Be Brave

By Niaz Dorry

NAMA's Coordinating Director

At the conclusion of a Food Solutions New England meeting we were asked to list what’s next once we leave. FSNE is a network of organizations, including NAMA, focused on figuring out how as New Englanders can we feed ourselves mostly locally caught, raised and grown food in a few decades. As a network, we have made a commitment to answer this question while also addressing racial inequity and food injustice in our food system. A brave undertaking.

My only thought at the end of the meeting was we must be brave. On the drive home I realized I was telling myself to be brave more than I was telling my colleagues in the room. We must be brave.

There are few if any other marine conservation organizations in the US working at the intersection of social, environmental and economic justice, and equity, health, hunger and community. If it weren’t for our friends in the justice, food, labor and environmental justice movements we would be feeling awfully alone. But we feel supported and we must lean on these networks to remain brave.

Frankly, the marine conservation movement is pretty homogenous, and most of the campaigns and messages are targeting upper middle class and white populations. The new intersection we have been working toward is a whole new way of looking at what it takes to protect the ocean, who wins and loses, making this new way not always welcomed or understood. We must be brave. But we must also be clear.

Our commitment to racial justice, food security and economic justice has been building for some time. NAMA was founded on such principles nearly 20 years ago. In 2008, we began to broaden our circles and get help in making our values a reality. We joined forces with the National Family Farm Coalition, and later the US Food Sovereignty Alliance to highlight the injustices in our food system and the parallels between family farming and community based fishing. In 2012, we launched Celebrate the Fruits of Our Ocean campaign with the Boston Collaborative for Food and Fitness expanding our work to communities of color and low-income communities in the greater Boston area. Today, these neighborhoods have access to real fish caught by local fishermen at prices they can afford and fishermen can live with. 

Why do race and equity matter? Because race continues to be the major factor for how entire communities are treated, impacting access to resources and the cost of basic needs in communities of color. Race is the reason why many communities are left with limited or non-existent choices when it comes to securing healthy, clean, fair food along the entire food chain.

Whether it’s access to land for farmers or fishing rights for fishermen, race and economic class play a major role. People of color working in the food chain are consistently paid less than their white counterparts. Food servers use SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps) at twice the rate of the rest of the US workforce and are three-times as likely to live in poverty. Communities of color are more likely to find highly processed unrecognizable seafood products at high prices in their corner store than fresh seafood at affordable prices. The excuse is often that seafood is too expensive – or maybe even not appreciated – to be offered in communities of color, but as we saw this year at Boston’s inner city farmers markets where seafood vendors consistently sold out these are false assumptions. You can get a glimpse into this data by visiting this link.

Ill-conceived food and fisheries policies have marginalized fishing communities around the world resulting in many injustices along the way for both fishermen and seafood consumers. We’re ready to do what it takes to shed light on these issues and change the unjust systems. But we must be brave.

Please join us as we go into 2014 with a bold and brave approach, and without fear of standing up to those who have been controlling the fishing and agriculture worlds, often at the cost to the animals, the land, the ocean and those who are working on land and sea. 

Without dealing with racial inequity and food injustice we will not succeed at our ultimate goal of marine conservation and will go on compromising the accessibility, viability and sustainability of our entire food system.   . 

Must be brave. Must be very brave.

"Of the many challenges facing community-based fishermen today...the most formidable is access."

With the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act going on in Washington this fall, we've reached out to friends and partners for some perspective on fisheries management around the country. 

We chatted with Rachel Donkersloot, the Working Waterfronts program director at the Alaska Marine Conservation Council. She filled us in on their priorities and successes, along with what she keeps in her jacket pocket for trips to the beach. 

NAMA:  The Magnuson-Stevens Act is an important piece of fisheries management legislation and it's up for reauthorization this fall. What would you say are the three most important ways the Act can be modified to shape fisheries policy going forward? 

RACHEL: The Magnuson-Stevens Act lays the foundation for sustainable fisheries in our nation. AMCC has been closely engaged in MSA reauthorization since our inception nearly twenty years ago. Working with fishermen in Alaska and other groups across the nation, important strides have been made for both conservation and community protections under the law. 

