Even as the state’s fishing fleet, complete with just eight commercial boats, struggles to find fewer fish in the sea and new costs related to a federal monitoring program, an unusual community seafood project is gearing up for a third season selling directly to consumers.
“The more people who sign up the more we’re supporting an industry in trouble. Local people supporting local fishermen. It’s more (money) for them and a real confidence booster for our fishermen, because they’re facing such a crisis,” said Andrea Tomlinson, general manager of New Hampshire Community Seafood.
The program, which operates similar to a farm-share for ocean-caught fish, included more than 30 New Hampshire fishing boats when it started in 2013. This year, there are eight, Tomlinson said, some of which are “day boats” that return to one of New Hampshire’s four ports each night and some “trip boats” that spend three or four days at sea catching fish before returning to unload.
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