An Overview Of Our Solution
A Community Supported Fishery Solution for the Coastal Communities of Monterey Bay, California
Who is this solution impacting?
Ecosystem
Océans/Côtes
Community Type
De banlieue
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: Amérique du Nord
Problem
Describe the problem
Launching in January 2012, Local Catch Monterey Bay will be a community supported fishery (CSF) for the Monterey Bay, California, area. Individuals will be able to purchase weekly “shares†of fresh, sustainably-caught local seafood. CSFs are highly replicable and have demonstrated success elsewhere as innovative solutions that can increase consumer access to sustainably caught seafood, increase fishermen’s revenues, educate the public and fishing communities about sustainable fishing techniques, protect ecosystem health, and preserve local fishing communities’ cultural heritage. In addition, Local Catch Monterey Bay will partner with Pacific Fish Trax (pacificfishtrax.org) to become the first CSF to incorporate data collection and seafood traceability technology into its business model.
Biodiversity Impact
Local Catch Monterey Bay will connect local consumers with local fishermen and focus on making CSF customers direct stakeholders in the sustainability of local food production. By increasing knowledge about where seafood comes from, the carbon footprints associated with the seafood supply chain, and sustainable practices in the fishing industry, Local Catch Monterey Bay will build demand for locally produced sustainable seafood. In addition, Local Catch Monterey Bay will feature species listed on the green and yellow lists of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program, and will not market red-listed “Avoid†species. Via ‘meet the fishermen’ social events, the activities of the Advisory Board, and regular newsletters and discussion boards, a communications link will be created that will allow customers to directly express their preferences with CSF fishermen suppliers. A portion of profits generated by the organization will be directed toward an infrastructure modernization fund, which we will invest towards the evolution of our local fishing fleet to more sustainable gear. Finally, the organization will boost sustainability by vastly improving transparency in the seafood supply chain. Local Catch Monterey Bay will provide full disclosure about the fish that is featured each week: who caught it, where they caught it, what gear was used, and when it was caught. Each piece of fish will also be labeled with a tag that can be scanned to direct customers to this origin information.
Solution
Overexploitation of marine resources has largely been linked to demand for a select few seafood products. Familiar species such as those profiled in Paul Greenbergƒ??s book Four Fish ƒ?? salmon, sea bass, tuna, and cod ƒ?? have formed the foundation of seafood consumption. This concentration of effort on a few popular ƒ??high valueƒ? species has distorted market prices and has led to overfishing and related ecosystem impacts. By marketing lesser-known species, Local Catch Monterey Bay will broaden customersƒ?? tastes and encourage consumption of well-managed, locally abundant seafood. Currently, fishermen are subject to major fluctuations in market prices, and are often compelled to catch as much as possible. By paying fishermen a premium price and providing them with a set demand and stable prices, Local Catch is able to empower fishermen to earn more from less fishing, and to focus on quality rather than quantity. Most importantly, this innovative solution is focused on managing marine resource use and ecosystem threats locally. It is much easier see and control impacts of local consumption than it is to understand the impacts of our consumption overseas. For area residents, the stakes of depleting a fish stock in Monterey Bay, are inherently higher than the stakes of depleting a species ƒ?? such as the Patagonian toothfish ƒ?? from an ocean less obviously linked to home. In short, Local Catch Monterey Bay aims to protect biodiversity against local threats by market diversification, correcting market failures, improving transparency, and measuring local impacts. // Local Catch Monterey Bay will apply the community supported fishery model both on land and on the water. On land, we will initially serve customers in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties. Approximately 20% of the 3,767 mi2 land area of Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties will be within range of our distribution system, or about 200,000 hectares. This surface area captures a majority of the combined two-county population of 661,000 (2010). On the ocean, the scope of our impact is more difficult to quantify. The sustainable seafood that we will market and distribute will originate from both within and outside of Monterey Bay. Fish that is landed in a Monterey Bay port may have been caught in any number of areas off the Central Coast of California. As we collect fishing location and other data, however, we will develop a time series that will allow us to increasingly evaluate the scope of our marine impact, one season at a time.
Replicability
How many years has your solution been applied? 1 year // Have others reproduced your solution elsewhere? No // Local Catch LLC is owned and managed by M. Alan Lovewell and Oren Frey. Our Board of Advisors(Board) is composed of community members from the local fishing industry, conservation groups, research institutions, and marine policy professionals. In order for Local Catch to achieve its objectives and demonstrate true sustainability, we will manage human relationships and data. Managing human relationships will require continuous communication with our fishermen, customers and partners. This includes routine trips aboard fishing vessels to monitor the pulse of the waterfront, and a weekly presence at the Monterey Farmers Market to provide customers with the opportunity to meet their fishermen, learn more about where their seafood comes from, and how to best prepare it. Managing data will be rooted in monitoring important ecological and economic indicators including catch data (ecological) and market data (economic). In partnership with Pacific Fish Trax, we will use fish tracking technology to evaluate organizational effectiveness and as a tool for improved understanding about the health of our marine resources. Collected data will be available through our web portal: http://www.localcatchmonterey.com, recognizing that data utility and confidentiality varies amongst user groups. This management system provides the expertise and resources essential for effective and timely decision making in the face of shifting environmental and human conditions.
Human Well Being and Livelihood Impact
Decades of increasing polarization amongst fishermen, conservationists, and resource managers has resulted in the degradation of ecosystems, biodiversity, economies and management systems. Local Catch Monterey Bay will address this systemic issue by restoring trust to the local seafood market. We will support our mission by collecting valuable data that can be used across all stakeholders in order to inform and educate consumers, provide records for fishermen, and support effective decision-making; bringing continuity to ecosystem health and human wellbeing. Four key goals to improving human wellbeing include: 1.Support sustainable livelihoods for fishermen and the greater waterfront community; 2.Provide a reliable source of sustainable seafood to consumers; 3.Directly tie together ocean health with food production and the health of local economies; 4.Provide valuable data and information to marine resource managers/groups. Five key groups we are working with include: fishermen, consumers, educators, marine resource managers, and conservation groups. At present we plan on sourcing seafood from 21 of 100 fishermen landing in Monterey Bay harbors; 234 wait listed customers, with a goal of reaching 500 customers in the second year; five local educational institutions: MIIS, Stanford, CSUMB, UC Santa Cruz, and Cabrillo College; marine resource managers including, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the National Marine Fisheries Service; and conservation groups including, EDF, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Pacific Fish Trax. // Local Catch Monterey Bay has strategically placed itself within the existing community framework in order to provide value to both the waterfront community and to the greater community as a whole. As a community supported fishery, we are uniquely positioned to bridge traditional gaps between business, conservation and management. By focusing our attention on the central topic of seafood we believe we can mend severed ties and rebuild not only healthy marine ecosystems, but also the communities and livelihoods that support this ongoing pursuit. In this way, our Board will be representative of these community organizations, ensuring little opportunity for exclusion and/or misrepresentation by the greater community. Potential organizations to be represented include: • Cities of Santa Cruz and Monterey • Alliance of Communities for Sustainable Fisheries • People United for American Commercial Fisheries • Monterey Bay Aquarium / Seafood Watch • Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary • Pacific Fishery Management Council • MIIS • UC Santa Cruz • NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Beyond our Board we are currently partnered with regional and local organizations such as: Pacific Fish Trax, the WE Cooperative community supported agriculture program, and other key players in the local foods movement. We continue to discuss partnership opportunities with Seafood Watch, area restaurants, large employers in the region that have the potential to offer CSF shares to their employees, and other education institutions in the region.