Today — and every Thursday — shoppers flood the Westport Farmers’ Market. Over 2 decades it’s earned a county-wide reputation for stocking the freshest berries, veggies, eggs, tomatoes, and anything else that can be grown locally.
Along with Mexican and Thai food, pizza, bagels, baked goods, dog treats, honey, mushrooms — and live entertainment, knife sharpening, and much more.
Plus swordfish, tuna and other seafood. It’s direct from the source. Sustainable. And — thanks to an innovative program — portions of each sale go right back to boats working the Northeast waters.
Oceans 180 by Nordic Fish complements the WFM’s mission: to provide fresh, local, healthy and seasonal food, while increasing awareness, knowledge and support for local producers focused on sustainable and healthy growing practices.
Jardar Nygaard
The creation of Jardar Nygaard — well known to area residents through his businesses, Fjord Fisheries and Nordic Fish — Oceans 180 bridges the gap between local seafood producers and farmers’ markets. (Besides Westport, they work with Fairfield and Greenwich.)
They provide the freshest seasfood directly from the source, while easing the financial uncertainty faced by every fishing vessel.
Nygaard is passionate about fishing. A native of Norway who moved with his family to Seattle at age 4 — how about those fishing chops? — he’s been in the business since he was 16. He opened his first store 2 years later, in 1990.
In his early years with Fjord Fisheries — which he ran with his family — Nygaard learned from experts, at Fulton Fish Market.
After selling Fjord in 2012 Nygaard got into oyster farming. His next venture, Nordic Fish in Fairfield, attracted many loyal Westport customers.
Seafood lovers are thrilled to see him back in town, at the Farmers’ Market. They know the quality of his products.
Oceans 180, at the Westport Farmers’ Market.
But they don’t always know the back story to his stall.
“Oceans 180” refers to the distance his fresh fish come from: no more than approximately 180 miles, from Maine to Delaware.
They may also not know that Nygaard pays producers the current market price upfront, upon delivery. That eliminates two of the most challenging parts of the fishing industry: delays and guesswork.
In addition, Oceans 180 caps their gross margins. They return any revenue above the cap directly to their producers, as bonus payouts after each market closes.
The model removes risk for producers. They are never asked to cover losses if margins fall short.
Ocean 180’s bonuses help take some of the uncertainty out of fishing.
“By prioritizing honesty and shared success, we build long-term relationships rooted in trust,” Nygaard says.
“Our producers are not just suppliers. They are partners in creating a more ethical and sustainable food system.”
Those partners supply seafood that Westporters love, like swordfish, tuna, steelhead salmon, steamers, sea scallops, black sea bass, halibut, oysters and clams.
Often, it’s just a day or two off the boat.
Fresh fish (and shellfish).
Nygaard is passionate about fishing. It has been his life, since he was a little boy in Norway.
Now he’s sharing that passion with Westport Farmers’ Market shoppers — and paying it forward, to his producers.
It’s a great fish story.
Without exaggeration.
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