PescApp Connects Local Fishing to Your Table

Do you know who caught the fish you’re eating? Where was it caught? When did it come out of the sea? PescApp believes knowing where our food comes from should be the norm, not the exception.

The platform connects fishermen, fish markets, restaurants, and consumers to make the journey of local fish more visible, from the moment it is caught to the moment it reaches your plate.

A Story That Began in Hatillo

The story of PescApp began long before the app existed. It began in Hatillo, where José Rivera and Cedric Taquin met as students.

Cedric Taquin grew up with a close connection to the sea. He started fishing with his father and grandparents as a child, an experience that stayed with him even after studying at the Culinary Institute of America, becoming a chef, and founding Menta.

At Menta, that connection to the sea took on a new form.

The restaurant began working with whatever was available from the sea. If grouper, mahi-mahi, or red snapper were available, they could become part of the menu. If they weren’t, Cedric preferred not to automatically replace them with imported fish.

The menu isn’t determined by the menu itself. It’s determined by the sea.

The experience also changed the way some customers understood the fish on their plates. A catch of Spanish mackerel, for example, could be caught that same day, kept on ice, brought into the kitchen, and turned into part of the restaurant experience while the customer learned what they were eating and where it came from.

For Cedric, it was a way to bring together his work in the kitchen with the connection to the marine world that had been part of his life since childhood.

And it was during a conversation with his childhood friend, José Rivera, that this experience began to evolve into an idea with a much broader reach: How could they create a way to give consumers, restaurants, and fishermen greater certainty about what happens to fish once it leaves the sea?

That’s where PescApp was born.

A New Way to Know Where Your Fish Comes From

PescApp gives consumers a way to discover what fish is available and learn more about where it comes from.

Through the platform, users can explore available catches and connect with the fishermen and businesses that are part of the local fishing community. Information can include details such as the catch date, fishing area, and species.

Each catch can also have a QR code that allows users to follow its journey and learn more about the fish that ultimately reaches their table.

The idea is simple: when someone asks, “Where does this fish come from?” there should be a way to find the answer.

From Fisherman to Consumer, Without Intermediaries

One of PescApp’s central goals is to give fishermen a place to showcase what they do and connect directly with potential buyers.

Fishermen can post their certified catches, create a profile, share information about their work, and tell the story of their experience.

For consumers, this means having the opportunity to know the person behind the catch.

For fishermen, it means having another channel to showcase their products and gain visibility.

And for the entire supply chain, it means having more information about the fish moving through the local economy.

Connecting Fish Markets and Restaurants, Too

PescApp isn’t designed only for people who catch fish or consumers who want to buy it for their homes.

Fish markets can showcase available local fish and manage inventory information. Restaurants can find fresh products directly from fishermen and show their commitment to local fishing.

PescApp also features the “Frescómetro,” a public tool that allows users to check a restaurant’s commitment to purchasing local fish without creating an account.

In this way, the platform also brings greater visibility to a question that matters more and more: What fish is a restaurant actually buying?

Buying Fresh Fish Without Creating an Account

Not every PescApp feature requires registration.

Users can explore information about available fish, look up restaurants, and use tools such as the Frescómetro without creating a profile.

For those who want to participate more actively on the platform, PescApp offers profiles for consumers, fishermen, restaurants, and fish markets.

Each plays a different role within the same network.

An App That Educates, Too

PescApp isn’t limited to connecting buyers and sellers. It also aims to be an educational resource about fishing in Puerto Rico.

The platform includes information about species, regulations, licenses, and closed seasons, as well as a species glossary with photos and information about their characteristics, seasons, and fishing areas.

Users can also check active closed seasons and learn why certain species have protected periods related to conservation and reproduction.

Information about regulations and licenses references agencies such as Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, NOAA, and DPNR.

Because understanding the fish we eat also means understanding the rules in place to protect our marine resources.

Technology for More Transparent Fishing

Technology is the tool that brings all of this information together.

Fishermen can document their catches with photos and information related to the species, location, and time of the catch. That information feeds into the platform and can accompany the product throughout its journey.

QR-code traceability creates a connection between the catch and the consumer.

At Menta, for example, a QR code can help customers learn where the fish arriving at their table came from.

The idea behind PescApp is not for technology to replace the relationship with the fisherman. It’s to make that relationship more visible.

A Platform With a Broader Vision

For José Rivera, CEO of PescApp, the platform can do much more than facilitate the sale of fish.

The vision is to connect the different players within the fishing economy and turn the information generated through the platform into a useful tool for better understanding what is happening in and around the sea.

One of PescApp’s future goals is to become a provider of data and statistics related to fishing activity, including information that could support processes related to commercial fishing licenses and public policy decisions.

The platform also envisions the potential use of anonymized data to identify patterns in the species being caught, what is being reported, and how products move through the fishing economy.

That information could be useful to researchers and marine biologists studying fishing activity and marine resources.

“If the fisherman is the one who publishes the information, everything changes,” Rivera explains.

The idea is for the information to come directly from the people who are actually out on the water. The fisherman records the catch, and from there, the platform can begin documenting the product’s journey.

It’s a vision designed to address more than one challenge at a time: giving fishermen greater visibility, making local fish more accessible, providing consumers with more information, and generating data that can help create a better understanding of fishing activity in Puerto Rico.

From the Sea to Your Table Can Also Be a Direct Connection

PescApp already has active features that bring consumers closer to fishermen and their catches.

Users can already purchase available catches directly, save favorite fishermen, place orders, and search for fish by species, quantity, or location.

They can also use artificial intelligence to get recipe ideas based on the fish available.

Because knowing what fish came in today is one thing. Knowing what to make with it for dinner is another story.

A Community Growing Around the Sea

PescApp aims to grow alongside the people who make up Puerto Rico’s local fishing community.

Fishermen can share who they are, how long they have been fishing, and what catches they have available. Restaurants and fish markets can showcase what they offer and connect with new customers.

The platform has grown organically, gradually adding users and businesses. It currently has around 200 users and continues to work directly with participants to incorporate the platform into their operations.

More than simply showing what fish is available, PescApp aims to show the people behind that fish.

Knowing Where It Comes From Can Become the Norm

Every fish has a story.

There is the person who caught it, the place where it was caught, the date, the restaurant or fish market that received it, and finally, the person who put it on their table.

PescApp aims to connect all of those pieces.

And for that connection to keep growing, more people need to join.

Are you a fisherman? Join PescApp and give greater visibility to your catches, your work, and your story.

Are you a fresh fish lover? Open the app, discover what’s available, and learn where the fish reaching your table comes from.

Do you own a restaurant or fish market? Connect with local fishing and let your customers know where the fish you serve comes from.

And the next time you visit your favorite seafood restaurant, ask: Are you already working with PescApp?

Because supporting local fishing can start with a simple question.

From the sea to your table, know the journey it took to get there.

To learn more about PescApp, call 787-354-5155 or follow @pescapppr.