Island Creek Cannery Opens in New Bedford MA

oysters

In October 2023, Island Creek Oysters, Inc. (ICO), an aquaculture farm based in Duxbury, Massachusetts, announced the opening of the Island Creek Cannery. The cannery will be a first-of-its-kind on the East Coast.

The 10,000 sq. foot facility will give local shellfish farmers consistent access to the market while providing a shelf-stable line of local sustainable seafood products.

The facility will also help address oversupply by ensuring adequate processing capacity during market fluctuations, shore up prices for farmers, reduce waste, diversify species and food, and create a range of jobs from processors to marketing experts.

For more information, visit islandcreekoysters.com.

U.S. Oyster Aquaculture Facts

Shellfish aquaculture is an important industry in coastal Massachusetts. Oysters are the most popular farmed shellfish in the state.

Oysters are the highest volume product for U.S. marine shellfish producers, according to NMFS Fisheries of the United States, 2020.

Seaweed Facts

 

Rockweed

Seaweed offers enormous potential as a food source. In North America, scientists, entrepreneurs, harvesters, and others are undertaking an array of projects aimed at increasing seaweed production.

Seaweed Facts

"Seaweed" is the common name for marine plants and algae that grow in the ocean as well as in rivers, lakes, and other water bodies.

Seaweed is used in salads, nutritional supplements, beer, personal care products, fish feed, and other items.

Most seaweed consumed in the U.S. is imported from Asia.

Researchers are exploring the potential of seaweed as biofuel, cattle feed, and other uses.

The U.S. seaweed industry is still in its early stages. Production occurs in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii, and throughout New England.

In the Northeast U.S., seaweed is grown beginning in November and harvested in the spring. 

Oyster farmers can grow seaweed in their offseason to provide additional revenue.

The National Seaweed Hub is a science-based, non-advocate resource for the domestic seaweed aquaculture industry and associated sectors.

Maine has a wild harvested seaweed industry, which harvested ̴roughly 15 million pounds in 2022.

Giant kelp can grow up to 14 inches in one day, reaching lengths of 100 feet or more.

The gel inside rockweed bulbs is useful to treat sunburns and cuts.

Seaweeds remove carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus from the environment.

Community Supported Fishery (CSF) Basics

This article includes information about American community supported fishery (CSF) programs. Also known as seafood co-ops, CSF programs provide alternatives to traditional methods of marketing seafood.

CSF programs allow members of a community to buy fish and other seafood directly from fishermen for a predetermined length of time.

CSF members (shareholders) pay a fee in advance. In turn, members receive shares of seafood caught during the season.

Regional CSFs

If you live near an area where seafood is harvested, odds are there is a community supported fishery or seafood co-op near you.

In the Pacific Northwest, CSFs provide salmon, halibut, crabs, prawns, and other delicacies.

In New England, CSFs and co-ops offer coldwater shrimp, cod, haddock, pollock, lobsters, clams, and other seafood.

In the Mid Atlantic region, CSF shareholders may find shrimp, oysters, clams, crabs, local fish, and other products.

Locate and Join a CSF

Most local Community Supported Fishery programs are easy to locate and join. Information can be obtained from local farmer's markets, state sea grant programs, trade organizations, social media, and other sources.

Related Information

Alaska Marine Conservation Council CSF

Commercial Fisheries

Local Catch Network

What is Plaice?

Plaice is a collective name for several species of right-eyed flatfish that live in cool ocean environments.

Like most flatfish, plaice are excellent table fare, known for their mild, white flesh. Plaice are usually served fried, baked or grilled.

European, American, Alaskan, and scale-eye plaice

European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) are identified by their brown or greenish brown upper-side skin, distinctive orange spots and bony ridge behind the eyes.

European plaice occur on the sandy bottoms of the European shelf from the Barents Sea to the Mediterranean. The commercial fishery for plaice is very important to the European seafood sector.

In the North Sea, plaice fisheries are important for nations such as The Netherlands, which holds over 50% of the European Total Allowable Catch. In many plaice fisheries, Dover sole is an important commercial by-catch.

The American plaice or dab (Hippoglossoides platessoides) is a "right handed" flounder, found mainly north of Cape Cod into the Arctic Ocean. In European waters, they range from England to Iceland. 

American plaice generally grow to about 24 inches in length. Females grow faster and larger than males. They weigh an average of half a pound when 12 inches long, and 6 pounds when 24 inches long.

The U.S. fishery is managed under the New England Fishery Management Council's Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan (FMP).

Alaska plaice (Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus) are found in the North Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea. Like most flatfish, they live on the bottom of the continental shelf.

Scale-eye Place

The scale-eye plaice (Acanthopsetta nadeshnyi) is another flatfish of the northern Pacific, primarily living from the Sea of Okhotsk to Japan and Korea. Scale-eye Place are also found in the Bering Sea.

Plaice Fish Recipe

4 plaice fillets, skinned

1/2 pound button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

flour

salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup cream

2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

1. Melt 1/4 stick of butter in a large frying pan. Add the mushrooms and fry gently for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and keep hot.

2. Coat the plaice in flour, salt, and pepper. Add an additional 1/4 stick of butter in the pan and add the fish.

3. Fry quickly until golden on both sides. Add the wine and simmer gently for 10 minutes or until the fish is tender, turning once during the cooking time.

4. Re-add the mushrooms to the pan. Stir in the cream and heat gently. Do not allow to boil or the cream will separate.

5. Transfer the fish to a hot serving platter and pour the sauce over. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Related Information

How To Fillet Flatfish

Florida Largemouth Bass Aquaculture

Largemouth Bass

At their March 2022 meeting, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Commissioners approved rules to allow for the production and sale of Florida largemouth bass as a food product.

Statutory changes made during the 2021 legislative session sanctioned the sale of Florida largemouth bass produced in aquaculture facilities for food.

FWC staff worked with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) to ensure continued genetic conservation of Florida’s iconic freshwater game fish.

Key points from the approved rule language include:

Allow for the culture and sale of Florida largemouth bass as a food fish.

• Incorporate FWC’s Genetic Authentication Standards for Florida largemouth bass into rule by reference.

• Require any shipment of live bass in Florida to be accompanied with documentation required by FDACS and FWC.

• Prohibit the importation into or transportation within the state of any live bass species, except permitted Florida largemouth bass that meet FWC’s largemouth bass Genetic Authentication Standards.

Prior to presentation of the draft rules at the December Commission meeting, staff held four public meetings and solicited online comments from stakeholders.

Both angling and industry stakeholders attended meetings and their combined input was taken into consideration and utilized during the rule drafting process.

More information about the rule can be found by visiting MyFWC.com.

Largemouth Bass Facts:

The largemouth bass is the best known and most popular game fish in North America.

The Florida largemouth bass is the state freshwater fish of Florida.

The Florida state record for largemouth bass is 17.27 pounds.

Two subspecies of Largemouth Bass are recognized; Florida Bass (Micropterus s. floridanus) and Northern Largemouth Bass (Micropterus s. salmoides).

Florida bass tend to grow much larger than the northern largemouth bass. 

Most U.S. states prohibit the sale of wild-caught largemouth bass for food.