Fresh catch, net profits

Josh Stoll grew up in a fishing community in northern Maine and saw firsthand the beauty and frailty of an industry that lures generations of hopeful fishermen into its uncertain waters.

The Duke University graduate student knows that men and women who rely on the moody sea to make a living could, on any trip out, land a catch big enough to tide a family over for an entire season. Or they could reel in absolutely nothing.

So when Stoll landed at the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort for a stint in environmental studies, he joined forces with a handful of others to develop the Walking Fish program.

"Basically we're trying to help the fishermen," Stoll said.

The community-supported fishery is modeled on agricultural programs that supply participants with locally raised meats and seasonal vegetables from nearby farms and gardens. Not only does Walking Fish give landlubbers in Durham and Chapel Hill a fresh taste each week of seafood they are unlikely to find in local grocery stores -- mullet, spot, triggerfish, some varieties of sea trout. It also aims to give North Carolina fishermen and the local fish houses they supply an infusion of cash that could help sustain them in turbulent economic times when stringent environmental regulations governing catch limits and fishing methods make community-based fishing a more and more difficult way of life.

"This is a way for people to connect to the local food system," Stoll said. "And by encouraging them to support their local fisheries, there also are environmental benefits in the long run."

Beverly Tucker, a Durham resident who works at the Carolina Population Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, had some of those lofty goals in mind when she signed up to buy two pounds of fish every other week. She is one of about 400 members.

She also liked the idea of trying out new recipes.

A couple of weeks ago when Tucker took her insulated bag to the Anderson Street parking lot outside the Sarah P. Duke Gardens on the Duke campus, the weekly drop-off spot, she picked up two pounds of jumping mullet.

"I was totally unfamiliar with that fish," Tucker said.

Suggestions and recipes

Ron Sparks, a 39-year-old fisherman from Down East who goes out most days near Cedar Island and fishes along the coast, describes the jumping mullet as a "popular local fish" caught with gill nets and seine nets close to beaches and in sounds. He was glad to see it trucked inland.

"Most people consider it a trash fish because they use it for bait," Sparks said. "But it's a great fish."

Some people douse mullet fillets with molasses, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and hot pepper and then cook it on a hot grill for four or five minutes. Others suggest something as simple as lemon, salt, pepper and butter on the grilled fish. Some bread and bake mullet; others take the time to smoke the butterflied fish over hickory branches or chips.

Tucker pored over some of the suggested recipes provided by the Walking Fish program and searched for others on the Web.

In the end, she decided to go with something pretty basic -- salt, pepper and butter. She loaded a cooler with ice, tossed in the fresh catch and headed for the Uwharrie National Forest in Montgomery and Randolph counties for a camping trip with friends.

"They said bring what you want for the grill," Tucker said. While others tended their hot dogs and hamburgers, Tucker put her mullet over the open fire. The fish was tasty, she said, not flaky, but not too oily, either.

"I was very popular," Tucker boasted. "People were fighting over the fish."

After only a month in the fledgling community-supported fishery program, Tucker is already talking about her hopes for another session. Because she is single and already has a freezer full of meat left over from some of the community-supported agriculture programs she has bought into, Tucker bought a quarter share of fish this time. She raves about the reasonable price for her purchase -- $76 for 12 pounds of fish, or $6.33 per pound. She also likes the idea that her participation in the 12-week program can have long-reaching effects on the environment and a way of life.

Wendy Noel, a Durham resident who is working with TROSA, a recovery program for substance abusers, on starting a new grocery store in East Durham, bought part of a share in Walking Fish because it takes guess work out of her trips to local markets. She likes the idea of having fish once a week, especially if her boyfriend, Graham Brugh, will do the cooking. She also likes to buy food from local businesses and make sure they're good stewards of the environment. By buying into Walking Fish, Noel trusts others to do the research for her.

"I trust that they have the interest of the fishermen and fisheries in mind, and they're going to be decisions I'm comfortable with," Noel said.

Struggling to compete

Bill Rice, the owner of Fishtowne, a seafood market in Beaufort that guts, cleans, fillets and trucks the offerings for Walking Fish, would like the program to net fish lovers who also will rally behind community-based fishermen, much as they have the small farmers in recent years.

"By taking a variety of fish up to Durham, we hope they will be more interested in local fish and come down here and buy," Rice said.

For years now, fishermen have complained of struggling to compete with overseas importers who offer shrimp, crab and other popular fishes at lower prices. Many also gripe about environmental regulations that they say might be designed to keep commercial trawlers from overfishing and wiping out whole species, but have the unintended consequences of driving out small, or community-based, fisheries.

"With the economy and jobs as tough as it is," said Sparks, a fisherman for 20 years, "I don't know why they want to take people's jobs."

Stoll hopes the Walking Fish program sustains not just the many fish in the sea but also a generations-old tradition that reminds him of the lobster boats and New England fish houses of his childhood. He hopes the way to their hearts is through filled stomachs and satisfied taste buds.

"The idea is if we can get a higher price for the fishermen, it will also benefit the environment," Stoll said.

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