July 19, 2013 — As fishing areas close in the face of dwindling stocks, we look at what the hopes are among fishing folks for the future. In some areas — such as lobsters, scallops and striped bass — there are success stories that can be looked at to determine what is going right. But other areas of the sea are closed, and some wonder if they will stay that way.
Eric Hess is a groundfisherman. He’s been fishing off the Cape for species like haddock and cod for nearly 30 years. But these days he says it's very hard in his sector to catch enough fish to meet the cost of fishing. He says boats are dropping out and looking to other opportunities—the Georges Bank fixed gear sector, of which he is a member, is roughly the same size it was five years ago, but most fishermen are not going after historically popular species. Some are switching to sea scalloping, and others are going after more abundant, lesser known species like monkfish, dogfish, and skate.
Right now there isn't much of a local market for these species, but they are in demand overseas. The British love dogfish fried up in fish and chips, and the French like skate wings with capers and brown butter. Local fishermen hope Cape Codders will also come to appreciate these fish.
Read the full story and listen to the audio at NPR affiliate WCAI