Consumer Supported Fisheries
How to Buy Fresh, Locally Landed, Wild, Sustainably Caught Fish
With fish stocks dwindling, fishing grounds contracting and prices to the fisherman dropping, it's an idea who's time has come. Why not, it's a model that has successfully worked for farmers since the early 1980's.
How Do Consumer Supported Fisheries Work
A CSF project is underway off the North Carolina coast, supported by a Fisheries Resource Grant funded by North Carolina Sea Grant. Just like in agricultural based Consumer Supported Agriculture (CSA), consumers develop a relationship with "their" fisherman by ordering and paying for fresh, locally landed, wild, sustainably-caught seafood. Advanced orders provide the fisherman a guaranteed market for their product and money to keep fishing.
Peter Smith in Community Supported Fishery published in the September/October 2008 issue of Orion magazine wrote:
"CSF organizers say their innovative program addresses the unique challenges of sustaining working waterfront communities in an era when many fisheries are depleted. The CSF fosters relationships between consumers and fishermen, both of whom have a vested interest in the ocean's vitality - especially when it means fresh, local seafood."
Advantages
- Building Community
CSA's and CSF's monetarily and spiritual support businesses in our local communities. This direct marketing system achieves more local control over a food system that is growing increasingly consolidated and remote and helps to ensure the financial survival of the small, endangered family fishermen.
- Learning & Appreciation
It puts the fisherman's "face on the food" and increases the understanding of how, where, and by whom of our food. This promotes social responsibility and stewardship of oceans, rivers and seas and helps sustain the heritage and fishing traditions. A CSF program also facilitates real communal cooking and hopefully revives real cooking knowledge through an education component. Consumers are taught what to will whole fish, head-on shrimp and species with strange sounding names.
- Health & Quality
Smaller fishermen provide the means to get dinner from the water to the table as quick as possible and via the shortest route. This increase the food quality, the nutritional value, better taste and freshness.
- Environment & Ecology
These fishermen usually are diversified, which helps to support the biodiversity of our oceans and helps to maintain a well-managed, sustainable fishery. Food miles are reduce leading to reduced environmental impact.
An Example
One of the best examples of a successful, working CSFs is the Port Clyde, Maine Midcoast Fishermen's Cooperative - acting in association with the First Universalist Church in Rockland, Maine and Hatchet Cove Farm of Friendship CSA. Every Sunday throughout the season, members head to the church parking lot to pick up both their CSA and CSF bounty. Every Wednesday, these same shareholders pick up their fish at the Good Tern Natural Food Co-op. Each week features a different species, including shellfish like shrimp and groundfish like cod, haddock, pollock, monkfish and flounder.
Each delivery includes a newsletter featuring recipes and information about the species, and because regulations restrict the fishermen from delivering filleted fish, Gary Libby (fisherman and CSF supplier) has given demonstrations on filleting whole fish and on beheading and shelling whole shrimp.
The Midcoast Fishermen's Association mission sums up the why behinds the CSF movement: "foster ways to restore our groundfish fishery and sustain fishing communities along Maine's coast for future generations."
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