The Feast of the Seven Fishes is an Italian seafood-centric feast that dates back to the 1900s. This year’s feast at Bar Enza features staples from executive chef Tony Susi.
For Susi, an Italian American, the feast carries profound meaning. It’s something he enjoys sharing with Bostonians and those who flock to the area this time of year. In some respects, he says, it’s a much larger event in the U.S. and in Boston than it is in Italy.
But as the demand for seafood grows, the supply of seafood shrinks. And demand isn’t the only thing making it increasingly difficult to harvest seafood.
Climate change also makes the selection smaller. Many species that depend on cold water are now flocking northward away from the Gulf of Maine.
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This region of the North Atlantic has warmed nearly three times the rate of the rest of the world’s oceans, since the 1980s, according to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.
Jesse Rose, owner and operator of Midnight Hour Seafood & Chatham Light Fisheries, says they’ve "noticed the codfish really have changed."
The area he fishes is among one of the fastest-warming ocean regions on the planet, and he says that forces the catch to move away.
He explained that he’s been fishing since he was a kid and comes from a fishing family. When he was young, there was a good-sized fleet and small Wellfleet Harbor clam boats. Now, there are only a few vessels.
Fish-forward chefs are up against a limited menu — Susi said that what he serves depends on what local fishermen catch.
Steve Gennodie, owner and operator at Rocky Neck Fish and Chatham Fish Market, said they fish deeper than they would traditionally have to.
He said they’re also now using the byproduct and catches that were traditionally considered bottom-feeders and explaining to some of their chef clients how they can be used and served.
Despite the loss of some species and traditional methods of fishing, Gennodie feels inspired: “The creativity you see they come up with now ... it's like an art form, really, when you see some of the chefs produce the stuff.”
