The Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust will be upgrading their infrastructure for the 2023 season, thanks to a $20,000 grant from the Martha’s Vineyard Bank to purchase a flash freezer.
The freezer will be used in the trust’s seafood purchasing operation, enabling more of the seafood they purchase by local fishermen to be sold locally. Fifty per cent of seafood purchased by the trust last year was exported off-Island.
“With The Fishermen’s Preservation Trust, we have locally sourced seafood and a respected local merchant coming together with the Martha’s Vineyard Bank’s Foundation,” wrote Martha’s Vineyard Bank CEO James Anthony in a release sent to the Gazette.
Flash frozen seafood allows for easier and more efficient storage of the catch, allowing them to better support fishermen and improve food security.
