Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries is trying to make flounder go viral

September 22, 2026 — The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries is trying to make flounder go viral.

At the beginning of September, the department launched its “Flat is Back” campaign with 10 local chefs highlight the fish on their menus all month long. The campaign aims to put flatfish that is already caught on consumers’ plates and support the “depressed” cost of flounder, said Dan McKiernan, the director of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries.

“Massachusetts flounder is a beautiful fish to cook with—it’s fresh, delicate, and incredibly versatile,” Jeremy Sewall, chef and owner of Row 34 and one of the participating chefs, said in a statement. “By putting it on our menus, we can create something memorable for diners while supporting the local fishermen and coastal communities that make Massachusetts seafood so special.”

Read the full article at Boston.com

MASSACHUSETTS: ‘Flat is Back’ campaign hopes to put flounder back on people’s plates

September 15, 2026 — Aperol spritzes. Dubai chocolate. Dill pickle, well, everything. Thanks to Instagram and TikTok, food trends have never been more of-the-moment, with even seemingly mundane ingredients like cottage cheese enjoying a sudden resurgence.

Why not the flounder? The first-of-its-kind “Flat is Back” campaign, spearheaded by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, aims to build buzz around the plentiful yet underutilized flatfish called flounder, better connecting what fishermen already catch to what ends up on consumers’ plates. The hoped-for result would be a more economically and environmentally sustainable fisheries model, MassDMF Director Dan McKiernan — one he plans to replicate for all kinds of underappreciated fish.

But first, customers have to bite.

In 2023, over three-fourths of all seafood Americans consumed came from just 10 species, with shrimp, salmon, and canned tuna topping the list. In general, American diners tend to consume fewer species of fish than Europeans and Asians, McKiernan said. That can drive up demand for a few key species while leaving plenty of other fish in the sea.

Cod, for example, remains one of the most popular catches, even after its numbers have drastically declined. Flounder, on the other hand, is abundant and cheap.

“We hope that this program can help people get an appreciation for some of the other species of fish, so that seafood can be, surprisingly, fun,” McKiernan said.

Read the full article at The New Bedford Light