In this round of reauthorization we will continue to push for precautionary, science-based fisheries management. We also think that progress can and should be made in strengthening community protections in limited access privilege programs (catch share programs), further minimizing bycatch and improving ecosystem-based fisheries management decisions. 

Q: Your organization advocates for a stronger fisherman voice when crafting policy. Can you point to a fishery and set of policies where fishermen have been instrumental - and successful - in creating policies that work for the fishery? 

A: Kodiak jig fishermen in collaboration with AMCC recently achieved an important victory for maintaining access for the low-impact, largely community-based jig fleet. Working together, we were able to secure regulatory measures at the North Pacific Fishery Management Council level that led to the creation of the jig sector as the entry-level opportunity within the newly established catch share programs for Pacific cod and rockfish in the Gulf of Alaska. Our success was the creation of sector quotas for the jig fleet of up to 6% of the allowable cod catch and 2.5% of the pelagic rockfish catch. 

This is significant and unprecedented because the sector split allocates a percentage of the catch to the jig fleet that is potentially much higher than the fleet’s historical catch record. Certainly challenges remain but the jig fishery is working like it should. Last week I met a young fisherman from Kodiak who started jigging two years ago. He said, “All I needed was a $75 permit and two years of hard work.” This year he bought a 38 foot salmon seiner. Jigging provided the critical point of entry which allowed him to expand his fishing operation business into a profitable enterprise. 

Q: What would you say is the biggest challenge community-based fishermen face in the immediate term? What about the long term? 

A: Access. Of the many challenges facing community-based fishermen today I think the most formidable is access. Fishermen today face incredible barriers to entry due in part to catch share programs and other limited entry permit programs which tend to disproportionately impact local fisheries participation. 

In the last decade, local vessel ownership in Kodiak dropped from 710 to 452 vessels. Local commercial fishing permit ownership declined by 18 percent, from 1,646 locally owned permits to 1,279. Strong fishing communities are made up of working fishermen. How will these numbers change over the next decade? 

We have to think about who is going to hold fishing privileges for the resources surrounding us in the future and how this will impact the social and economic landscape of our harbors and homes. We’re with ya, NAMA. Who fishes matters. 

Q: Can strong conservation measures and thriving fishing communities 
co-exist? 

A: The North Pacific is a leader in sticking to science-based catch limits. That doesn’t mean we’re immune to resource decline and environmental change, but it does play a meaningful role in the long-term health of our fishery resources, communities and economies. Alaska is blessed with abundant and diverse fishery resources. The incredibly productive marine ecosystems off of our coastline afford access to a diverse suite of fisheries which can help to insulate communities from the hardship that comes with strong conservation measures. 

The ability to shift to different species, gear types or fishing areas when confronted with management changes and variability in resource abundance means that we have avoided some of the painful decisions that fishing communities in the Lower 48 contend with on a more regular basis. That said, current Chinook salmon crises and declines in halibut in Alaska have been and will continue to be extremely challenging both from conservation and community views. 

Q: If you could be anyplace in the world right now, where would you be? And what kind of fish would you be eating?

A: I’d be on the back of a three-wheeler on the beach in Naknek, AK (my home community in Bristol Bay). I’d be pulling strips of smoked salmon out of my jacket pocket and watching the tide come in.

Fishing Against the Odds

When we travel to Farm Aid later this week to spread the word on the true cost of fishing, two of our travel companions will be Brian and Tracy Pearce, a commercial fishing family from the Portland, Maine area. We chatted with them about their business, the future, and fishing in the red. 

Tracy and Brian Pearce

NAMA: How are you managing to stay out of the red?

Brian: I keep my business and home expenses as low as I can. My boat is only 45’ and the engine is low horsepower, so the operating overhead is not high. I gillnet which burns less fuel than dragging, although gear can be a big expense.  Also, my wife works full time.

Q: What factors are working against you and your colleagues as you continue in this uncertain industry?

A: 1. Increased expenses, which far exceed the increased revenue. 2. Environmental threats and predators like seals, dogfish, and sharks. 3. Imported fish as a perceived substitute for domestic wild caught 4. I sell my catch at the local fish auction, and the fluctuations and unpredictability of the buying market have always been a mystery. 5. Another threat to our industry is not having much of voice at the table within the New England Fisheries Management Council and committees.

