Market Forces: Shore Catch

This week, Patch spoke with Jim LaPrete, owner of Shore Catch. He sells his fish, fresh off the dock on Long Beach Island, in the corner of the market lot at De Forest Avenue and Maple Street.

How did you get into the fish business?

I grew up in north Jersey, in Cranford, and I spent pretty much every weekend fishing down in south Jersey. About five years ago I moved down there permanently. I have always been hanging around the commercial dock on Long Beach Island, so I established relationships with the commercial fishing and dock people. I started doing markets in 2006. I go to Summit, Morristown, Montclair and Chatham. I don’t have a storefront; it’s just wholesale and markets. In the winter, it slows down - I work at the dock, and I do a little bit of wholesale, and that carries me through. I’d like to be able to open up my own fish market and restaurant. Hopefully that will be  a few years down the road. That’s the dream.

 Where do you get your fish?

Everything is right from friends and family. It gets processed at the dock, and then I go to the market. It’s all from New Jersey fisherman. I work out of one local dock – Barnegat Light on Long Beach Island. I have a license for commercial fishing, clam and net fishing, but the way the market’s been going I don’t have time to do it anymore.  

What kinds of fish do you sell?

There are 15 scallop boats in the fleet. They are the best bay boat sea scallops on the East Coast – they ship them all over. The local swordfish and tuna, there’s no comparison. The fish was swimming in the ocean two days before I get it to market. Then there’s Jersey fluke and Jersey bluefish.  My menu is kind of limited because I work with a local dock and local fisherman. I’m not bringing in salmon from Canada. Nothing’s being flown in from Vietnam.

What’s your best seller at the Summit Farmer’s Market?

The scallops. They’re addictive. 

Does the availability of certain fish change with the seasons?

It does, but not a whole lot. With scallops, as long as they’re not oversold at the dock, I scallop all year round. The fall is actually the best time for fishing. That’s when the fish are really plumping up, and the water’s a little cooler. They’re really nice. Sea trout, that I have at the beginning and end of season.  

What would you like consumers to know about the state of fishing in New Jersey?

I just want them to know that we’re not overfishing. We should be eating local seafood. In every state there are a lot of regulations to make sure that fish is safe and sustained.

What’s the hardest thing about what you do?

Everything. The six hours in the truck driving, the cutting fish, the lifting, the being as picky as I am looking through fish. There’s not a part of it that’s not hard.

What’s the best thing about the job?

Even though the whole thing is putting a beating on my body, I love what I do. I love fishing. I love being on the water. I love seeing the customer’s smile on his face. And I love supporting New Jersey fisherman, you know, working with friends and family. Just like with buying from farmers that are from New Jersey, all these customers are supporting local fisherman, not flown-in stuff, which is great.