Ask A Fishmonger Part I
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will this fish be good for?
We sell fish that we are confident will provide you will a great experience three days after purchase.
Where do you get your fish?
For finfish, we primarily source from vendors at the main local fishing ports: Point Judith, Cape Cod, New Bedford and Boston Fish Pier. We try to buy from suppliers that buy directly from boats. For shellfish, we buy directly from the oyster growers or local clam dealers that buy directly from the quahoggers. We aim to source Rhode Island clams and oysters.
Do you buy direct from fisherman?
There are a few fisherman set up to sell direct, but this is uncommon and logistically difficult. In order for this to be economically feasible, the fisherman would have to either deliver the product to our store with a refrigerated truck (on ice) or package and ship the product with a refrigerated trucking company (we can’t drive to Point Judith everyday for a relatively small amount fish). To do that, the fisherman would need a facility to ice and prepare the fish for transport. For most fisherman, it is either economically unfeasible to invest in this infrastructure or it would simply spread them too thin. We have found that the best fish at the best price comes from everyone in the supply chain focusing on their job and doing it well.
How often do you get your fish?
We purchase and receive fish nearly every day. We ensure that you can take the fish home that’s in our case and have a great experience 3 days after your purchase.
Why not everyday?
Wild fish is highly dependent on weather and sometimes it is necessary to buy for two days to ensure that we have product. For example, if a storm is set to hit the Point Judith area Friday – Saturday, most boats will come in on Thursday. In order to ensure that we have fish for Friday and Saturday, we would buy to cover both of those days. Given that that fish is very fresh, we would be 100% confident that you would have a great experience 3 days after your purchase. If we were not confident that you would have a good experience 3 days after your purchase, we would not sell the product.
In addition, sometimes fish that comes in the next day is not necessarily fresher. Boats can fish from anywhere between 1 day and 30 days (for larger migratory species like tuna and sword). We would much rather buy two days’ worth of fish today from a ‘day boat’ than buy fish that was caught a week before on a boat that landed tomorrow.
How do you handle sustainability?
We try to buy American fish as much as possible. American fisheries are among the best managed fisheries in the world. This is due to the Magnuson Stevens act of 1976. This act was responsible for implementing conservation regulation that helped many fish populations recover and preserved many of those species’ habitats. Our fishery management system has been replicated by many countries worldwide. It is most certainly not perfect (and arguably too restrictive), but we are confident that US seafood is caught in a way to sustain the fish population and have a low impact on the marine environment.
Fish Sustainability Other Countries
We follow the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) assessments of fisheries worldwide. We are confident in the FAO’s efforts to collect the best available data to determine the status of global fisheries.
I see you have farmed salmon. Isn’t farmed salmon bad?
Think of salmon farming on a spectrum like beef farming. There are farms that operate like Concentrated Agricultural Feed Operation (CAFO) and there are farms that operate like a grass fed pasture. We purchase product from farms that are striving for low environmental impact and use methods that ensure a safe and healthy product.
What are the issues in salmon farming?
There are health issues and environmental issues and often times they overlap:
Dead Zones: If the salmon farm is not placed in an area with good tidal exchange, the poop and uneaten feed can collect at the bottom of the ocean floor and kill any marine life that resides there. A good farm is one that is placed in an area with strong water transfer that would minimize any dead zone.
Antibiotics: Some farms use antibiotics to cure the fish of illness that they may contract from the wild and that may spread within the salmon population due to their close proximity.
Chemicals: Chemicals such as copper are sometimes used to remove algae growth from the nets that contain the salmon. Also, sea lice are a common parasite of farmed salmon and some farms will use a pesticide to remove them. Both of these chemical applications are not ideal for our health or the environment.
Escapes: Most salmon farms are placed in the ocean and the fish are contained by nets. Sometimes these nets will become dislodged due to severe weather or human error. The concern with escapes is that the farmed salmon will mate with the wild salmon population and dilute the gene pool.
What Makes Fish Sushi Grade?
Sushi grade comes down to a few key factors: susceptibility to parasites, mouth feel and freshness.
Parasites
Groundfish such as cod, pollock, haddock and monkfish are susceptible to parasites and rarely eaten raw. Farmed fish such as salmon and bass are common sushi items. Because they are fed a dried, pelletized feed (versus wild feed), farmed fish are not at risk for internal parasites. Tuna, scallops, squid and wild bass are other common sushi items that are at low or no risk of internal parasites.
Mouth Feel
Next to health and safety, whether or not the fish is pleasant to eat raw is a major contributing factor in determining a sashimi grade fish. Tuna and scallops, yes. Monkfish and sword? Not so much.
Freshness
This is one that most people are familiar with, sushi fish needs to be fresh!
If you have a question that is not answered above, please email info@fearlessfishmarket.com or call 401-415-8905 and we will do our best to get you an answer!
