Pier to Plate

"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.

Pier to Plate helped to stimulate enough consumer demand that local restaurants are serving skate and dogfish, among other local species. Check out the working directory below for great restaurant choices and be sure to ask if the fish on the menu was caught locally.

"If it's Pier to Plate, you know it's Cape caught."
✔ Local ✔ Sustainable ✔ Delicious