An Overview Of Our Solution
GFWA’s Cape Ann Fresh Catch
Who is this solution impacting?
Ecosystem
Oceanos/Costa
Ambiente Urbano/Construído
Community Type
Suburbano
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: América do Norte
Problem
Describe the problem
In 2009, seeking a way to open new markets for environmentally minded fishermen, create new ties to the community and address some of the core issues of fisheries’ sustainability, Cape Ann Fresh Catch (CAFC) – a community supported fishery (CSF) was created. This program is a collaboration between shore-side residents and the local fishing community. Similar to a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, interested consumers become sharemembers in the program by signing a contract and sending payment before the start of the season. They then receive weekly or bi-weekly deliveries of just-off-the-boat fish once a week at a specified delivery location for the duration of that season.
Biodiversity Impact
CAFC was specifically designed and implemented to alleviate the current hardships faced by community-based fishermen. With the constant changes in the lives of fishermen, one place where they can begin to take back some control is in their relationships with those who eat what they catch and the price they get paid for their day's work. Community supported fishery programs like CAFC open up new markets for fishermen, placing them in direct contact with environmentally minded, socially conscious consumers who are eager to protect one of New England’s oldest industries. More importantly, the organizational framework of the program was designed to accomplish the goal of giving fishermen a fair price for their catch and providing consumers with the best quality seafood. In addition to getting fishermen a better price for their catch, CAFC uniquely combines the marketing of fish and community outreach with local support for fishermen by offering fresh seafood daily - unloaded directly from the boats to the consumers in communities across eastern Massachusetts. The CSF model allows us to have a conversation with seafood consumers about the entire food-supply-chain process and the ecosystems of the northwest Atlantic. CAFC promotes fishing practices aimed at protecting the ecosystems of the north Atlantic by encouraging environmental sensitivity among fishermen, lowering the carbon footprint associated with seafood distribution and encouraging consumers to make environmentally-friendly food choices.
Solution
CAFC offers consumers the opportunity to support a small, diversified fleet of local businessmen who have a strong personal connection to the sea and are driven by the incentive to protect the ocean environment for future generations. Sharemembers commit to eating local seafood, therefore guaranteeing fishermen get a better return on a smaller catch, which in turn means the ocean gets a break. Buying from a community-based fisherman also ensures that sharemembers are eating fish that is "in season" rather than extending the demand for "any seafood, any time" regardless of the ecological consequences. For example, we typically see large blue fish delivered during our summer season in New England but not during our winter season. CAFC staff's interaction with sharemembers is important because it provides us with an educational forum designed to reconnect consumers with their local food supply. Our sharemembers are given the opportunity to learn about the different species caught in this region on a very personal basis. Promoting these underutilized species adds to the sustainability element of the program by promoting a more balanced ecosystem. Additionally, our fishermen are subject to strict regulations formulated by the Department of Commerce and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These regulations are aimed at rebuilding all fish stocks and establishing enduring, healthy ecosystems in the waters they fish. // The surface area the Cape Ann Fresh Catch Community Supported Fishery impacts is approximately 2.3 million hectares combining the aquatic and terrestrial areas combined. Roughly 2/3's sea, 1/3 land. CAFC serves 21 communities in Massachusetts, distributing fish to 700+ sharemembers seasonally.
Replicability
How many years has your solution been applied? 2 years // Have others reproduced your solution elsewhere? Yes // The Cape Ann Fresh Catch Community Supported Fishery is a collaboration of fishermen, shoreside-operations, and consumers. Cape Ann Fresh Catch is a program of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives which is responsible for the administration and management of the Cape Ann Fresh Catch Community Supported Fishery along with partner organizations Ocean Crest Seafood, and Turner's Seafood. The gist is consumers purchase a set number of either whole fish or fillet share deliveries in advance of a season. Seasons are timed roughly with celestial ones, spring, summer, fall, winter—weeks per season vary due to seasonal weather. CAFC currently has 22 delivery sites in Eastern Massachusetts. And our goal is to deliver fish 40–42 weeks out of the year. Cape Ann Fresh Catch partners with Ocean Crest Seafood to land the freshest, sustainably-caught fish each delivery day. The day’s catch is then brought to Turner’s Seafood who then processes and packages the day’s shares. GFWA’s CAFC then delivers the CSF shares throughout delivery sites in Eastern Massachusetts. We only deliver fish if the sea’s conditions are safe for fishermen to ply their trade. The nuts and bolts of how we manage our “solution†can’t be described in 1600 words or less as there’s a whole lot of geek factor at play. It can be summed up in three words though… Sustainable, Local, Fresh.
Human Well Being and Livelihood Impact
CAFC is a truly community-based program, with benefits that expand far beyond providing new economic and marketing opportunities to fishermen. Along with directly supporting economic opportunities on the waterfront, the program has also created and supported jobs at several shore-side fish processing plants in Gloucester. An average season brings more than $175,000 back into the community and, in any season, CAFC will purchase fish from 20+ boats, often giving additional bonuses to several vessels. Our own staff at CAFC has grown to support the demands of the program and we have hired a driver. Twenty-one communities are involved in our program and we often volunteer our time and fish for community events. We regularly participate in fish filleting/cooking demonstration at farmers markets and donate fish displays of a variety of fish for public education. Finally, unclaimed shares of CAFC fish are donated to local food pantries across eastern MA to further expand the community benefit of this program. In less than six months, CAFC has donated more than 325 lbs of fish, with a market value of $3,900 to the food pantry in Gloucester. We also work with several community groups in other cities to distribute extra shares there. // CAFC is a work in progress and we're trying our best to develop and manage something that has little or no precedent. CAFC hopes to develop jobs and heighten incomes across all aspects of administration, processing, landing, and boat crews. Simultaneously, we hope to bring efficiencies to each step in the delivery cycle to ensure our members get the highest-quality seafood that's fairly-valued. That's how we want to impact our local community. Our program is highly replicable, in fact, the following CSF's have used our model as a guide for their programs: Walking Fish, North Carolina http://www.walking-fish.org/ (Joshua Stoll joshua.s.stoll@gmail.com 301-427-8004) Moon Bay Fishermen’s Association CSF, Santa Barbara, California https://sites.google.com/site/hmbfishing/clients (Jonathan Gonzalez, jonathan@organiccreativity.com, 805.455.7220) Additional notes • One of the Walking Fish a principals, Josh, visited our delivery sites in 2009. He now works with NMFS/NOAA in Washington DC and has set up a web site called localcatch.org, a supplement to NAMA's work in being a clearinghouse for all things CSF. Additionally, we have participated in two conference calls through localcatch.org to assist other CSFs. • BBC TV UK is coming in late October, 2011, to speak with our fishermen and film our operation – both, at sea and on land at our distribution sites. The BBC heard about our program and believes that it’s a model that could be replicated in the UK.