If you ever lamented the lack of a fully sustainable seafood market in New York (Brooklyn, specifically), then you weren’t the only one. Restaurant industry veterans Bianca Piccillo and Mark Usewicz felt similarly a few years back and started the state’s first fully sustainable CSF, or community supported fishery, to meet the city’s growing need.
A couple years later , and with a successful CSF under their belts, Mermaid’s Garden now needs your help to fully kickstart their much anticipated brink-and-mortar location.
Like a CSA, Mermaid’s Garden CSF participants receive weekly shares of fresh fish. Piccillo and Usewicz have always felt strongly about supporting sustainable fishing practices, so customers can expect Atlantic and Gulf shell- and finfish caught using practices that best support the health of the given species.
How do they determine what’s “sustainable,” you ask? When we inquired, Piccillo told us that they base their purchasing decisions off of two highly respected sources: the National Marine Fishery Service‘s quarterly stock status report and information gained from their partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
The duo’s storefront dream now seems to be coming true, at least almost. The two were able to find a space on Vanderbilt Avenue that they’ve both ripped apart and built up, but that’s still not enough. They are looking for funds to put the finishing touches on their project and have started a Kickstarter to hopefully meet these needs.
Have a buck? Support this worthy project to make buying only sustainably caught fish at a local business a reality! They have nearly a month to reach their $15,000 goal, so spread the word, too.
