Jared Auerbach sails into a meeting room, and plunks down in a chair with his back to a view of the Boston Fish Pier.
He just finished making a video, which Auerbach, owner and chief executive officer of Red’s Best, explains is all about the glory of the skate species and why people should eat it.
“It’s very affordable and versatile. It’s served at the fanciest restaurants in New York and France,” Auerbach continues, adding that people should be cooking it at home as well.
The waters around Cape Cod are home to many types of birds that most non-fishing people will never see.
Known as “pelagics,” they spend their entire lives at sea, returning to land only to nest and raise their young.
One of the most numerous is the Great Shearwater, a brown-and-white bird with a four-foot wingspan, often seen gliding a few feet above the waves in search of food.
United States Senator from Massachusetts Ed Markey looked out at the bustling Chatham Fish Pier as boats navigated the tide to bring in dogfish and mackerel while a crowd watched and took photos from the observation deck.
He wondered how the industry had fared during the pandemic, if the money he had fought for in the CARES Act made a difference.
Peggi Joseph, long dark hair tied in a ponytail, blue sweatshirt and matching rubber gloves peeking out of orange Grundens, makes quick work of packing thousands of pounds of haddock.
Her image was captured by photographer Shareen Davis at Stage Harbor as Joseph moved hefty haddock into totes beside a bin of ice.
Joseph seems unaware of the camera. Davis catches her intent on doing a job she loves.
We don’t like to brag, but it’s warranted: We have a stellar board of directors.
Our board has always been a mix of accomplished, savvy captains and people in the community who understand the value of the Cape’s commercial fisheries.
Celebrating our 30th birthday, we have long been involved in many projects helping small-boat fishermen, the marine environment, and this slice of sand we all call home. We could not do it without our engaged, supportive board.
Please meet them in this gallery. They volunteer their time to advocate for us and the industry we believe defines the Cape.
Taking a moment to express what too often gets taken for granted:
Gratitude.
That starts with this community. You’ve supported us for 30 years, but never more so than in this past stretch. To mix metaphoric locations, Cape Cod’s fishing fleet is not out of the COVID woods yet – truth to tell, fishermen never truly get to some kind of secure, protected, predictable clearing. But where we are is far better than where we could have gone, and much of that has to do with people supporting local fishermen, buying off the decks and in the markets, keeping this organization whole and allowing us to advocate for the independent, small-boat fleet.
Gratitude.
There also have been strong partnerships forged and deepened.
The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has been there in a big way. They were first and probably best in the country when it came to figuring out how to get federal relief money into the fishing community. They cleared a path to allow captains and crew to sell from boats at docks, reviving a centuries-old practice while ensuring that modern health regulations are satisfied. DMF leadership, with some support from us, created a Massachusetts port study that will drive smart policies as climate change forces many issues. They have been a strong, rationale voice searching for ways to protect both fishermen and right whales. They have been flexible, creative, and proactive. They answer the phone.
Gratitude.
The Greater Boston Food Bank has been an inspirational, essential partner in helping us get our “Small Boats, Big Taste” haddock chowder to people all over the state. GBFB serves communities from as close as Harwich to as far as Springfield. They know the need, and understand that our fishermen want to feed everyone in our communities. They worked to get our haddock chowder into what’s called MEFAP, the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program, that encourages food banks to order what they think their clients will want to eat. A healthy, local, preservative-free chowder became a major hit all over the state, then across New England. In the first year we served more than 720,000 chowder servings. We paid Massachusetts small-boat fishermen a strong, predictable price for the haddock they contributed. We continue into year two with Greater Boston’s support, with MEFAP once again helping foot the bill for the food banks. We are proud as hell of this, and we know who played a key role to make it happen.
Gratitude.
There’s Catch Together, a heady national non-profit that shared our vision and rounded up funding for this win-win chowder effort. They got us on our feet, and now it’s our turn to make it sustainable.
That also goes for the national Sea Grant program, most directly the great group working out of MIT as well as their colleagues in Woods Hole, who have backed us up time and again with support ranging from grants to insightful advice to introductions and networking.
