Maine Seafood Guide – Redfish
Season
Status
Regulatory Authority
Harvest Method
Recreational Harvest
Health Benefits & Risks
Buying & Preparing
Brands
Certifications
Links
►Species Description
Acadian redfish Sebastes fasciatus
also known as ocean perch
Wild.
Acadian redfish or ocean perch is a slow-growing, long-lived deepwater fish of rocky, mud, or clay bottom habitats, although they move closer to shore in winter. They range from Iceland to the mid-Atlantic and are common in deep waters of the Gulf of Maine.
►Season
Year-round.
►Status
Redfish are not overfished nor is overfishing occuring. Estimates of redfish abundance have been increasing in recent years, and the stock was declared rebuilt in 2012.
►Regulatory Authority
Redfish are part of the New England Fishery Management Council’s Northeast Multispecies (groundfish) Management Plan.
►Harvest Method
►Recreational Harvest
There is a minimum size of nine inches, but no daily limit.
►Health Benefits & Risks
Sebastus species are low in fat and calories, and low in omega-3 fatty acids. Redfish are relatively low in mercury.
►Buying & Preparing
Redfish is a firm, white-fleshed fish that requires careful handling, because it tends to spoil more quickly than other fish. Can be substituted for haddock and similar fish.
►Companies, Brands, and Labels
Port Clyde Fresh Catch
►Certifications & Verifications
Gulf of Maine Responsibly Harvested
►Links
►Featured Harvester
Terry Alexander, Harpswell, ME