For sustainability, we have seen the increase demand on the wild and local caught fish. We offload 400,000 lbs of dogfish a year from local day boats in Marblehead. The dogfish quota this coming year is going to 20M lbs and will be harvested in three months from New Bedford to Portland. Dogfish feed on juvenile fish and soft shell lobsters devouring everything in their way. They are like locusts. I have heard that if they fish for dogfish for ten years without regulations every day, that it would not even put a dent in the bio mass. Patriot Seafoods delivers 99% of this species to Gloucester to be processed, frozen and shipped to Europe. A great item to help the trade deficit, but because of its name and lack of publicity, not too many people will even try it. I wanted to let everyone know that is going to change. Last Summer, Chef Barry Endelman,
5 Corner’s Kitchen, and I took out Andrew Zimmern and the television crew from
“Bizarre Foods” on the Travel Channel long lining for “Cape Shark” aka dogfish. They did an Episode on bizarre foods from Boston and picked 5 Corners because Chef Barry was the only restaurant in the area had many underutilized fish, especially dogfish, skate, bluefish and mackerel on the menu. So, we took them out fishing and brought the catch to Tucker’s Wharf in
Marblehead. Chef Barry cleaned the cape shark, sautéed it in brown butter and served it over a white bean salad dockside. We brought “Pinchy” our 25lb lobster friend with us for a photo op and the producers said, “It was the best fishing show they have done and Andrew keeps talking about it.” So, please check it out on the
Travel Channel, February 13 @ 9pm.
