Category: Fisheries

Coffee Containers, The Signature Event, and MSC Apporval

| Posted in Fisheries, Events, General News

Today’s Press Herald explore the science and personal opinions on how styrofoam cups impact the flavor of coffee,

Coffee tastes better in a Styrofoam cup. Really?

Really, say some folks concerned about Portland’s proposed ban on Styrofoam containers. But is it a fact these folks can prove? Or is it all in their heads? The answer, according to a trio of scientists with lots of initials after their names, is yes — and yes.

Food writer Meredith Goad was has filed a report from the MRW Signature Event,

Matt and Jackie Schumacher of Yarmouth had fun trying the dessert, but said their favorite entry was the beignets from David’s Opus Ten. They weren’t the only ones raving about the beignets. The fried sweet treats, served with peppered strawberry, won the People’s Choice award for desserts for the evening. Chef Bo Byrne of David’s Opus Ten said he was “absolutely floored.”

and the Marrine Stewardship Council has certified the Maine lobster industry as sustainable.

The state’s lobster fishery got the international Marine Stewardship Council’s Sustainable Seafood Certification. That distinction, which recognizes ecologically sound practices from the harvest to the consumer, will help in the marketing and tracking of Maine lobster, according to the state Department of Marine Resources.

Favorite Dishes, Lobster Market, SoPo Farmers Market

| Posted in Fisheries, Farming, Reviews

Today’s Press Herald includes a survey of chefs and food writers about standout dishes from the past year,

This week, in honor of Maine Restaurant Week, I asked local chefs, food writers and food bloggers to name the best dish they’ve had in a Maine restaurant over the past year.

Some of them couldn’t resist waxing poetic about an entire meal. Others cheated a little and named two dishes.

an article about the 2013 lobster market,

With last year’s glut of lobsters and plummeting prices still a vivid memory, Maine lobstermen are hatching strategies to cultivate new markets and more customers for the state’s leading fishery.

and a report on plans (or lack thereof) for the South Portland farmers market.

The South Portland farmers market, which was established in 2011, is without a home for the upcoming summer season, according to its manager.

Maine Magazine: The Food Issue

| Posted in Fisheries, People, Reviews

mainemag201303The annual Food Issue of Maine magazine arrived in subscriber’s mailboxes yesterday. Inside you’ll find:

Fish Frys and Groundfishing

| Posted in Fisheries, Reviews

Taking his cue from this week’s feature article on New England groundfishing, Portland Phoenix restaurant critic Brian Duff has sampled fish dishes at Three Buoys, Taqueria Tequila, Old Port Sea Grill and Taco Escobarr.

At Taco Escobarr they give seasoned pieces of firm pollock a very light fry. A white sauce adds just a touch of tang, some slaw lends a bit of sour, and thin slices of radish give some bitterness. At three for $10 they run a bit more money, but you get them on house-made corn tortillas — which have good flavor but could use a touch more sear on the grill.

Maine Shrimp Season

| Posted in Fisheries

Working Waterfront has published an article about the short Maine Shrimp season.

The move to cut the shrimping season wasn’t a surprise. The previous shrimping season was cut short after just a few weeks, and summer surveys showed that the Northern shrimp population is in trouble. The survey found that shrimp were small in size in general and that two year-classes were absent, said Michael Waine, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator with the commission. The results were surprising, even for a fishery known for boom and bust cycles.

“We’ve had similar situations, but we haven’t had two absent year-classes in a row,” Waine said.

CSFs: Port Clyde Fresh Catch and Salt & Sea

| Posted in Fisheries

This week’s Portland Phoenix includes an article about Port Clyde Fresh Catch and Salt & Sea, the state’s 2 Community Supported Fisheries.

To boost the stocks of endangered fish, instead consume Maine’s underutilized ones, perhaps by joining a community-supported fishery, or CSF. It’s the same concept as community-supported agriculture, where members pay farmers a lump sum in advance for weekly baskets of vegetables. Port Clyde Fresh Catch launched the country’s first CSF, a shot in the arm for Maine’s last ground-fish fleet between Portland and Canada.

Fresh Maine Scallops

| Posted in Fisheries

The Food & Wine section in today’s Press Herald includes an article about Maine dayboat scallops.

Sea scallops are so delicious, Brawn and other scallop experts say, that fishermen always claim they are best eaten raw, right on the boat.

“When you have a really, really fresh scallop, it has an ocean flavor,” Brawn said. “When it’s raw, it has a really good texture, and it doesn’t have a fishy flavor at all. Scallops in general, relative to other seafood, are mild, but Maine scallops particularly are very mild. It’s almost a shame to cook them because they’re so good raw.”

Diver Scallops

| Posted in Fisheries

MPBN has aired a piece on the Maine diver scallop fishery and the new harvesting rules being put in place.

It may be that lobster is Maine’s most popular seafood. But there are those who, if forced to choose, would opt instead for the Maine scallop – and more specifically, the diver-harvested scallop. But these delicacies have been under increasing pressure, and landings have been at historic lows in recent years. This week, scallop season opened under a new management system, which sets out a 10-year time-frame designed to restore this highly-valuable fishery.

Maine Shrimp Season

| Posted in Fisheries

Regulators have set an abbreviated 2013 Maine Shrimp season.

Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which met Monday, said the total catch limit was set at 1.38 million pounds, down from 5.3 million pounds caught last year. That compared to the catch of 2011, when 13.3 million pounds of shrimp were harvested.

The season will begin on January 22 for trawling fishermen, who can harvest on Mondays and Wednesdays. For fishermen who use traps, the season will start on February 5, with a limit of 800 pounds per day per boat.

For additional reporting read this article in the Bangor Daily News.