Q: If you were asked to forecast a future for this industry, what would it look like? 

A: If everything is left as is, I think it will be tough to find many people willing to work in this business. I’m not sure what incentive there is for captains or crew to fish for someone else’s quota, being charged to do so, when the landing prices are uncertain.

Q: What is it about commercial fishing that keeps you in the business?

A: It’s all I’ve ever done. I’m heavily invested in time, and I don’t know anything else. For those reasons, I’ll find any opportunity I can to stay in this business.

Q: You’ve been working with the folks at NAMA what have you found most helpful? 

A: They’ve worked very hard to unite fisherman from different regions in New England that share the same struggles and frustrations. It’s difficult for owner/operators to stay in touch with regulations and proposals when they are actively sea and shore captains. NAMA has tried to bridge that gap for guys like me.

Slow Fish on Campus!

This post comes to us from Spencer Montgomery from Slow Food USA and the University of New Hampshire. It originally ran on the Slow Food Youth Network blog.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead

Here in my twenties, I am beginning to realize our true potential for reclaiming our food sovereignty and I am so excited!

People are beginning to think differently. It’s becoming apparent that the fumbling hands of agribusiness should not be the ones sowing our seeds. Growing food is the most intimate connection we share with Earth.

From early grassroots efforts, Carlo Petrini has inspired a Slow Food movement. Principles born out of this Slow Food movement are now being embraced by academia. The EcoGastronomy program at University of New Hampshire is a working example of this. And now, Carlo’s Slow Food movement is being warmly inherited by young adults all over the world. A Slow Food Youth Network is being aroused.

As more and more young people are being turned on to the holistic capacity of good, clean, fair food, the Slow Food Youth Network continues to grow. While maintaining the core principles of Slow Food, SFYN steps past bureaucratic limitations and embraces freedom of expression. It’s a celebration, meant to inspire. The instantaneous nature of social media allows us to share ideas faster. By documenting experiences and sharing videos, suddenly we have more leverage in our fight for food sovereignty. I urge you to check out Amsterdam’s Disco Soupe video ! Empowering stuff!

Youth involvement in Slow Fish

A few months ago, I distributed surveys to 44 members of our local campus Slow Food chapter. The purpose was to gauge interests in order to better guide our efforts as a group. Surprisingly, more than 60% of the students from our group expressed a strong interest in ‘seafood sustainability’. With very little knowledge of the ‘bait to plate’ situation, I felt obligated to learn more so that I could offer inspired-learning experiences to members.

I began exploring what it meant to be a sustainable eater in the realm of seafood. As part of my exploration, I reached out to gain perspective from local fishermen, chefs, professors, and community organizations. As you may guess, I was quickly introduced to the untenable practices of industrial fishing, buoyed by lopsided policy. 

Just as crop monoculture exploits our land and soil, our discriminating taste for only a few species of fish has allowed industrial boats to ravage our seas. But thankfully, people are beginning to think differently! Community Supported Fisheries (CSFs) are popping up all over the world, potent in their ability to increase access to fresh, seasonal ‘under-loved’ species of fish. Chefs are working with locally-caught seafood – framing the unique & tasty merroir of coastal communities. Great things are happening! We are witnessing the start of a revol-ocean!

I just kicked off a two-week, Youth-led Slow Fish campaign at my university. The program will take place from September 14- October 1. The entire experience will be documented with the hope of inspiring other young adults to step up and host Slow Fish activities in their own communities. Slow Fish has already rooted itself in countries such as Italy, Brazil, Canada and Argentina. I would love to see the Slow Fish model proliferate across the USA, possibly gaining strength from preexisting Slow Food networks. 

I’m excited to announce that we hosted the first ever Youth-led Seafood Throwdown at Fishtival on Saturday, September 14. Fishtival is a community seafood festival that draws thousands of people each year, presenting a perfect opportunity for a Slow Fish launch in New England!

See images from the event here. And here are some top take-aways and next steps for Slow Fish: 

• ‘Underloved’ species of fish include fish that your community fishermen are pulling up in their nets but struggle to find any local market value for. They are either discarded or sold to foreign buyers halfway around the world. You may be more familiar with the term ‘trash fish’, but ‘underloved’ sounds entirely more poetic. Many years ago, here in New England, lobster was once considered to be a ‘trash fish’ – a filthy bottom-feeding sea bug. But now, lobster is regarded as a delicacy, sold at top dollar in restaurants. There are so many perfectly nutritious, ‘underloved’ species of fish to discover. Be open-minded. Eating locally and seasonally should not be limited to apples and pumpkins; begin creating dialog with your local fishermen about the ‘catch of the day’!