Gratitude.
I could go on; I think I will. Local businesses offered help and support, often with no need for headlines or anything specific in return. There are donors who love this community and understand what we are trying to do, trying to hold onto – again, contributing quietly, creatively, for the satisfaction not notoriety. There are volunteers and community stalwarts offering time as well as treasure; you’ll see just a few of them in the photo gallery of our board of directors in this issue.
Gratitude.
Is 30 years a long time, or a short time? The best answer probably is both. But not too many idealistic, shoestring non-profits survive into a fourth decade. We have, and we are weathering a pandemic to boot.
So when I get up in the morning, I’m moving a little slower than I was 30 years ago, I’ll admit to that. But my energy is no less, just steadier and in a deeper place. Inspired by the people I work with, the fishermen and community I try to serve, I feel like I’ve joined an historic marathon rather than running a sprint.
Thank you to the J.McLaughlin store in Chatham for celebrating the Fishermen’s Alliance this past month with a special event that donated 15 percent of sales for the day. We are so grateful for the Cape business community that shows up for non-profits in creative ways.
We are planning fall Meet the Fleet events that you won’t want to miss! Check our website for updates and event postings.
Celebrating 30 years. Navigating 30 more. Whether for yourself or for a gift, check out our online store for commemorative YETI barware, Chatham Hook bracelets, hats, sweatshirts, cookbooks, t-shirts and more
On the Water
Ever wonder how a boat, or a fish, got its name? Want the word on what people are catching --- or how to cook it?
Our two recent podcasts celebrate old and new. The first goes back to one of the early moments of the Fishermen’s Alliance, then the Hook Fishermen’s Association, when members were pioneers of habitat protection. The second tells the story of why the haddock chowder program was launched and visits a take-away food program at St. David’s Episcopal Church in South Yarmouth on a distribution day.
On the Shore
This community thrives in large part because of a constellation of non-profit organizations and engaged businesses.
Much of our work requires partners, and we want to give a shout out to our friends at MIT Sea Grant for supporting our haddock chowder program, which helps fishermen and food banks, as well as their support as we expand the program and bring the chowder, and perhaps other delicious offerings, into universities and other institutional settings.
Farm & Sea To Table dinner is back for a seventh year and happening Saturday, Oct. 2 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the garden at Nauset Regional High School. The event, features local farmers, fishermen, restaurants, students and teachers and benefits Nauset’s eat local and eat clean food initiatives, including travel scholarships and garden restoration. For more information click here.
We are huge supporters of getting more local fish on more plates, so we are very interested in the work of Farm to Institute New England (FINE). The non-profit of public and private entities works together to transform the food system and make sure more amazing, local food is served everywhere from colleges to hospitals to prisons. We recently did a webinar on our haddock program for them.
On the Hook
We do a lot of reading, searching through the wide world of fisheries, and often find intriguing pieces to share. In the old days, you might call this your clipping service.
Did you know orange lobsters are more rare than blue? Read more about an interesting local catch in this Cape Cod Chronicle story.
In what is fast becoming the new normal, there is a lot happening on the wind front. Read about a step forward, as Vineyard Wind – which plans to build 62 wind turbines about 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard - begins work on its electrical substation in Barnstable. But there is growing pushback against the process and RODA, Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, has sued to make sure the concerns of fishermen are addressed in future projects.
Many haven’t heard of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which moves warm, salty water from the tropics to northern Europe and then transports colder water back south along the ocean bottom, but it matters a great deal to the success of the fisheries and coastal communities. There is some evidence the AMOC is slowing, read more about why this matters with a link to a story on rising sea levels on the East Coast.
Was wonderful to see two Cape fishing businesses featured on WCVB’s Chronicle. John Richards, of Chatham Shellfish Company, talked about the early years in the 1970s and Stephen Wright joined in to talk about how the company is thriving today. Chronicle also spent time with Captain Beau Gribbin, of Provincetown, who spoke about how when he was growing up fishing was an honorable profession and still one that has his heart. His business, Salt Seafood Company, has made a success of “dock to door” with scallops and lobster. See the segment here .
