June 28, 2010 by Debra.

Yankee Fisherman’s Cooperative of Seabrook has announced a new CSF! Following the success of their native shrimp CSF this past winter, the cooperative will now be offering whole fish and lobster. Via the Portsmouth Herald/SeacoastOnline.com:

Fisherman’s Coop offers Community Supported Fishery program

 

Seabrook’s Yankee Fisherman’s Cooperative catches 2 million pounds of fish yearly, but only 3 percent stays in New Hampshire as the catch is sold to vendors in Massachusetts, Maine, New York and Canada.

 

“New Hampshire has this resource and it’s not being taken advantage of,” said Bob Campbell, manager of the Yankee Fisherman’s Cooperative, which has 61 members.

 

As part of its ongoing efforts to keep their fresh seafood local, the cooperative has created a Community Supported Fishery (CSF) program for whole fish and lobster. The eight-week program is inspired by Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), in which participants pay up front for a guaranteed stream of fish throughout the summer.

 

“It’s peace of mind, knowing where your food is coming from,” Campbell said.

 

Buyers have a variety of choices for the eight-week CSF including the catch of the day or lobster as well as options alternating fish and lobster each week. Prices range from $140 to $400 for the program, which runs July 10 to Aug. 28.

To read full article > 

For more information on the Yankee Fisherman’s Cooperative Whole Fish and Lobster CSF, including prices, options and delivery locations, visit  www.yankeefish.com.

Posted in author: Debra, seafood, eating locally in the media | Print | No Comments »

May 5, 2010 by Heather.

There was another recent article, this one in the Wire, about New Hampshire’s seafood industry and the effects the new regulations will have. The article, written by Matt Kanner, titled “Staying Afloat” came out on April 29, just before the May 1 rule change. Local fishermen commented on the projected terror the rules will have on the local industry:

“From 2009 to 2010, the difference in allocation for harvesting ability will be reduced in the vicinity of 70 to 75 percent,” said Padi Anderson, whose family has two commercial fishing boats in Rye Harbor. “It will compromise our industry—and by compromising our industry, I mean very possibly collapse New Hampshire’s fishing industry.”

The article highlighted many efforts being made to help support the industry in new and hopefully meaningful ways. This article also spent time discussing what consumers can do to help the fishing industry here in New Hampshire. From trying different, seasonal fish varieties to eating the whole fish there were several things mentioned that anyone can do.

The article covered a spectrum of fish-related hot topics. Read the article.

Also, see the earlier article we blogged about, http://blog.seacoasteatlocal.org/2010/04/26/in-the-news-locals-say-rules-could-dry-up-fishing-business/. 

Posted in author: Heather, policy and legislation, seafood | Print | No Comments »

March 22, 2010 by Heather.

UNH has created a short video to shed a little light on the local fishing industry. Connecting local commercial fishermen with local markets can go a long way in helping this centuries-old way of life continue in NH. The video highlights our winter farmers’ markets as a way to do just that. But there’s much more to it.

To watch the video please visit http://extension.unh.edu/Marine/Local_Markets/Local_Markets.htm.

For information on local fish, visit our list of vendors for the winter markets and our list of CSA and CSFs.

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March 15, 2010 by Heather.

This Thursday, March 18, at 8:00 p.m. on New Hampshire Public Television, Maine Public Broadcasting Network, and Vermont Public Television, Making Sense New England will be airing a segment on Community Supported Fisheries. Featured in the story are Bob Campbell, manager of Yankee Fisherman’s Cooperative, and David Goethel, a Hampton, NH, fisherman.

For information on the show visit the NH Public Television website.

For information on local seafood visit our Learning About Seafood section, take a look at our list of CSA and CSFs, or visit New Hampshire Seafood.

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January 27, 2010 by Sara Zoe.

In the Concord Monitor today:

It’s that time of the year when our chickens start producing eggs with orange yolks. That’s because our chickens love the tiny bright coral-colored shells of Pandalus borealis - a.k.a. northern pink or Maine shrimp - as much as we love the tender, sweet flesh inside them. The best things about these tiny crustaceans (besides their great flavor), is that they’re just about the only shrimp you can buy that are harvested both sustainably and locally.

Though you might find the larger shrimp imported from Asia appealing, keep in mind that shrimp farming in places like Vietnam has wiped out huge swaths of traditional rice paddies, as well as fragile wild ecosystems like mangrove swamps. Too, these shrimp have to travel thousands of miles and many days to reach U.S. markets and are likely to have been frozen.

Northern shrimp, on the other hand, are, for the most part, harvested with trawlers that have been redesigned in recent years so they don’t do as much harm to the fish stocks as the old-style trawlers did. And because they’re caught off the New England coast, the fresh shrimp can reach local markets quickly.

read the full article >

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January 13, 2010 by Sara Zoe.

Thanks to the FV Rimrack out of Rye Harbor! (And thanks to Eastman’s Fish for sharing the video!)

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January 11, 2010 by Sara Zoe.

