January 27, 2017 — AMHERST, Mass. — It may not have the tastiest name, but a University of Massachusetts chef says dogfish is becoming a popular fish on campus.
All the dining commons serve the fish — 400 to 500 pounds of it — as part of a fish fry every Friday night.
Bob Bankert, chef de cuisine for UMass Dining, said UMass began seeking alternatives to cod several years ago, and began serving dogfish in the fall.
“Cod is way over fished,” Bankert said.
Before arriving at dogfish, the dining halls also began serving other so-called “trash fish” such as pollock and redfish.
But Bankert rejects the “trash fish” moniker — born from the practice of fisherman tossing such species out instead of bringing them to market — and instead calls fish like dogfish “under loved.”
Bankert said people don’t have problems with the idea of eating catfish — but some balk at the name “dogfish.”
Dogfish — a shark species also known as “cape shark” — is native to New England waters. But, about 90 percent of the harvest has been sent to England for that country’s fish and chips, Bankert said.
He’s hoping that through word of mouth and focus on the fish, more people will try it and be able to find it at markets.