s happening on the boat. “This is Chris. He’ll guide the fish out. You know, there’s a fellow down here, he’s called a lumper. And he loads the fish into the basket,” explains Mattera.
Read the full story and listen to the audio from Rhode Island Public Radio