Local Seafood Promotion

"There's plenty of fish in the sea, it's just not the fish you're used to eating".

In 2017 the Fishermen's Alliance launched Pier to Plate, a program that aimed to create consumer demand for skate and dogfish on Cape Cod. Local small-boat fishermen sustainably catch “under-loved” dogfish and skate in abundance right off our shores, but 99 percent of this plentiful, white fish is shipped overseas to restaurants in Europe and Asia.

From May through October of 2017, Pier to Plate  drove awareness and generated demand for locally caught dogfish and skate. The program provided 4,010 pounds of dogfish and 5,600 pounds of skate to over 40 participating food establishments, local events and samples for institutional sales. The program was significant enough to be featured in 68 media outlets – 11 national, 29 regional and 28 local.

Although the Pier to Plate program for dogfish and skate has ended, we have remained committed to working with fishermen members to create opportunities for direct sales at farmers markets and with local businesses to help them access local seafood of any kind. We’ve also worked with companies like Whole Foods to ensure that high quality, sustainable, locally caught species are available to consumers.

Check out the directory below for great restaurant choices and always be sure to ask if the fish on the menu was caught locally. If you’d like to see your favorite restaurant added to our directory, let us know!

✔ Local ✔ Sustainable ✔ Delicious