Meet Your Local seafood producer: The local, sustainable and delicious world of Chatham Harvesters

Do you know where your seafood comes from? Chatham Harvesters, the state’s only fishermen-owned and operated cooperative business, knows that answer very well — and they’ll be happy to toss in a recipe to boot!

Chatham Harvesters co-op members are local fisherfolk who harvest nature’s bounty from the waters off of Cape Cod. Buying their fish supports local fishing families. They get a fair price for their hard work and you get a plateful of amazingly fresh and delicious fish.

You can meet folks from Chatham Harvesters and find out more about Cape-caught fish at the Meet Your Local Farmers event on March 28th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Cape Cod Regional Technical High School (351 Pleasant Lake Avenue in Harwich). It’s going to be a hootenanny, so save the date!

The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) and the Orleans Farmers’ Market. It’s a great opportunity to chat with farmers and producers and buy local produce, fish, meat and handcrafted products.

Superb, sustainable seafood

We had the chance to chat with Shareen Davis, Marketing and Sales Manager for Chatham Harvesters to find out more about the co-op and how it works. The organization offers a cool Fish Share program that allows members to order the fish they want and pick it up at a convenient location. Chatham Harvesters also brings their fish to many Cape Cod farmers markets in-season.

Davis, a 13th generation Cape Codder, remembers a time when local fish was easy to get. “In the 1970s, you knew exactly where the fish was coming from and local fish was very sought after,” she said. Then, a difficult period of dwindling stocks and fisheries regulations reshaped the market.

“We started to see our fish being exported and then cheaper versions of our fish being brought in,” said Davis. Adding to the complex market picture was the fact that traditionally popular fish were in shorter supply. For example, “codfish is not really being caught on Cape Cod anymore,” said Davis.

But there are other fish in the sea that can be sustainably harvested, and this is a central focus of how Chatham Harvesters does business.

According to their website, Chatham Harvesters knows “that the future of our fisheries depends on how we interact with our ocean today. Not only do we utilize sustainable harvesting practices while fishing, but when we’re not on the ocean we’re advocating for responsible ocean policies for all who interact with the Atlantic. It is this commitment to our fisheries, coastal community, and food system that defines the practices and ethos of the Chatham Harvesters Cooperative.”

Try out a new recipe

For the seafood consumer, enjoying this local and abundant Cape catch might mean trying something new. Davis listed some of the delicious options, which include: “monkfish, tuna, squid, black sea bass — these are all great, varieties of fish.”

And if you need ideas on how to create culinary masterpieces with this spectacular fish, the Chatham Harvesters website is stocked with recipes that are sure to inspire.

During the winter season, Chatham Harvesters fish is frozen within hours of landing, using a state-of-the-art method that suspends the seafood in its most flavorful and nutritious state. “You’re getting it at the peak of freshness,” said Davis. “And you get to look at the label and see who caught it and say, ‘hey that dude or that woman lives down the road from me.'”

Meet your neighbor

To test all this out, an enterprising (and hungry) HCT scribe recently bought a pound of yellowfin tuna from Chatham Harvesters. He was hailed as a hero by family members who dined on amazingly delicious pan-seared tuna with a sesame seed crust. As Guy Fieri might say, that tuna was off the hook!

Davis said that the Meet Your Local Farmers event is a big deal for Chatham Harvesters. “We get the opportunity to meet so many people and tell them our story,” she said. “It’s such a positive experience for everybody and it brings a lot of value to the community. It’s meeting your neighbor. Your neighbor who happens to fish, or your neighbor who happens to farm.”

SAVE THE DATE: The Meet Your Local Farmers event will bloom on March 28th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Cape Cod Regional Technical High School (351 Pleasant Lake Avenue in Harwich). Hope to see you there!

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