A somewhat unlikely coalition of traditional Cape Cod fishermen, chefs of fine restaurants, and environmental lawyers has come together to promote codfish – not just any codfish, but specifically Chatham, Massachusetts hook-and-line caught cod. This three-way partnership has recognized that protecting and restoring the marine environment involves more than just rebuilding fish stocks, and also that it will take all sectors to build and support a resource management and harvesting system that fosters sustainable utilization.
The Chatham fishermen, many of whom are members of the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen’s Association, believe that through using traditional, eco-friendly baited-hook methods of catching fish, they are not only preventing harm to the ocean floor, but also are producing a significantly better product. These fish are caught on single hooks, and not in nets, which means that they do not get bruised or jostled, and the boats return to shore each night, resulting in fresher product. Not only does this result in a better tasting fish, but it also avoids the unwanted bycatch and seafloor disruption that many believe can come from the heavy, towed nets, which account for the majority of the catch.
A network of more than 1,000 food professionals known as the Chefs Collaborative has recognized both the culinary and the environmental qualities of hook-caught cod. This group promotes sustainable cuisine by celebrating the joys of seasonal, local, and artisanal cooking, and aims to provide its members with the information and tools needed to run economically, socially, and environmentally healthy food service businesses.
The Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) joined in the promotion as a way of working towards its marine preservation goals by way of consumers. The CLF staff of attorneys, scientists, policy experts and economists work routinely on marine issues, and the group has also been involved in recent legal challenges to the current federal management system, which has overseen unprecedented declines in groundfish abundance in the past 20 years.
The group will be hosting a cod tasting and educational seminar Sept. 30, at the Seaport Hotel and Trade Center in Boston. Mark Kurlansky, author of Cod, A History of the Fish that Changed the World, will be the keynote speaker. This project was supported in part through a grant from the Sudbury Foundation, a Massachusetts based nonprofit supporting environmental initiatives in the Gulf of Maine.