Focal points
By Jessica Hathaway
One of the ongoing disputes in my house is whether or not a real seafood chowder can have corn in it. I grew up in the South, and my family is from the heartland, so corn has a ubiquitous presence in my comfort foods and consequently is a normal addition to nearly any recipe and in any application in my book. My husband, a dyed-in-the-wool Mainer, says corn in the chowder is fine — so long as you’re making corn chowder. After I read Roger Fitzgerald’s In Search of the Simple Life column for this issue, I could not wait to tell my husband that a bona fide Alaska fisherman proudly adds corn as the surprise ingredient in his P-cod chowder.
Fitz’s piece, on page 8, is about feeding the crew (with a twist, of course), and that’s what this whole issue is about for us. We strive to feed your souls by reflecting the raw power of your work back to you. Some people would say there’s nothing more satisfying than a fine specimen of fresh fish. I think the true beauty of this industry is the joy it brings to so many fishing families and communities. No one can say fishing has ever been easy. Over the decades it’s been modernized with high-tech equipment, materials and foul-weather gear, but it’s also more regulated and political. And yet, we see in our annual Crew Shots pages (beginning on page 22) your smiling faces on deck because you’re doing what you love, despite the unfurling of ever-stickier red tape and the unraveling of many once-reasonable regulatory standards. Nothing is better than living your life with a passion for what you do. American fishing families have provided wild, healthy and sustainable seafood for generations, and we continue to be inspired by your dedication and heritage.
A new study claims — contrary to prior evidence — that consumers are increasingly passionate about seafood sustainability. This trend has changed the landscape of the seafood market dramatically over the last decade or so. Dave Frulla and Anne Hawkins explore the broader scope of sustainability for wild and aquaculture fisheries in our Washington Lookout column on page 11.
I’m also delighted to feature the newest boat — in a line of Maine-built vessels — of 2012 NF Highliner Kevin Wark out of Barnegat Light, N.J. Northeast Bureau Chief Kirk Moore profiles the latest project of his fellow Jersey boy starting on page 28. Kevin is a Highliner because he’s not only a dedicated and skilled commercial fisherman but he has dually committed himself and his boat to cooperative research on the Atlantic sturgeon. The work he’s been a part of has changed the way monkfish gillnetters set their gear to prevent interactions with sturgeon, but it also helped blow away a stock assessment that grossly undercounted the sturgeon numbers, which led to severe fleet restrictions. Kevin is one of the guys who are helping to keep smiles on fishermen’s faces.
As always, I am so appreciative of your participation in this issue. If you don’t see your photo in these pages, be sure to check out our Last Set in the next issue. We do our best to get you all in, because without you, we would not be here doing what we love.
