Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are groundfish?
A: In commercial fishery jargon, the fish we've been delivering are primarily considered groundfish. These fish swim on our near the bottom of the seafloor--the ground to fishermen. Technically, there are 19 species that make up the groundfish in the Gulf of Maine. For the most part the groundfish we deliver wiil be cod, haddock, pollock, hake, and the flatfishes like yelllowtail flounder and grey sole, e.g. (except halibut).

Q: What does a 50/70 shrimp count mean?
A: Shrimp are graded by size. Their grade size number is an average of how many shrimp make up a pound.

Q: How fresh will the shrimp be?
A: We want the shrimp to be caught within 24 hours or less of delivery time. If it is from the day prior to delivery, it'll be the last tow of the boat that we deliver. We are well aware of the native shrimp's shelf life limitations and can ensure you that if its quality doesn't meet our high standards, it won't be delivered.

Q: What's the best way to freeze shrimp?
A: The best way to freeze shrimp is to remove their heads before freezing and try to get out as much air out of the freezer bag as possible. If you have a vacuum bag sealer use it to contain the shrimp for freezing. Otherwise, you can use a neat trick to replicate the vacuum sealer bags. Place the shrimp in a zip lock bag and seal the zipper lock leaving a half inch un-locked. Submerge the bag in a large bowl of water forcing the air out of the bag, just until the water line reaches the unzipped chunk of seal. Seal the opening with as little air in the zip lock bag as possible.

Q: Why have fish share prices increased?
A: In the winter-time fish prices increase over their cost in the summer-time months. Additionally, the prices fluctuate more dramatically than the summer months. To cover this increase in costs, we had to raise the price we charge for shares.

Q: Why does the shrimp and fish share cost more than the average of a shrimp share and fish share?
A: As mentioned above, the price of seafood fluctuates over the course of a season. Because of these price fluctuations and the manner of how we pay the boats, we had to adjust the shrimp and fish share price to accommodate the uncertainties of fish prices spiking on days when fish will be delivered. There is also a small increase in the labor overhead to deliver the shrimp and fish share.

Q: What happens to my share if I miss the pickup? Can I get some kind of reimbursement?
A: Any remaining shares at the end of a delivery day are donated to local food pantries or food banks. Because the fish is ordered on a daily basis, if you do not pick it up, we still have to pay for it. Due to this fact, we can not reimburse you if you miss a delivery. Please arrange for substitutes--family, friends, neighbors--to pick up your shares if you can't make a delivery.

Q: When will new delivery sites become available?
A: We wish we had a crystal ball to help answer this question. There are no statewide regulations regarding the approval process of our distribution model. In other words, each town is different and the manner with which the application process is handled differs dramatically from town to town. In some locales we've gotten approval relatively quickly. In others the process has been much much slower

Q: When and if the new sites become available, can we transfer?
A: For new sites, we will allow you to transfer from an existing location to a new one without question. However, we do request that you make notice of our clause in the contract that there's a two week window at the beginning of the season to transfer from one existing site to another existing site.

Q: How many boats does the CAFC CSF get their fish from?
A: We have a core group of about six day boats from which we purchase fish and three boats from whom we get shrimp. Day boats are so named because they generally fish for just a day--go figure--our shrimp boats are day boats too. Trip boats go out for several days at a time. If we ever purchase fish from trip boats, we make certain the fish we purchase from them comes from the last tow of fish caught to ensure the highest quality of  fish.