Spring has sprung in Wisconsin, bringing with it warmer days, longer evenings and the return of farmer’s markets. Our state’s plentiful markets offer not only a chance to buy local goodies—from colorful produce to cheeses, meat, honey and more—but also a way to get acquainted with the hard-working people who produce our food.

Farmers’ markets may also spur us to think about other food-related goals we might have, such as eating more healthfully or supporting local and regional economies.

Three online resources can help you embrace similar food goals when serving fish. Through these websites you can find fish caught by commercial fishers on the Great Lakes and fish raised sustainably by farmers in our region.

Here’s a quick roundup of the three:

Eat Wisconsin Fish:

Sharon Moen showed off her grilling skills during a live webinar hosted by Ohio Sea Grant in summer 2021. Moen prepared fish kabobs using Wisconsin fish.

You could call EatWisconsinFish.org the “OG” of fish-finding resources in the Great Lakes region. An initiative of Wisconsin Sea Grant, the project has been around for years, but new life was breathed into it with the 2020 hire of Outreach Specialist Sharon Moen.

Last summer, the site’s map got a makeover thanks to intern Hunter Goldman, an Ashland College student. The interactive map shows places in Wisconsin where food fish are grown, harvested, processed and more.

This summer, a new intern, Emma Kraco, will assist Moen. Kraco, a recent graduate of UW-Milwaukee, will help Moen improve the map and share the stories of food-fish producers in Wisconsin.

Great Lakes Fresh Fish Finder: In fall 2021, Great Lakes Fresh Fish Finder joined the mix. While it drew inspiration from Eat Wisconsin Fish, its geographic range is broader, as are the intended purposes of the fish.

The Great Lakes Fresh Fish Finder logo shows two fish in a stylized grocery shopping cart.

Attendees can learn more about Great Lakes Fresh Fish Finder at a May 26 webinar.

While Eat Wisconsin Fish focuses on fish for your dinner plate, Great Lakes Fish Finder includes species for pond stocking, bait and ornamental purposes. And as it name suggests, its geographic swath covers all of the Great Lakes states.

Take a tour of Fresh Fish Finder through a webinar at 11:30 a.m. (central) on Thursday, May 26. Called “Finding Fish for Food or Fun: Exploring the Great Lakes Fresh Fish Finder,” the event is hosted by the Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative and will spotlight several regional producers, including Wisconsin’s Red Cliff Fish Co., run by the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Bayfield, along Lake Superior. Register for the event here.

Eat Midwest Fish: This site’s map pinpoints farms raising food fish and shellfish in the Upper Midwest. It launched in early 2021 as a joint effort of the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network and other partners, including the North Central Regional Aquaculture Center. Like Eat Wisconsin Fish, the site includes tasty recipe ideas, such as bluegill chowder and oven-fried perch.

With these resources at your fingertips, it’s never been easier to find local fish (unless, perhaps, you catch your own—also a fine choice). Bon appetit!

The post Embrace local eating this season: Three resources for finding Wisconsin and Great Lakes fish first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

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Jennifer Smith

By Eva Ryan, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Continuing Wisconsin Sea Grant’s 50th anniversary blog series, I interviewed Sharon Moen, the Eat Wisconsin Fish outreach specialist. During our time together, we discussed the past, present and hopes for the future of producing fish in Wisconsin for local and global consumption.

Sharon Moen holds smoked fish on the shores of Lake Superior. Image credit: Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant

“I’m having fun with the position because I get to use my science communication skills to help American food-fish aquaculture and fisheries succeed against a challenging and changing global backdrop,” Moen said. “It feels like meaningful, important work.”

Moen’s work largely focuses on supporting food-fish aquaculture and fisheries in Wisconsin, which includes improving consumer awareness and acceptance. She explores topics of fish production, consumer demographics and how to connect local fish growers with people throughout the state.

Moen reports that commercial fishers were hampered by labor shortages last year and would like help navigating changes to state regulations. Her conversations with Wisconsin’s growing aquaculture industry indicate they could use technical help in the form of research on specific topics, finding fish processors and marketing.

“So many good things have happened in the last 50 years,” said Moen, starting with the commercial fishing industry of the Great Lakes: “The state’s commercial fishing industry was almost wiped out because of the invasion of sea lamprey, overfishing and changes to the ecosystem.” But due to progressive sustainable fishery management decisions, the fisheries have recovered, maintaining opportunities for people to make a living from plying the Great Lakes for food.

“It’s interesting to see how the industry has changed and how generational fishing families have held on and retained optimism. This is most evident in the way that, during the worst of the pandemic in 2020, the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa opened a fish processing and marketing business to help their members. It is encouraging to witness how the Great Lakes can still provide food and livelihoods for people.”

Similar to Great Lakes fisheries, the Wisconsin aquaculture industry has experienced many advances in the past 50 years. “We grow shrimp on old dairy farms now,” Moen said. “The largest on-land aquaponic facility for salmon is in Hixton, Wisconsin. Fifty years ago, people would think you were crazy if you said we were going to grow salmon on land and shrimp in old barns.” Moen goes on to applaud the innovation of aquaculture specialists, noting how exciting it is to observe the industry changing.

As industries continue to change, it only makes sense to look forward. When asked about the future of food fish production in Wisconsin, Moen was sure to touch on climate change and aquaculture’s role in improving food security and environmental resilience in the next 50 years.