What are the other components of a Slow Fish campaign?  

Host a Slow Fish filet & cooking workshop!

Once you’ve identified the various species of ‘underloved’ fish available to you, showcase them! Host a workshop at your school or in your community, highlighting how to filet and cook with these types of fish. Invite a local fisherman and chef from your community to share their expertise. Document the experience and share recipes. People will truly begin to embrace these ‘underloved’ species of fish once they know how to make them taste good. With a little culinary creativity, any fin is possible!

Host a Merroir Manifesto!

Terroir (pronounced tare-whar) is a term used to describe the unique set of flavor characteristics gifted to an agricultural product from the land which it is grown. Geography, climate and soil composition can all influence terroir – offering a “sense of place”. In the same respect, merroir (pronounced mare-whar) is a novel term that can be used to describe “the taste of local fishing waters”.

Host a potluck-style ‘Merroir Manifesto’ to help frame the unique & tasty merroir of your coastal community. This type of event could be a smart follow up to your ‘Slow Fish filet and cooking’ workshop. Try inviting fishermen, chefs & professors and turn it into a discussion-based potluck. A Merroir Manifesto showcasing fresh, local seafood and productive conversation is a win-win!

Host a movie showing!

Gather a bunch of friends and host a movie showing! It could be held in a friend’s dorm room or you could even rent out a theater! There are a handful of great flicks out there offering information on the topic of ‘seafood sustainability’. Check out the ones listed below. Don’t forget the popcorn!

- In the Same Boat
- Fish Belong to the People
- End of the Line
- Who Fishes Matters (YouTube channel)
- Red Gold
- A Sea Change
- The Cod Academy
- List of International Films from the Slow Fish International Website

With a little creativity, any fin is possible!

The True Cost of Food - Fishing and Farming in the Red

Below are highlights from the Facebook Live Chat held August 29. 

View discussion HERE

Notes gathered by Brett Tolley, community organizer at NAMA 

(please add/comment below for anything that is missing)

BACKGROUND FOR THE FACEBOOK LIVE CHAT
Last week the Boston Collaborative for Food and Fitness, the National Family Farm Coalition, and NAMA co-hosted our first Facebook 'live chat' to highlight the true cost of food and the fact that many fishermen and farmers are fishing and farming in the red.

Both family farmers and community based fishermen are NOT allowed to ask for a boat or farm price that reflects their real cost. For the majority of farmers and fishermen you are told how much you're getting paid for your catch or crop. In the fishing world, add to it the cost of leasing the right to fish - or land in the case of farmers - and all the other direct and indirect expenses and we have a situation that we are hearing more and more about: fishing in the red and farming in the red.

Below is a general summary of ideas, links, videos, and more that folks shared during the Facebook chat. Overall, it was a fantastic conversation and we hope to do more in the future.

Thanks to all who participated!

EXAMPLES OF FISHING/FARMING IN THE RED
Folks posted several links that helped tell the story of how over time, family farmers and fishers are getting paid a smaller percentage of the food dollar. We read that in 1956 the farmer received 8% of the price of a box of corn flakes, and then by 1979, the farmer received only 1.7% of the retail dollar. Today its getting even worse.

• USDA data graph that shows decline in food dollars % to farmers
• Grassroots Online Factsheet 'Farming and Trade Policy'
• Farm Aid blog 'Giving Farmers their Fair Share'
• New Yorker article showing lobster price decline
• NAMA blog on fair price to fishermen and quota system

WHAT ARE SOME STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS THE PRICE PROBLEM

We discussed two strategy approaches to address the price issue as well as the larger problem at hand; a broken and unjust food system. Strategy #1, fix the systems that are stacked against family farmers and community based fishermen. And strategy #2, build upon the positive aspects of the local food movement.

