Community supported fishery
Encyclopedia
A community supported fishery (CSF) is a shore-side community of people collaborating with the local fishing community. Tailored after the community supported agriculture model, a CSF contributes freshly caught local seafood
to the local markets while providing fishermen with a better price on less catch. CSF members give the fishing community financial support in advance of the season, and in turn the fishermen provide a weekly share of seafood during the harvesting season. Community supported fisheries aim to reconnect people with the ocean that sustains them and build a rewarding relationship between the fishermen and the shareholders.
, Maine, the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance
and the First Universalist Church in Rockland, Maine, created the first CSF in New England. The Port Clyde CSF began by delivering shrimp
. The pilot proved so successful that in the spring of 2008, the Port Clyde community expanded their CSF beyond shrimp. Today, this program delivers fresh, Maine caught shrimp and groundfish
to several different locations throughout their local community. In addition, the Midcoast Fishermen's Coop has opened a processing center where they now pick shrimp and offer filleted fish as well.
Media links
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
to the local markets while providing fishermen with a better price on less catch. CSF members give the fishing community financial support in advance of the season, and in turn the fishermen provide a weekly share of seafood during the harvesting season. Community supported fisheries aim to reconnect people with the ocean that sustains them and build a rewarding relationship between the fishermen and the shareholders.
Port Clyde pilot
A pilot CSF was started in the fall of 2007 when the Mid-Coast Fishermen’s Cooperative out of Port ClydePort Clyde, Maine
Port Clyde is the southernmost settlement on the St. George peninsula in central/coastal Maine and part of the town of St. George in Knox County, Maine, United States....
, Maine, the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance
Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance
Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance is a non-profit organization that aims to restore and enhance an enduring marine system supporting a healthy diversity and an abundance of marine life and human uses through a self-organizing and self-governing organization.- History :NAMA was founded in 1995 in...
and the First Universalist Church in Rockland, Maine, created the first CSF in New England. The Port Clyde CSF began by delivering shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
. The pilot proved so successful that in the spring of 2008, the Port Clyde community expanded their CSF beyond shrimp. Today, this program delivers fresh, Maine caught shrimp and groundfish
Groundfish
Groundfish are fish that live on, in, or near the bottom of the body of water they inhabit. Some typical saltwater groundfish species are sole, flounder, and halibut....
to several different locations throughout their local community. In addition, the Midcoast Fishermen's Coop has opened a processing center where they now pick shrimp and offer filleted fish as well.
Triple bottom line
Community supported fishery programs include a triple bottom lineTriple bottom line
The triple bottom line captures an expanded spectrum of values and criteria for measuring organizational success: economic, ecological, and social...
- Environmental stewardship: to encourage an ethic of ecological stewardship that results in creative, community-based approaches to marine conservation.
- Local economies: to increase the viability of traditional coastal communities by fostering economic opportunities that support natural resource-based livelihoods.
- Social improvements: to cultivate ties and establish bonds between shoreside communities and inshore urban, suburban and rural communities by providing fresh, local seafood.
Organizations
- Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA)
- Midcoast Fishermen's Association
- Island Institute
- Gloucester Fishermen's Wives Association
- Penobscot East Resource Center
- Women of Fishing Families
- Ocracoke Seafood Ocracoke, NC
- Ocracoke Working Watermen's Association Ocracoke, NC
- LocalCatch.org
External links
- Brunswick Catch, NC
- Carteret Catch, NC
- Cape Ann Fresh Catch, MA
- Port Clyde Fresh Catch, ME
- Eastman's Local Catch, NH
- Shrimp Community Supported Fishery, ME
- Yankee Fisherman's Cooperative Community Supported Shrimp Fishery, NH
- Walking Fish Community Supported Fishery, NC
- Linda Kate Lobster Co-Op, ME
- Maple Farm and Fishery, ME
- Hannah Jo Community Supported Fishery, ME
- Blue Dragon Mussel Wagon Blue Dragon Mussel Wagon, ME
- Skipper Otto's Community Supported Fishery, BC, Canada
Media links
- Local Co-op Helping Keep Alive the Fishing Community
- Cape Ann Fresh Catch Earns New Honor
- The Food Staff's Favorite Things of 2009 - Community Supported Fisheries
- Community Supported Ingenuity, Coastwatch, Winter 2010
- Keeping Local Seafood Afloat: Workshop Explores Consumer Trends And Marketing Strategies Coastwatch, Early Summer 2008
- Carteret Catch: New Marketing Project Promotes Local Seafood Coastwatch, Holiday 2005
- Boat-to-Table Fishing CSAs Catching On YES! MagazineYES! MagazineYES! Magazine is a non-profit, ad-free magazine that covers topics of social justice, environmental sustainability, alternative economics, and peace. The magazine is published by Positive Futures Network, founded by David Korten and Sarah van Gelder; Korten's wife, Fran Korten, is the publisher. ...
, by Ellen Tyler and Daniel Fireside, Winter 2010