Cape Flattery Fishermen’s Cooperative, Washington State University Extension, and Washington Sea Grant are working together to provide healthy, locally-sourced fish to food banks around the Olympic Peninsula and other parts of northwest Washington.
The cooperative, a local fishery based in Neah Bay, donated or sold over 4,500 pounds of fish to food banks in May and June. Their surplus of over 8,000 pounds of frozen true cod was due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We normally sell our fish all over United States and even in China, but that wasn’t an option after everything shut down,” said Hazel Secor, the manager of Cape Flattery. “We’re a small company and when we have fish that we can’t sell, we’re happy to donate or sell to a food bank. We just don’t want it to go to waste.”
The co-op is owned and operated by fishermen from the Makah tribe in and around Neah Bay. True cod is normally what you get when you order fish and chips at a restaurant, Secor said, calling it “light and tasty.”
WSU Extension works closely with Washington Sea Grant, a program of the University of Washington, in areas where agriculture and aquaculture overlap.
“We’ve been looking for ways to support local fisheries for the last few years,” said Karlena Brailey, a Community Health and Food Access Coordinator for WSU Extension. “We want people to be able to have local fish available. We want everyone on the peninsula to have access to this healthy protein source.”