Rhode Island calamari often takes a circuitous route to your plate. While a portion of squid is processed in the state, much of what is caught in local waters is frozen, shipped overseas for processing, defrosted, refrozen, and then sent back here for consumption. This carbon-heavy process raises concerns about sustainability – and even food safety – that local activists are fighting to change.
Jason Jarvis, co-founder of Quonnie Fish Cooperative, a seafood co-op in Westerly set to open this summer, has spent 30 years as a fisherman watching the industry evolve. He notes that a big part of the problem is that the Ocean State imports the majority of the seafood we eat from other states or countries. “New England could be feeding itself,” he says. “We land more fish than the state can consume, but instead engage in a fishery system that has a huge carbon footprint and human cost.”
Jarvis says that COVID was a wake-up call for local fishermen because it exposed the vulnerabilities of the state’s seafood industry, highlighting its reliance on exports and large-scale operations. “My nephew was fishing on a squid boat for a large-scale operation, and one day, he was sent back to port because no one would buy their catch. We were an export market, but in that environment, only the smaller guys did okay.”
The co-op he founded with three other fishermen took that lesson to heart. “We’re on the border of Charlestown and Westerly. We’ll fish from local waters and nothing we catch will travel more than 15 miles before it gets to a plate,” he explains. “We should have 20 operations like this in Rhode Island.”
While Jarvis is focused on shortening the supply chain, others, like Kate Masury, are working to reshape consumer habits. The
executive director of Eating with the Ecosystem – a non-profit that promotes a place-based approach to wild seafood – Masury sees another major wake-up call on the horizon due to shifting federal policies, and believes that local fishermen and fish mongers like Jarvis will be instrumental in getting us through. “We’re going to start seeing some changes whether the fishing industry wants them or not, so it’s imperative that we strengthen
local supply chains and build the market for local species,” she says. “We import a lot of the seafood that we eat from other countries due to price or preference, but tariffs and issues with international relations might change the availability and cost of some of those preferred products.”
But before the dream of localizing the market can become a reality, hearts, minds, and palates have to change. The two most consumed seafoods in the United States are shrimp and salmon, neither of which are widely found in New England waters. Masury says that education is key to convincing people to bring new species into their kitchens. “We host cooking classes, panel conversations, and dinners to teach consumers about local seafood,” she says, describing one part of her organization’s role in the state. “But we also target the industry by teaching chefs how to use lesser-known seafood species.”
This approach isn’t just about tantalizing taste buds; it’s about connecting people to their community. “We want people to choose seafood from their local ecosystem,” she says. “That way, your food travels less before it reaches your plate, but you’re also connecting with the community of people who are getting that seafood to your plate, whether it’s the seafood business or the fisherman or the people who prepared it for you.”
One such person is Michael Lapierre, a fish cutter who owns Brightside Seafood in Narragansett with his business partner, Meg Fleming. “I want to get people away from the salmon lifestyle,” he says. “We have fluke, flounder, black sea bass – all this great stuff comes from New England waters. My role in the community is to show people how delicious local seafood is.”
The majority of what consumers will find at Brightside Seafood comes directly from New England waters. And beyond doing his part for sustainability by buying local and teaching consumers about their local ecosystem, Lapierre makes sure nothing goes to waste. “I work with the whole fish, and everything gets a second life,” he says. “I sell swim bladders to make glue, people buy carcasses to make stock, fish skins become dog food, and everything else gets composted.”
Masury says that working with a whole fish is not as complex as it seems, and when chefs and homecooks alike have that skill, small-scale processing happens in small and industrial kitchens, keeping seafood in the state. “We teach high school and college students, professional chefs, and home chefs how to break down fish in an effort to make the process less intimidating.”
The Eating with the Ecosystem website is also a wonderful resource for those looking to step outside of their seafood comfort zone and try something that might be less popular, but definitely closer to home. “People often get stumped when they can’t find recipes for something like sea robin or skate,” she says. There are plenty of recipes on her organization’s website, but she also encourages people to consider the culinary properties of the fish. “If you’re working with a mild, flaky monkfish, look for recipes that call for cod. If you have a stronger-flavored fish like bluefish, try using a salmon recipe.”
Fish markets like Brightside, Dune Brothers, Andrade’s Catch, or even Dave’s Marketplace are great resources. “The people who work in these markets are really knowledgeable about different species. Before making a purchase, ask them what’s local, fresh, or underused,” she recommends.
Lapierre speculates that knowledge is why specialty markets are gaining traction. “Buying power is the big thing here,” he says. “People sometimes are fooled by mega superstores and their sales, but by spending your money with them, you’re not supporting your local fisheries – the people who are doing it right. That’s the only way to stay sustainable. And as long as people appreciate what I do, I’ll go to the dock every day for them.”
Brightside Seafood Market
1014 Boston Neck Road, Narragansett
Visit BrightsideSeafood.com to preview what’s in the case day by day, or stop
by the shop.
Eating with the Ecosystem
Find recipes, community events, and more at EatingWithTheEcosystem.org, and follow @eating_with_the_ecosystem.
Quonnie Fish Cooperative
Follow @quonniefishco on Instagram for updates about this new company owned, managed, and operated by southern RI fishermen.
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