HYANNIS – The Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance says its new Pier to Plate program over the summer was a success.
The program was created to create demand of two locally caught fish species which have been underutilized but are abundant, dogfish and skate.
Saltonstall-Kennedy grant funding through NOAA paid local fishermen and processors between Memorial and Labor Day to provide fish to local restaurants.
Director of the Cape Cod Fisheries Trust Seth Rolbein said about 14 million pounds of dogfish was landed in Chatham last year, which is a large percentage of the Northeast catch.
The fish is usually processed and frozen before being shipped overseas to Europe and Asia.
“Obviously our hope is that we begin to build a local market that changes that,” Rolbein said.
Rolbein said the local community is not used to thinking that dogfish and skate as top of the plate dinners.
“We think of cod fish. We think of haddock. We think of all kinds of other species,” Rolbein said. “But these are beautiful fish and they are plentiful now.”
The goal of the program was to get fish caught off Cape Cod to be part of the local food movement.
“We figured we’d get some support and try to really offer that support through our restaurant community and get people eating dogs and skates,” Rolbein said.
About 30 restaurants participated in Pier to Plate, including West End in Hyannis.
West Wend consulting chef Toby Hill said customers have enjoyed his dogfish and skate offerings, and that dogfish is tastier fried than cod and haddock.
“I think it’s far better. It’s a fattier fish. It yields a better mouth feel I think than those others,” Hill said. “I much prefer it for fish and chips, especially beer-battered fish and chips.”
Hill said he has been a chef all over Cape Cod and that he has struggled finding locally caught fish.
“You go to the fish markets and nobody is serving local fish,” Hill said. “They are serving halibut, salmon. None of these are coming from local waters.”
During the summer West End served skate cakes and fried fish sandwiches using the dogfish.
Hill said the skate doesn’t sell as well as crab cakes do but that customers who did order the skate enjoyed the taste.
The restaurant also used the fish periodically for entrée specials, including ceviche and traditional pan roasted meals.
Rolbein said the alliance will gather input on the program from restauranteurs and fishermen before deciding if they will look to continue the program into next year.
“If we want to come back next year and try to market it again, we will give it a shot,” Rolbein said.
Hill said he will continue to use dogfish and skate whether the program continues or not.
By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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