The following editorial appeared in the Cape Cod Times.

A recent report from the social policy researchers at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole shed some light on what happens to local fish after it’s caught by commercial fishermen. The report is part of ongoing research, and has yet to be finalized in an academic paper, but the early findings indicate that most of the groundfish landed in NOAA’s Northeast region is sold and consumed locally. And it’s no surprise that most of the scallops landed are shipped around the country and the world.

Trucks carry much of the groundfish landed between Maryland and Maine, hauling along the coast and inland for 75 or 100 miles. Some is frozen and shipped far away, but the fish we buy locally is frequently locally caught. Cod, haddock, pollock and different flounders find their way into local restaurants, fish markets and grocery stores, then onto local plates.

Even as traditional regional species have become harder to harvest — in part tied to NOAA’s Total Allowable Catch limits — new species have moved into warming state and federal waters managed by the Northeast Fisheries Management Council. Skate and spiny dogfish have become the abundant species, and their harvest is less complicated than those from among the traditional groundfish stocks. But skate wings don’t get the price at the dock of those other species. For example, at a recent seafood auction, skate wings fetched 30 cents a pound; flounder, cod and haddock were all paying 5 to 10 times that at the dock, some 20 times more.

Efforts to spread the word about the culinary quality of these low-price fish have been ongoing. There have been test projects and special events aimed at exposing more potential consumers to these species, including one held in the UMass Dartmouth cafeteria and various cook-ins and sample shows around the commonwealth.

NOAA’s work on fisheries has proven to be nimble — relatively speaking, for a federal agency — in adapting to the complicated multispecies fishery. Its science, regulations, data-gathering, industry cooperation and funding all reflect an effort to ensure fish stocks are healthy, fishermen are working, and fishing communities are sustainable.

One of the pieces missing in this particular puzzle is the consumer demand for the under-loved fish. Why not expand your palate? The truck routes can start carrying spiny dogfish along with the cod, and the under-loved fish can find a little love right at home.