Catch of the Day

Community-Supported Fishery Comes to Marlow & Sons Daughters

Photo: Port Clyde Fresh Catch

The next step in the evolution of community-supported agriculture is the emergence of a community-supported fishery (CSF). A small band of Maine fishermen called Port Clyde Fresh Catch will start closing the gulf-to-table gap next month when they begin deliveries of seasonal shrimp to Brooklyn’s Marlow & Sons Daughters. The fishermen, who will also operate a stall at this weekend’s New Amsterdam Market, own all aspects of the supply chain, a clutch move that provides traceability and keeps the retail cost down and all preservatives out. The shrimp are harvested, hand-sorted, and frozen with a small amount of ocean water in one-pound vacuum packs. After that, they board the truck bound for the BQE.

In New York there will be six pickup dates, from January to May. The shrimp’s CSF $216 price tag includes 30 pounds of shrimp, enough to make it to early summer when Port Clyde hopes to start a second round of subscriptions and make the transition to halibut, cod, and monkfish. “We’re looking to move into the area year-round,” says coordinator Jessica Libby. “The subscribers pay for the delivery route.” To join the CSF, sign up here or at the Amsterdam Market on Sunday.

Related: On Your Shopping List: Traceability [NYM]

Community-Supported Fishery Comes to Marlow & Sons Daughters