I am sure we have all experienced the pain of going to your local grocery store to find quality food only to come across an item where you start to second guess whether or not you would even consider it top-notch. Especially when that item happens to be seafood and your only goal is to get the freshest and highest quality you can find. There is no hiding that most of the time, the seafood from your local store can vary in quality. In fact, chances are, as your browsing through the assortment, you might be even pondering over what exactly it is that you are looking for. Maybe where to buy it if not your local store, what is in season at the moment, and what are you going to do with it once you have it?
You’ll be glad to know that all these questions and mystery surrounding the process of buying seafood is easier than you think, especially if you live in Oregon. Along the Oregon Coast, there is a unique program dedicated to demystifying the buying processes of seafood known as, Shop at the Dock, hosted by the Oregon Sea Grant and Oregon State University Extension Service.
What is Shop at the Dock?
Shop at the Dock, or “Shop the Dock”, is a FREE guided tour that started back in 2014 in Newport, OR, aiming to educate participants on the commercial fishing industry. During these tours, participates are taken down to commercial fishing docks, around any local seafood markets if close by, and local seafood processors in certain ports where they learn answers to many questions. Such as:
- How to purchase high-quality seafood directly from the fishing vessels
- What to look for in your seafood
- What is in season
- How they are caught
- What is sustainable
- How to prepare seafood once you buy it
Shop at the Dock wants to help participants connect with local commercial vessels and markets through these interactions. However, the participants aren’t the only ones that benefit from such a program. Overall, the program has provided economic benefits to all the local fisheries within the participating ports, helping them gain extra exposure that allows them to sell their fresh, quality caught seafood, directly to participants.
Where to find these tours?
The tours traditionally occur over the summer months in both Newport and Garibaldi, OR. Though each site usually will have advanced registration due to limited space. They run for about 90 minutes each and due to the locations, it is recommended for participants to wear comfortable walking shoes with traction while arriving at least 15-20 minutes early. If participants plan to purchase any seafood, it is also recommended that they bring cash and coolers with ice. Disability accommodations are available upon request as well.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, Shop at the Dock has been canceled for in-person events, but this hasn’t stopped them. The program has shifted over to producing videos about the various businesses within the industry and cover much of the same information as the regular tours.
You can check out the videos here!
So, next time you find yourself pondering over what seafood you should buy or where to get the highest quality, check out Shop at the Dock. Not only will you get all your questions answered, but you’ll have an excuse to visit the Oregon Coast and engage with some unique local businesses.
