New Jersey families need protein — this Ocean County born-program is saving tons of fresh seafood

⚠️ An Ocean County commercial fisherman created a program that donates fresh seafood to New Jersey food pantries.

➡️ Nearly 18,900 pounds of seafood have been distributed this year, including scallops, salmon and black sea bass.

🔴 A $220,000 grant is helping expand the effort as food insecurity affects roughly 1 in 10 New Jersey households.

A commercial fisherman from Ocean County founded an innovative program to stock New Jersey food pantries with literally tons of fresh, locally-caught fish.

“The number one source of protein in New Jersey is seafood — we have four of the top 20, 25 commercial fishing ports in the continental United States,” Brick Wenzel tells New Jersey 101.5 News.

New Jersey's six commercial fishing ports haul in more than 120 million pounds of seafood every year.

But in the past, up to 25 million pounds of that “haul” did not typically reach families, as it was perfectly edible "bycatch.”

America's Gleaned Seafood, based in Ocean County, is supplying tons of locally caught seafood to NJ food pantries (Courtesy AGS)

How New Jersey's seafood bycatch is reaching families instead of going to waste

America's Gleaned Seafood has worked to “connect the dots” between public need and existing federal fishery rules and regulations since 2018, when Wenzel founded the program.

This year alone, America’s Gleaned Seafood has distributed a total of 18,900 pounds — over nine tons — of seafood, including salmon, scallops and black sea bass.

Wenzel says once a day’s catch is hauled into port and sorted out, fish being gleaned are stashed directly into enormous coolers.

America's Gleaned Seafood, based in Ocean County, is supplying tons of locally caught seafood to NJ food pantries (Courtesy AGS)

Then, it’s cut and processed into frozen, retail-ready portions for hunger-relief organizations.

So far this year, the program has “gleaned” over 10-thousand pounds of Mid-Atlantic scallops.

Any mis-cut or misshaped scallops are put aside for the donation program.

America's Gleaned Seafood, based in Ocean County, is supplying tons of locally caught seafood to NJ food pantries (Courtesy AGS)

Grant helps expand fresh seafood donations to New Jersey food pantries

A large reason for the current brisk success of the donation program is a grant from the Tepper Foundation.

The non-profit is funding a two-year, $220,000 pilot program that supports efforts to supply fresh, locally-caught fish to a coalition of seven New Jersey food pantries, known as F.E.A.S.T. — or “Food Equity And Security Taskforce.”

That coalition is led by the Food Bank Network of Somerset County.

Fulfill — the FoodBank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties — has also actively worked with America's Gleaned Seafood, specifically as processing partners and in securing cold storage coolers for the program.

America's Gleaned Seafood, based in Ocean County, is supplying tons of locally caught seafood to NJ food pantries (Courtesy AGS)

Wenzel says the current grant is playing a crucial role in covering the cost of the processing and freezing gleaned proteins.

The funding is also being applied at a continued time of critical need — one in 10 New Jersey households experienced food insecurity in 2024.

For more on the program, including ways to support donations, head to the America's Gleaned Seafood website.

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