For Captain Rich Cook, founder of The Local Catch, selling local seafood is not just a transaction. It’s a way to share the fresh flavor of Rhode Island-caught seafood with local consumers who can’t personally make it out to the fishing grounds to catch it themselves. 

Quality assurance:

To comply with licensing requirements and health regulations, we have acquired and equipped a refrigeration and processing facility, obtained approval by the R.I. Department of Health, purchased a refrigerated truck, and attended HAACP training. While these requirements may be onerous, they are important to maintaining a clean reputation for locally caught and locally marketed seafood. We vouch that the seafood we supply is of the highest quality.

Sustainability:

As fishermen, we have a vested interest in the sustainability of our fish stocks. At The Local Catch, we take a broad view of sustainability, encompassing all aspects of the term: environmental, social, and economic. We believe that preferring locally caught seafood has important sustainability benefits that are often overlooked in global sustainable seafood campaigns: a reduced carbon footprint; an opportunity to get to know your fishermen and hold them personally accountable; an opportunity to grasp the nuances of regional marine ecosystems and to understand how fishing and consumption practices affect them. Read more in our presentation at the 2011 Baird Symposium, hosted by RI Sea Grant and Johnson and Wales University, entitled "Zooming in on Sustainability: What Fishermen and the Environment Can Gain by "Going Local": (presentation); (summary sheet).

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