Strategy #1
Weigh in on the Farm Bill and the upcoming fish-version of the farm bill called the Magnuson Stevens Fisheries Management and Conservation Act (MSA). *see further action items below

Strategy #2
Build upon the creation of an alternative food system. Models such as CSAs, CSFs, farm/fish to school, and localizing the purchase power of institutional buyers like hospitals are increasing.

Post from FB Chat: "Foster a consumer movement that is loyal to a Fair Trade model, i.e. Fair Trade labels that include labor standards and decent pay for producers. With modern social media communications, it might be possible in the future to educate enough consumers to look for fair trade labels. The Domestic Fair Trade Network is a start in that direction. Another strategy is localizing the food distribution and connecting fisherfolk and farmers directly with consumers." 

Potential hurdles include farmers and fishers fighting amongst themselves. Often times we see an unwillingness to speak out about price because we've become accustomed to selling for crumbs and believing that crumbs are better than nothing.

• Video about farmers speaking out
• Videos of fishermen speaking out
• History of family farmers in the food movement
• Women of Farm Justice

YouTube Video "Food Movement 

1985: Were you there? We Were"

 

Post from FB chat: "Consumer support is absolutely vital in this "David and Goliath Battle" between our nation's farmers, fishermen, and food producers, and the "Food and Dairy Industry"! More consumers need to be informated that the INDUSTRY's share of the $$$ in the middle needs to be shared fairly so farmers and fishermen can stay in business so consumers have a safe, adequate, secure, and affordable food supply!"

FARM BILL & FARM POLICY
The Farm Bill expires on October 1, 2013 and there are many important programs that will be terminated or lose their funding. Farmers, fishers, and rural communities across the globe are impacted by these actions that threaten their food sovereignty. We need to stand up and make sure that more bad trade agreements aren't negotiated and that fast-track, undemocratic processes for adopting trade policy must not be approved by our Congress. Read more at the National Family Farm Coalition site.

Post from FB chat about dairy pricing system: "The whole dairy pricing system needs to be revisited so that dairy farmers are able to recover a price for their milk that covers their cost of production; now dairy cooperatives acting much more like corporations than cooperatives exert way too much control that hurts both dairy farmers in the form of low prices and consumers in that much of what they pay for milk at the grocery store fuels the profit levels of companies like Land O' Lakes and Dairy farmers of America. We at NFFC are working to support a different kind of dairy farm bill; one that is based on fair pricing. But for this to work - we also need fair trade policies that limit the inflow of imported dairy (dry powder) that displaces our markets and provides an even cheaper substitute for milk products."

Also discussed price floors and how we need to educated folks about the real affect and impact of farm subsidies. In a nutshell, subsidies don't result in fair pay to family farmers. Read about two proposals here. And check out this video. 

YouTube Video on farm subsidies 

and price floor programs

MAGNUSON-STEVENS FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION ACT (MSA) & FISH POLICY
Compared the MSA as like the Farm Bill but for fisheries. It gets revisited by congress every 10 years or so. The congressional discussion for the upcoming MSA reauthorization just began this past spring. Currently NAMA and allies are developing a platform/proposal. We invite folks to join our efforts and weigh-in during this lengthy and critical policy process.
See public testimony and read more here

Discussed the fisheries quota system, that in some cases is becoming a privatization scheme where quota is bought, sold, and traded similar to the stock market. In the end this drives wages down for fishermen plus crew and drives policy in the same direction as agribusiness did for farm land. 

Here is a great cartoon video that explains the policy with an easy-to-understand message:

AFFORDABILITY AND ACCESS
Discussed how to ensure that low-income families can afford healthy and culturally appropriate foods and also ensure a fair price to farmers and fishers. Mentioned the SNAP program that also includes incentives to shop farmers' markets.

Also mentioned direct marketing like CSAs and CSFs which can sometimes offer a win-win where people pay less for fresh seafood and fishermen get paid more. Cape Ann Fresh Catch is one example.

FAIR TRADE LABELS 
More restaurants are highlighting boat and captain names on menus. This implies that you are giving back directly to someone that worked hard to bring that food to the restaurant. We want to encourage and congratulate restaurants that are paying fair price and sourcing ethically but also must caution against other retailers and restaurants who are exploiting/green washing/blue washing terms like 'local, organic, sustainable, etc.' in order to increase profit margins and NOT pass on the added value to the fishermen.

