A Boat-To-Table Initiative Brings Fish To Chefs

SEA gulls and cormorants circled overhead in the early morning fog as the Block Island ferry blew its horn in the distance.

On the deck of his trawler, the Elizabeth Helen, Steve Arnold took out his Droid Incredible and photographed the best of that day’s catch of fluke. He e-mailed the photograph to a number of chefs and sent them a note saying what he had hauled in, what he would be fishing for in the coming days, and when he could deliver his catch that afternoon.

The chefs fired back requests for squid, fluke, striped bass and a dozen or so other species. In iced containers, the orders would be rushed to restaurants in Providence and towns nearby in Massachusetts in a refrigerated van that Mr. Arnold recently bought.

“I start stressing out if it takes more than 24 hours from sea to kitchen,” Mr. Arnold said.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: New York Times