Interview by Elizabeth Henderson
Pushing against the same downward pressures on prices and markets that make economic viability a struggle for family-scale farmers, in 2012, Long Island fisherman Sean Barrett joined with other fishers and a few chefs to adapt the concept of CSA to local fisheries. As he tells it, “The original idea for Dish to Dock (D2D) was largely pulled from the CSA work that Liz Henderson and Scott Chaskey had pioneered decades ago - and they both bent over backward to help us get started when we were so very small. It was Liz’s book Sharing the Harvest that we used as a manual along the way - I still keep a copy on my desk.”
Replacing distant and often mislabeled fish, D2D connects restaurants and local customers with fresh-caught, fully traceable varieties delivered to their doors. When the pandemic closed many restaurants, D2D went under, too but relaunched in late April 2024 under the leadership of K.C. Boyle.
The D2D website explains: “With our model, we laid the groundwork for a sustainable future for the industry by better-compensating fishermen, showcasing under-appreciated fish species, and offering verifiable traceability along with an unprecedented level of freshness, quality control, and food safety.”
TNF: Please tell us about your fishing business.
K.C Boyle: Dock to Dish (D2D) has a total of eleven partners, including members of seven commercial fishing families from Montauk, NY and two chefs. We operate as a cooperative. We started a pilot 3 months ago and launched officially in early May with sales to 30 restaurants. My job with D2D oversees day-to-day operations, taking orders and supplying the restaurants. The fishers who are partners in D2D are all from multigenerational fishing families. There are still hundreds on Long Island (LI). The chef, who is also part of our ownership group, knew I was a fisherman. He had started asking around where to find whelk and other less-known fish like blood clams and slipper snails; that is how we connected.
In New York City, 90% of the seafood is imported and a huge percentage of the fish caught is exported. (Seafood in the US is a $5 billion market.) D2D would like to replace every imported branzino with local black sea bass. It is more sustainable, local fishers get paid better and the fish have smaller environmental footprints. Better fish, more diversity, more delicious! It is a matter of educating eaters to broaden their horizons.
TNF: How did you get involved in selling fish?
K.C.: I was born and raised near water. No one in my family made a living at fishing, but everyone fished – my brothers, my granddad – four generations of passionate LI fishers. There was never a time without a fishing pole in the house. At a young age, I learned how to cook fish, which got me into cooking. I worked in restaurants before graduating from high school. In 2003, I discovered the farm-to-table movement in Vermont, where I worked on several organic farms. I was still fishing for trout up there. I got closer to all the ingredients. This brought my passions together. I learned about Community Supported Agriculture and about working collaboratively. It was a pivotal time in the movement and it changed how I was as a consumer. I shopped at coops and farmer’s markets and got to know the middle names of the butchers who cut my meat. Everything multiplied – fishing, farming, cooking.
TNF: Who inspired you or motivated you to get into the work you do?
K.C.: I knew Sean Barrett through friends and respected him as a leader in sustainable fisheries. Then I got to know him, and it was a natural partnership. He was the pioneer behind this great company. (Read about Sean on page B-2 of this issue)
TNF: There are some pretty strong opinions about fish farming and wild-caught fish. Which is more sustainable?
K.C.: We are all about sourcing wild fish. If you focus on the right species at the right time of year, you won’t deplete fish. We adhere to state and federal guidelines, and it is a collaborative process. We catch and report to the government, which works with scientists to inform their decisions based on our data. So far, things are progressing well, and we are optimistic about the future.
TNF: Has climate change made any difference in your work?
K.C.: We are seeing different species – we have seen cobia, a more southern fish, and other warm water fish for the first time. Luckily, no big storms!
TNF: How do you improve the economics for the fishing families?
K.C.: Fish are a global commodity with prices that go up and down, determined by global markets. For LI fishing families, everything is more expensive. Fishing is a dying trade. We are hoping to pay a better wage and show young people that there is a viable way to fish for a living. Like a vegetable CSA, we charge a flat rate to restaurants and set the price for the whole season. We do not have season contracts, but we have regular customers who pay by the week.
TNF: What do you love most about the work you do and why?
K.C.: I love shining a spotlight on locally caught fish and getting chefs excited about them. By eating more diverse fish, we won’t stress out any of them and we get to explore the bounty.
TNF: What two resources do you suggest people read about farming or land use?
K.C.: Books by Red Smith on fishing and any books by Dan Barber
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