Catch & Cook allows charter fishing clients who catch fish from Michigan’s Great Lakes an opportunity to take their fresh catch to a participating Michigan restaurant to cook and serve those fish to those clients.

Responsibilities of  Charter Boat Captains:

• Will be knowledgeable of fish advisories to ensure the wholesomeness of caught fish. http://www.michigan.gov/documents/FishAdvisory03_67354_7.pdf
• Will ensure food safety standards are adhered to by adequate cleaning, gutting and scaling of fish prior to delivery to food service operations.
• Ensure that they are equipped with an adequate supply of ice, produced from potable water.
• Ensure the rapid chilling of fish to at least 41° F, using ice or an equivalent method.
• Will provide proper documentation of date/time on packaging indicating when the fish are caught.
• It is recommended that Charter Boat Captains successfully complete a food handler’s class.

Responsibilities of Participating Restaurants:

• The operator must comply with applicable laws and regulations.
• Must have sufficient facilities to properly process, maintain custody and serve the cooked fish to participants of the program.
• The restaurant must have a sufficient method to assure they are providing the customer with their own caught fish.
• It is the responsibility of the restaurant that any remaining fish connected to this program is either returned to the client or discarded.

Receiving:

1. Inspect the fish upon delivery and prior to acceptance.
2. Ensure that upon receiving, the fish appears sound, wholesome and not subjected to temperature abuse.
3. The restaurant has the right to refuse fish suspected of being unwholesome or out of temperature.

Equipment:

1. Food and non-food contact surfaces shall be properly designed, constructed and maintained.

Facilities:

1. Facilities shall be adequate to properly process, prepare, cook and serve the fish.
2. Facilities shall be adequate to prevent possible contamination to other food.

Space:

• The restaurant must have adequate space to process fish, prevent cross-contamination and maintain product identity and custody.

Benefits of Participating in Cook & Catch

Charter Fishing Operators	Restaurants	Clients/Customers
New Charter Clients	New Dining Customers	New Dining Experience
Repeat Charter Clients	Repeat Dining Customers	Fun of Catching Your Own Lunch/Dinner
Recognized Relationships with Dockside/Community Restaurants	Recognized Relationships with Charter Boat Captains/Crews	No Worries Over What to Do with Your Catch
Play a role in shaping a community’s local food identity	Play a role in shaping a community’s local food identity	Local Food Source with Minimal Food “Footprint”