Redfish is one of the few populations of New England groundfish considered completely healthy. Regulators have allotted fishermen 15 million pounds to catch this year, the third-most of any Northeast species. The big question is, who’s going to buy it?
The once-robust market for redfish has nearly disappeared. But attempts to rebuild it are under way in hopes of giving the fishing industry a multimillion-dollar boost.
A new network of researchers, regulators and industry members, called REDNET, has just been formed with a $500,000 federal grant to figure out how to best catch, protect and market the species. A symposium was held this month to discuss reviving redfish.
Fishermen say that redfish, once common in military mess halls and Midwestern frozen-food aisles, features a high-quality white fillet that people would eat it if they could find it.
Read the complete story by Jay Lindsay of the AP at The Boston Globe.