Just 15 percent of the seafood available at markets in New England originated in the region, according to a pilot study by Rhode Island-based nonprofit Eating with the Ecosystem.
Rhode Island’s results were better than the regional average. About 24 percent of the seafood in Ocean State markets was captured in New England waters. That compares favorably to Massachusetts and Connecticut, at 12 percent each, and New Hampshire and Vermont, at 5 percent. Only Maine, at 33 percent, had more local seafood available in the markets surveyed than those in Rhode Island, ecoRI News reported on July 10.
“We’re a seafood-producing region, it’s a big part of our economy, but we’re not making it available to our own consumers,” said Kate Masury, program director for Eating with the Ecosystem. She worked on the project with University of Rhode Island professor Hiro Uchida and student Christina Montello.
The findings are the result of a citizen project conducted over two weeks in March. Volunteers visited 45 supermarkets and seafood markets in all six states to identify what species were available and where they were captured.
