Beginning the week of June 6, fresh fish from the Midcoast Fishermen’s Cooperative (MFC) will be sold throughout the state of Maine under the Port Clyde Fresh Catch brand name.
In Lincoln County, subscribers to Port Clyde Fresh Catch fish will pick up their shares on Saturdays between 11 a.m. and noon at Rising Tide Natural Foods market on Bus. Rt. 1 in Damariscotta.
Shrimp and possibly lobster will also be available to CSF subscribers and wholesale customers this summer through Port Clyde Fresh Catch.
Whole fish and fish fillets will be available this summer including: halibut, haddock, cod, flounder, grey sole, hake, monkfish and pollock. The Community Supported Fishery concept is modeled after the well-known Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) concept. In both CSAs and CSFs, members pay for shares at the beginning of the season and pick up their shares at a specific time and place each week.
Subscription prices for 14 weeks for whole fish include: half-share is $210 for 4-6 lbs., of whole, cleaned fish each week; whole share is $420 for 8-12 lbs., of whole, cleaned fish each week.
Subscription prices for 14 weeks for filleted fish include: half-share is $238 for 1.5-2.5 lbs., of fillets each week; and, for whole share $476 for 3.5-4.5 lbs., of fillets each week.
The MFC’s fishermen work from the last fleet of small groundfishing boats east of Portland, and the village of Port Clyde is among the last true fishing communities left from the industry’s heyday.
While the cooperative’s CSF sales and restaurant sales have been an enjoyable experience for all involved, they are also critical strategies for the future of the Port Clyde community.
Look for Port Clyde Fresh Catch in new venues very soon – the cooperative is working to expand sales to retailers and distributors in both Maine-based locations and elsewhere.
To find out more about the work of the Midcoast Fishermen’s Cooperative or Port Clyde Fresh Catch, please contact Laura Kramar at 356-9800 or laura@midcoastfishermen.org. Visit the website www.portclydefreshcatch.com.
