Seen in The Press

California Governor Jerry Brown has signed new legislation to streamline the permitting and operation of direct, local fishermen’s markets in California. Dubbed the “Pacific to Plate” bill and sponsored by Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), AB 226 allows fishermen’s markets to operate as food facilities, vendors to clean their fish for direct sale, and multiple fishermen to organize a market under a single permit.

It’s a victory that has been a long time coming for local San Diego fishermen.... read more

California commercial fishermen who want a market of their own don’t fit neatly into the state’s current regulations. They’re not farmers, so rules and permitting procedures that govern farmers markets don’t apply. While they might be able to sell you fish directly from their boat, they can’t gut it or fillet it for you. And while commercial fishermen might be able to sell their seafood from a food truck or inside a closed building, establishing a weekly market of their own has been a hurdle some communities can’t clear. ... read more

Gems:

"The bill will streamline the permitting process so commercial fishermen can organize under a single permit, much like certified farmers markets already do. The bill will allow them to operate as a food facility, and — critical to the success of any fishermen’s market — will allow fresh fish to be cleaned and cut on site, a problem that has handicapped the San Diego market a bit. "

Gems:

"Her bill would allow fish to be cleaned and sold directly at fishermen's markets. Now, fish can only be sold whole. The legislation would also only require one permit for a fishermen's market instead of the current bureaucratic maze fishermen need to go through. State law does not define these markets as food facilities, complicating the permit process." read more 

It’s a far cry from Pike’s Place Market — Seattle’s bustling, fish-throwing seafood mecca — but buying local rockfish, sea urchin, crabs and more directly from San Diego fishermen is about to get a whole lot easier. read more

Gems:

"In addition to helping the fishermen secure a permanent home, Cox said he was also prompted by the health benefits a fresh local seafood market will provide to San Diego residents. Americans eat less than 15 pounds of seafood a year (compared with nearly 70 pounds of poultry, and 100 pounds of beef), and a recent FDA/EPA announcement encouraged pregnant women to quadruple the amount of seafood they consume. Cox says the new fish market will help increase seafood consumption, bolstering the county’s LiveWell San Diego initiative. "

Fifteen minutes before the makeshift market would open, the line on the narrow dock in Tuna Harbor was jammed. Forget any ideas of maintaining personal space. It’s a regular Saturday morning crush for live rock crabs and sea urchins, trap-caught sablefish, bright-eyed red vermillion rockfish and tasty California halibut.read more

Gems:

"There are other pluses. Having their own dedicated market location in the harbor means fishermen who sell directly consumers will get a better price-per-pound than they would at the wholesale market. It’s a similar story you hear from local farmers who vend at farmers markets. The premium price they receive helps keep them afloat. "