January 22, 2014 — Congress is poised to vote on what is always a contentious matter — a new farm bill. With just a few outstanding issues, lawmakers are honing in on an amendment that has to do with catfish. It’s an issue that cuts across regional, rather than partisan lines. And on the New Hampshire Seacoast, it hits close to home.
Fish For A Tight Budget
Local fishermen aren’t the only ones who make their livelihood selling fish along the Seacoast. Here at the High Liner Foods in Portsmouth, 65 million pounds of frozen fish leave the assembly line each year.
On the plant floor, workers heft frozen slabs of ground fish from cardboard boxes. A machine slices them into 2x4s, then feeds them onto a conveyer belt. Senior Vice President of Plant Operation, Art Christianson explains. “We’re basically using [fish] block, but shaping it into a form so that it is identical to a fillet shape.”
This plant also makes breaded fish sticks, nuggets and patties for retail chains like Shaw’s and Costco.
In this segment of the fish market, it’s not about tasting the sea. High Liner Foods Chief Operating Officer Keith Decker says “most Americans do not want their fish to taste like fish. They want it to taste bland and white.”
Like tilapia, Decker says, and Catfish. Especially Catfish. “This is the perfect fish,” Decker says. “It's very inexpensive, it offers a great value.”
But there’s a hitch.
Read the full story and listen to the audio at New Hampshire Public Radio