Blog by John Peck that highlights the issue

"The primary objective of fair trade is to bring economic justice and workplace dignity to farmers and workers. It would seem odd, then, that the fair trade price for the sector's flagship product - coffee - has been "stuck" at $1.26 per pound for over a dozen years now."

ACTION OPPORTUNITIES
Folks asked, "I'd like to join the movement, but I am a little unsure of where to start." Here are some of the resources/petitions that were offered.

• Sign petition demanding fair price for dairy farmers as part of the Land 'o Fakes campaign
• Sign petition to stop the 'Big Box' boats and protect family fishermen as part of the Who Fishes Matters Campaign
• Sign petition asking Publix to ensure a fair price to tomato growers in Florida as part of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' Fair Food campaign. 
• Join a Community Supported Fisheries program
• Seafood Card to use when buying seafood
• Join NAMA's newsletter

What is "Fishing in the Red?"

At NAMA, we've been talking a lot recently about "fishing in the red." Later this month, we're headed to FarmAid in Saratoga Springs, NY, where our exhibit will show concertgoers what we're talking about. But as we hop on the Road to Farm Aid, we thought we'd take a minute to explain what we mean by fishing in the red, and why it's an important thing to highlight. 

For many fishermen in our region, the expense of fishing outweighs the income. Fishermen are paying for fuel, supplies, and labor - and in many cases, they're leasing quota rights. But the price of fish at the docks is extremely low. As we've pointed out before, the numbers don't add up. 

• The cost of fish: Dogfish is abundant in New England waters right now. The price per pound? $0.20. With such low prices and no local market to sell to, it's a losing proposition.
• The cost of quota: It's expensive to lease quota, but when the catch limits for certain species are curtailed, small operators often have to fish for other species to make up the difference. And they'll need to lease that quota from someone else, adding an additional layer of expense to their operation. Brett, our community organizer, has a good post here showing how this can play out for fishermen. 
• The cost to our fisheries: No businessperson can operate in the red indefinitely. Our concern is that the cost of doing business will squeeze smaller operators off the water, leaving larger, more capitalized and industrial-scale operations with the majority of the quota and the market. 

That's why NAMA has been developing market alternatives for fishermen like direct sales to health care institutions and Community Supported Fisheries. And we'll continue to push for policies that support a diverse fleet of fishing boats to thrive in our fisheries. We've said it before and we'll say it again: Who Fishes Matters. We want to put an end to fishing in the red. 

What happens when food is valued as a commodity first, a source of nutrition last?

by Meri Ratzel

This past month I was fortunate to spend time with friends at the National Family Farm Coalition. For three days we discussed the messages consumers need to hear to support programs that create a better food system.

Current strategies to educate consumers via Fair Food, Buy Local, and branding campaigns have taken good steps to highlight inequity, but haven't yet effectively put a face on the problem. We still don't know what percentage of a dollar goes to our food producers, nor do we know the percentage that goes to those who sell it.

Fact: The current price paid for production cannot support a farming or fishing family.Neither can it support those who work for farmers or fishermen. Current food prices cannot provide a living wage to a farm worker or a crewman, either. We need to ask what percentage of the price we pay is returned to the farmer/fisherman who cares for the resource that gives us our food.

Fact: A farmer or a fisherman forced to produce more food for less return manifests itself in our communities as poverty, pollution and environmental degradation. And whether it's land grabs or quota consolidation, for food producers, the cost of doing business keeps climbing.

Fact: Our political climate abets this process when SNAP benefits and conservation measures are the first things eliminated in the current iteration of the Farm Bill. These social protection programs are being sacrificed to secure greater profit for the commodity buyers of our milk, meat and vegetables. These commodity buyers/sellers compete in global markets that sell “cheap food” at a loss to the farmer and the fisherman.

Fact: Under the current system, food is exploited as a commodity. Attempts to address the nutritional needs of our communities have been halted by powerful interests that exert influence on our legislators. Food is  valued as an item of trade first, and a source of nutrition last. The true value of our food is primarily aimed at the expense of the people who produce it. 

We need to provide a fair price for our farmers and our fishermen that promises them a livelihood, and restore access to good food in our rural communities and inner cities. We need to create a community of broad support that includes citizens-consumers to create a culture of change – as I heard it at the conference. 