“Already about half of the seafood Americans consume is raised on farms,” she said. “These farms could be, and maybe should be, down the road instead of halfway across the planet.”

The meat industry is a known contributor to carbon emissions and Earth’s changing climate. Moen specifically mentioned the feed conversion ratio of cows, pigs, and chickens. Compared to these animals, the feed conversion ratio of fish is significantly lower, effectively saving resources while providing an impressive yield of protein and essential nutrients for brain development in children and heart health.

“I think fish are going to be one of our most important sources of protein in the near future, especially as we get better at growing them in contained facilities. As people coming to terms with technology, where their seafood comes from and climate change, these changes have to happen.”

Further research on the food sources we use for feeding fish are being conducted each day. For example, scientists are trying to determine how we can grow algae containing omega-3 fatty acids and other beneficial nutrients to feed fish. That way, when we eat the fish that consume these algae, we also reap the benefits of those nutrients. All in all, the advancements taking place in the aquaculture industry are bountiful and exciting.

Considering the human health and environmental benefits of being a piscivore, Moen summed it up best when she said, “Eat fish, people!”

The post Eat Fish, People! first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

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Wisconsin Sea Grant

Three grants totaling more than $334,000 were awarded to Wisconsin Sea Grant to support the state’s commercial fishing and aquaculture industries, particularly in the areas of career development and resilience planning.

Sharon Moen, Eat Wisconsin Fish outreach specialist. (Photo: Marie Zhuikov)

Recently, NOAA Sea Grant announced federal funding to aid the sustainable growth of the U.S. seafood industry. One of the efforts focuses on the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on seafood resources. Wisconsin Sea Grant has been awarded $186,000 in funding through that competition, meant to increase the resilience of the seafood sector to respond to future disruptions. The project has a two-year time span and was one of 13 awarded nationally by NOAA Sea Grant. Sharon Moen, Wisconsin Sea Grant’s Eat Wisconsin Fish outreach specialist, is the project lead.

A second recently announced grant of $98,000 was awarded through NOAA Sea Grant and NOAA Office of Sustainable Fisheries (more specifically, through the “Food from the Sea” Careers Program).

The work funded by this grant enables the Michigan and Wisconsin Sea Grant programs to collaborate on building the framework for a Great Lakes commercial fisheries apprenticeship program over the next six months. Project leads for this effort are Titus Seilheimer, Wisconsin Sea Grant fisheries specialist, and Lauren Jescovitch, a Michigan Sea Grant extension educator in the Upper Peninsula. Moen will also be a key player. Together, the team will assess apprenticeship program needs among both tribal and nontribal fishers. The implementation phase of the apprenticeship program will be funded by the two-year grant.

Titus Seilheimer, fisheries outreach specialist.

A third grant of $50,000 enables the Eat Wisconsin Fish initiative to continue to grow its outreach potential over the next year. Moen leads this project.

“It is exciting that NOAA Sea Grant selected these three Wisconsin proposals for funding,” said Moen. “Food fish—both wild-caught and farm-raised in the U.S.—is an important part of our economy and food security. This funding will enable us to build on our efforts to help commercial fishers and fish farmers thrive in a challenging environment.”

The commercial fishing side of the projects focuses on developing the Great Lakes region’s first-ever apprenticeship program in fishing and fish processing. “Commercial fisheries across the country are graying as the older generation gets older, but who will take the wheel to keep these fisheries going?” said Seilheimer.

Continued Seilheimer, “Our work will build the framework for an apprenticeship program to train the next generation of commercial fishers. We will learn from tribal and state fishers about the needs and wants for a new training program. We hope to build an apprenticeship program that will provide an experienced workforce for tribal and commercial fisheries for years to come to support sustainable Great Lakes fisheries.”

Clarence Pratt of the Red Cliff Fish Co. shows a vacuum-sealed package of lake trout from Lake Superior that has just been processed. (Photo: Bonnie Willison)

While the pandemic has been tough all-around, noted Moen, “It has had a disproportionate impact on Indigenous commercial fishers.” One partner in this project is the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, which operates the Red Cliff Fish Co. The fish market prioritizes local retail sales and supplying Lake Superior fish to Native American elders.

While other states have apprenticeship programs focused on commercial fishing and fish processing, Moen said this one will focus on needs specific to the Great Lakes.

The aquaculture side of the projects will include efforts to inform fish consumers and the general public about fish-farming methods.

“Aquaculture in the U.S. has come a long way in the last several decades, and public perceptions have not kept up with reality,” said Moen. “Regulations in the U.S. as a whole are quite strict, and even more so here in Wisconsin, which should give consumers confidence that they’re choosing a safe product that has been raised responsibly. It pays to check labels or ask at the fish counter when you’re shopping.”

Moen and Seilheimer will carry out the funded activities along with members of Sea Grant’s science communication and education teams.

At their core, the three grant-funded projects are responding to challenges faced by Wisconsin fish farms and commercial fishers, from pandemics to workforce issues. “In the end,” said Moen, “We want to create a stronger food network and food systems so that when future disruptions happen, we’ll be better prepared.”

Those interested in learning more about these projects may contact Sharon Moen or Titus Seilheimer.

The post Wisconsin Sea Grant awarded $334,000 to support state’s commercial fishing and aquaculture industries first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

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Jennifer Smith