More on the new Kittery/Portsmouth CSF (community sustainable fishery) program being formed, from Seacoastonline.com:
Two local women take pride in saying they’re up to something fishy.
Starting next week, Amy Richards and Marcia Gibbons are set to launch the Kittery/Portsmouth Community Sustainable Fishery program, in which people will be able to sign up in advance for “shares” in fishing catch or “credits” for lobster. The program is one of the first of its kind offered in the Seacoast area.
The first eight-week share period begins next week.
“We all should understand where our food’s coming from,” Richards said. “Sustainability matters to me. That’s what it’s really all about.”
The pair has enlisted Eliot fisherman Dennis Robillard, who fishes out of Portsmouth and Gloucester, Mass., and Kittery lobsterman Steve Lawrence to provide the bounty that will comprise the shares.
The nuts and bolts of the fish share program are fairly straightforward, and are not dissimilar to the Community Supported Agriculture shares that it mirrors. Like a CSA, customers pay for shares up front, so fishermen have the money in advance to invest in their boats, then customers get the shares each week.
For a fish share, people pay $192 for a full share or $96 for a half share for an eight-week period and receive two pounds or one pound, respectively, of fresh fish fillets a week. The type of fish can and will change from week to week depending on the catch.
The lobster program is run slightly differently. Those interested in this program will pay up front for a set number of lobsters at an as-yet-to-be-determined price per pound. Then over the course of the eight weeks, customers can go to Lawrence’s Kittery wharf and pick up lobsters when needed.
“It’s a win-win for me,” Lawrence said. “I think it’s a great idea. I always like to help out the community.” Read more…
See our previous post for more information about signing up >