Something fishy's going on at the commissary Published April 7, 2008 By Staff Sgt. Thomas Dow Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- The Minot Air Force Base commissary opened its fresh fish counter here April 2, to the delight of store managers and customers alike. Bob Greene, base commissary director, said the fresh fish counter has been a long time in coming. "There have been people requesting fresh fish for as long as I can remember," Greene said. However, for years there was no system in place for the commissary to receive anything but frozen fish. Greene said the commissary's produce distributor in Colorado picked up the line of Anthony's Seafood Restaurants fresh fish in 2007. The distributor was then able to ship the fish directly to Minot AFB with its produce. Greene said he had talked with other store managers in Colorado, and said the fish was excellent quality and was selling very well. Greene added the products already seem to be selling well at the base, with the smoked salmon almost selling out within the first hour of the fresh fish counter's opening. The only problem is the company has such a large variety of fish choices, there is no way the store can display every type available to the base consumers. But never fear--Greene said they have a plan to combat the size limitations of the store. "The plan is to put a list up by the fish counter of what's available," Greene said. "And as long as people put an order in by Wednesday, they can get the fish they want to try by the following Wednesday." Being able to order a variety of fish gives customers a chance to try something they may never have been able to try before. It also gives people an opportunity to eat healthy as well. Military spouse Betty Hurst said when she saw there would be a fresh fish counter coming, her whole family got excited. "We usually buy frozen fish, but it seems to lose something when frozen," Hurst said. "With fresh fish, the quality and taste is much better." While there is a huge variety of high-quality fish for the customers to choose from, Greene only asks that people be patient with the selection process. He said it will take time to see what sells and what doesn't. With the fish being fresh, it's impossible to stock up on a variety and have it keep, as it will only be good for five days. Greene said while the fresh fish may be a little more spendy than frozen, just remember the fish is air-freighted from California, then shipped directly from Colorado in order to deliver the freshest possible product to the consumer. The goal is to not only give consumers more choices for dinner, but give them a chance to explore the large variety of fish the world has to offer.