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When Aiming to Eat Local, Don’t Forget the Fish

The University of Wisconsin’s Sea Grant Institute is reminding consumers to eat locally sourced fish with a new Eat Wisconsin Fish campaign.

Wisconsin’s aquaculture ranks number one in the Midwest and is an important industry that contributes more than $21 million to the local economy. More than 2,400 fish farms and numerous commercial fisheries call Wisconsin home, yet many consumers are uneducated about local fish availability and fish farming sustainability.

The Eat Wisconsin Fish campaign is aimed at putting fish on more plates of local food conscious eaters.

“The majority of consumers have not placed a priority on buying fish from a local source,” said Jane Harrison, social scientist at UW Sea Grant, “and most consumers are also unaware of how to find locally harvested fish.”

At the 2014 Wisconsin Aquaculture Conference in March, fish farmers, aquaculture experts and others met for networking and educational sessions. The theme of the 19th annual event was “Raising Fish Today to Build a Better Tomorrow” – a nod to the increasing environmental, health and sustainability concerns affecting local and regional food sourcing.

As consumer demand for locally sourced has increased farmers markets and farm-to-table dining establishments have reaped benefits, but local fish producers are aiming for greater inclusion in the movement.

The Sea Grant Institute hopes the Eat Wisconsin Fish campaign will help.

The campaign will educate consumers and promote the sales of locally grown and harvested fish with the assistance of state and federal funding. A website, EatWisconsinFish.org, provides a hub of information supporting the initiative, including dietary facts, recipes and information on upcoming events.

Education outreach members Kathleen Kline and Jane Harrison conducted surveys of consumer focus groups at grocery stores in the Madison and Milwaukee area. The focus groups revealed the opinions Wisconsin shoppers currently hold about locally sourced fish and what information is needed to make an informed purchase.

“Shoppers have a sense of pride when buying Wisconsin-sourced food,” Jane Harrison said, “however, when deciding which local food products to purchase, fish was often overlooked as a food product included in the locally grown category.”

Based on these new insights, the Eat Wisconsin Fish campaign plans to use educational materials, retail signage and educational events to target the areas where consumer knowledge is lacking.

“What was most surprising to consumers was the fact that the U.S. imports 90 percent of its seafood,” Harrison said. “And while the FDA regulates the quality of imported food, it does not have the ability to regulate the fishing industries abroad. Buying fish locally ensures your fish has been raised and harvested in a healthy, sustainable habitat and that your food dollars are supporting local family businesses.”

In Door County, catching fresh fish from Lake Michigan has long been a part of local culture through hearty fish boils and Friday fish fries, as well as having a deep-rooted impact on the local economy via commercial and sport fishing companies. The rich history of Door County fishing is witnessed in local businesses such as J & M Fish Company, a five-generation family-operated fishery in Gills Rock. Today it is one of the largest commercial fishing operations in Wisconsin.

Door County’s local cuisine incorporates the catch of its fisherman at many establishments. In Ellison Bay, the Wickman House restaurant recognizes the great advantage of having such a delicious resource available.

“We feel so completely fortunate to be surrounded by such an amazing group of growers, farmers, artisans and fisherman here in Door County. Fresh food is where it’s at, and it’s because of these folks that we’re able to offer the quality product that we do,” says owner Mike Holmes, who sources from Henriksen Fisheries a few miles from the restaurant in Gills Rock. The brunch menu offers a smoked variety of whitefish from Charlie’s Smokehouse in Gills Rock.

The peninsula’s fish boils – such as those served by the White Gull Inn, the Viking Grill, and Pelletier’s – have long featured local whitefish, but the trend toward touting local items only came to the county in the last decade.

To have your establishment or business considered as a host for a future Eat Wisconsin Fish event, or to request educational materials to distribute, contact Kathy Kline at [email protected] or visit EatWisconsinFish.org.