This summer, Eureka’s Madaket Plaza will host a new bi-weekly market, connecting Humboldt County fishermen directly with customers.The Humboldt Dockside Market, developed by the North Coast Growers Association and Ashley’s Seafood, will allow area residents to access sustainable, locally caught fish in a low barrier-to-entry venue. Attendees will be able to purchase fish from Humboldt County commercial fishermen and have their fish cut and packaged by staffers; they’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions and learn about how to prepare a variety of local fish species that might otherwise appear daunting to the casual fish consumer.“We really want to teach people how to consume it, how to cook it and to feel comfortable and confident,” Ashley’s Seafood’s Ashley Vellis told the Times-Standard.The first Humboldt Dockside Market will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 7, with subsequent events every-other week throughout the summer.“Fishermen will be able to offer fillets and whole fish to their customers,” Vellis said. “Customers will be able to purchase directly from their fishermen and ask their questions (and learn) where the fish was caught, what species it is, if (there are) recommendations for cooking. If you purchase a whole fish, you’ll be able to take it to our on-site cutting booth … you can have it cut in different ways … we can even teach you how to cook your fish whole.”Vellis said that the Humboldt Dockside Market isn’t intended to replace direct sales by fishermen out on Woodley Island; instead, it’s a way to connect those fishermen with a different customer within walking distance of Old Town Eureka.Vellis noted that the market has worked very closely with the local fishing community that sells their catch on Woodley Island and noted that “most if not all of them” are participating in the market. She also stressed that the market is intended to be an opportunity for fishermen, who have faced headwinds with shortened Dungeness crab seasons and closed salmon fisheries, to sell fish and recoup some of the profits that would otherwise go to a wholesaler, while also helping to educate customers about what is available this summer.“We’ll have different kinds of rockfish, Pacific halibut, California halibut, potentially … we might see Oregon salmon … We’ll have … lingcod; we may have smelt, petrale sole,” Vellis said.“Sanddabs, for example,” Vellis said, “You have to catch a lot of it to make a profit, and who is going to buy such a small amount (from a local fisherman)? Well, the consumer; they’re hugely popular here, especially with people who used to go and catch them with their dad during their childhood, out in the bay somewhere.”An estimated 12 to 15 Humboldt County commercial fishermen are expected to participate throughout the season, though ongoing albacore season may mean a smaller first event on June 7.Read More
