Rhode Island-style calamari and stuffies, clam cakes and clam chowder — the Ocean State is famous for its seafood.
Every year, millions of people pour into the state to find fresh fish, dine out at seafood restaurants and attend various festivals. Recently, the Rhode Island Seafood Marketing Collaborative launched FishLine, a new app developed to let consumers find fresh, local seafood markets and restaurants. It even helps consumers buy directly off the boat from fishermen.
The app was developed by California company Phondini Partners, who launched a retail version of the app in 2012. Prior to Rhode Island FishLine's launch this November, both RI Seafood and the Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island worked with the company to create a localized version. The FishLine app lists more than 40 restaurants, seafood markets, grocers, and direct sellers that offer local seafood. The app also includes information on local species and tips for how to cook and enjoy the food.
Sunset Beach Oysters in Jamestown is just one of those seafood outlets. Co-owner Tony Pinheiro, who runs the business with his wife Karen and son Joseph, said he recently downloaded the app and hopes it can boost visibility of his business, especially in the off season.
“The summertime is great but we're all New Englanders and we know that the winter is tough,” he said. “Harvesting seafood is a tough job and everyone who does it deserves credit.”
Sunset Beach Oysters maintains a year-round business selling to area restaurants and locally through McQuade’s Market, where they rotate fresh product each week.
“We don’t really sell a dozen oysters here and there, so we work with McQuade’s to put out our fresh catch,” he said. “We have a policy that if our oysters are there for more than a week, we’ll take them back and switch them out for fresh ones.”
Annually, Rhode Islanders harvest approximately 80 million pounds of seafood (valued at over $100 million as they pull it off the boat) which in turn yields over $400 million in total economic output and supports more than 4,000 jobs, according to a URI study. 2021 landings, up 31%, marked a sharp rebound from 2020 numbers according to the DEM Division of Marine Fisheries. In addition, shellfish farms in RI waters produce more than 8 million oysters annually, with a farm-gate value of nearly $6 million.