If you’re looking for an easy, fun way to learn more about our northern/native/Maine/New Hampshire shrimp, here’s a fun evening offered by UNH SeaGrant and UNH Thompson School Culinary Arts Program!

6 - 8pm on February 10th, 2009
UNH Thompson School Culinary Arts Program
Cole Hall Room 219
Come to this event to learn how to cook, peel and store the Northern Shrimp delicacy! Chef’s from the Culinary Program will be demonstrating how to prepare these local gems in a variety of ways for you to taste. Leave the workshop with recipes and educational materials so you can enjoy shrimp at home. $10 per person.

To register visit:  www.tinyurl.com/localshrimp

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January 2, 2010 by Sara Zoe.

There’s another winter-time local seafood in addition to our famous shrimp -  smelt!

A note from Sanders Fish Market:

We just got in some beautiful Great Bay smelts today. I’ve talked to several local fisherman; from the sounds of it, there is a lot of action out on the ice right now and they are really hauling them in! Good news for smelt lovers, and a nice change of local winter seafood until the weather cooperates for the shrimp fishermen sometime next week…

Happy New Year,

Mike Sanders
Sanders Fish Market
www.facebook.com/sandersfish
367 Marcy Street
Portsmouth, NH
P: (603) 436-4568

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January 2, 2010 by Sara Zoe.

From the Newburyport Daily News:

Fisherman’s Co-op works to keep industry alive Yankee Co-op hopes to bolster local fishermen’s sales

By Angeljean Chiaramida
Staff writer

SEABROOK — Yankee Fisherman’s Co-op’s experimental move to sell fish directly to consumers at farmers markets has been such a success, the organization is taking to cyberspace, launching a Web site allowing residents and businesses on both sides of the border access to fish freshly caught from the Gulf of Maine.

In January, the 61 members of the only commercial fishermen’s cooperative left along this stretch of the Atlantic made the bold move of selling to consumers at enclosed New Hampshire farmers markets. The decision was an attempt to help the region’s beleaguered 400-year-old commercial fishing industry survive.

“The idea worked,” said co-op manager Robert Campbell, laughing. “How about that?”

The co-op’s endeavor corresponded with the Granite State’s Buy Local campaign, intended to help local farmers, bakers, food processors and dairy producers by encouraging the region’s consumers to buy locally grown and made food.

Some farmers markets, once considered only a summer activity, are now enclosed and open year-round, allowing the co-op to continue selling fresh Gulf of Maine shrimp to those who buy into their program.

“Exeter’s (indoor) farmers market feels having us there with the seafood draws more people to the market,” Campbell said.

Campbell is also working with Newburyport’s farmers market in hopes of taking part in that as well. Newburyport’s market just closed for the winter.

But for those looking for added convenience, and for those living across the border in Massachusetts, Yankee Fisherman’s Co-op has launched its Web site, www.yankeefish.com, through which consumers can buy into an eight-week shrimp share program. Restaurants can also use the site to access freshly caught fish like cod, haddock, flounder and lobsters wholesale directly from the co-op, with no middlemen in between.

Read the full article >

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December 20, 2009 by Sara Zoe.

Two great articles in Foster’s this morning on native shrimp:

Fishermen gearing up for a strong shrimp season
Foster’s Daily Democrat
Fishermen and people who love shrimp should benefit from a variety of factors that could produce one of the best shrimp seasons in recent memory.For the second year in a row, shrimp fishermen have a 180-day season that extends to the end of May. Northern shrimp in the Gulf of Maine are plentiful, fishermen are getting higher off-the-boat prices and there are more local markets where people can buy fresh shrimp.Padi Anderson of Dover said her husband, Michael, a commercial fishermen since 1981, is shrimping this season. She said they and other New Hampshire fishermen are working with the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension’s Sea Grant program to develop more local markets for their catch.

In the last year, commercial fishermen like Eddie Eastman and his wife, Carolyn, who own Eastman Fish Market in Seabrook have sold their seafood at local farmer’s markets. Carolyn Eastman was scheduled her fresh fish at the Wentworth Greenhouse Winter Market in Rollinsford on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Representatives with the Yankee Fishermen’s Cooperative in Seabrook were expected to be there selling fresh caught shrimp.

Read the full article

Shrimp at Candlelight Stroll promote local catch
Foster’s Daily Democrat
Local fishermen took a break from trolling fishing grounds Saturday night and instead took to the historic streets of Strawbery Banke in order to promote the Candlelight Stroll event as well as raise awareness about the local fishing industry.With over 1,000 pounds of native shrimp being donated to the cause from Seaport Fish Company, stakeholders involved in the local fishing movement stationed themselves along the dirt streets of the historic neighborhood and sold bowls of shrimp for $2.Rich Pettigrew, owner of Seaport Fish Company, kindly donated the seafood for the event and said all of the proceeds would go toward supporting Strawbery Banke Museum.

“We’re happy to be supporting Strawbery Banke,” said Pettigrew. “It’s also a way for us to educate the community about the historical significance of our industry.”

Read the full article

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