Citizens need to resist these trends! More people need to advocate for legislation that measures food in the community values of health and environment . We need to change the current food system into one that serves the basic needs of all working people. Food is not a commodity. It is a basic human right.

-Meri Ratzel is a Cape Cod-based food and fisheries activist with a biology background. She started the Cape's first Community Supported Fishery program and is currently working on projects to improve local food systems and fisheries research.

Why sustainable seafood is more than a green list or an eco-label

-by Pamela Flash

It's August, and go time for local food. The farmers markets and CSA boxes are full to bursting with ripe, seasonal produce - tomatoes of all colors and shapes, zucchini, corn, fragrant basil. And don't forget striped bass, bluefish, scallops, cod - the list goes on. 

For years, we've been getting to know our local farmers and appreciating how great and varied their food is. So isn’t the next logical step to get to know our local fishermen?

In 2011, U.S. commercial fishermen caught 7.9 billion pounds of edible seafood.  But people in the U.S. consumed 4.7 billion pounds of seafood and 91% of that was imported.  I have to ask myself: is this sustainable?

We certainly catch enough fish here in the U.S., why do we need to import fish? Why do we need to eat fish that has traveled thousands of miles to get to us?  I know most people don’t think about the increase carbon footprint that imported fish is creating.  Often we don’t think about how about how long the fish has been out of the water from the time it was caught. The local food movement is growing and I think fish needs to be part of that movement. 

According to Matt Tinning, Executive Director of the Marine Fish Conservation Network, Americans are unknowingly creating demand for imported and unsustainable fish.

Many of us rely on places like the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s lists and the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) eco-label to determine what fish is sustainable. When I read MSC director Kerry Coughlin’s article for Huffington Post Green, Seafood Sustainability Requires a Global Approach, I realized that the MSC has made headway on addressing the need for a global approach for sustainable fish.

But it’s expensive to be on the MSC’s list and get their certification. Many small-scale fishing operations cannot afford to get the certification, just as many farmers cannot afford to pay for organic certification.  The science used by MSC to measure fish populations is one piece of the story – but there are many factors that come into play when you’re talking about sustainable seafood, like imported fish’s impact on our costal communities.  

U.S. fishermen are forced to fish at higher volumes and sell at lower prices in order to compete with imported fish.  The idea of who can fish, where they can fish and what can be fished is a global issue, with a lot of regulations controlling the ocean.

As the fishing industry consolidates, our local fishermen are struggling to make a living.  I want to support local fisherman because they are the best stewards of the oceans they fish in. They want healthy fish populations and healthy oceans because they depend on healthy oceans to supply fish to their communities and to wholesalers.

Most likely U.S. fishermen live in a fishing community and were taught by that community about what is okay to fish based on seasonality.  It is essential for them to assess current fish populations and not overfish.

I am not sure that commercial conglomerates have the health of the eco-system in mind as they trawl the ocean floor for fish. As a consequence, they are discarding bycatch when fishing for their target species and killing a lot more than the fish they sell.  Doesn't make sense and doesn't seem sustainable. 

I have given this a lot of thought, and personally, I cannot define imported fish as sustainable or green.  When I buy fish I try to find local fish as my first choice.  Second choice at least, is U.S.-caught to support the domestic industry.

Are you willing to support local fishermen by frequenting restaurants that are willing to put local fish on the menu? Are you willing to try new kinds of fish we haven’t heard of that comes from your surrounding area? Community Supported Fishery (CSF), which is like a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) for fish, are gaining popularity.  You can even find local fish at your green market.

For some people, food choices are simple. For me, they’re an opportunity to make the world a better place.  Who fishes matters!

Pamela Flash is a Long Island-based good food advocate, graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, and mother of two. She volunteers for NAMA as an event and social media coordinator. 

Crossing the Pond to Talk CSFs

Shannon Eldrege, presenting at the FARNET conference.

Earlier this month I traveled to Stockholm, Sweden for the European Fisheries Areas Network* (Farnet) “Marketing the Local Catch” workshop. FARNET is supported by the European Commission's European Fisheries Fund. Representatives from Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs) in 21 European countries descended upon the city to learn about how to help fishermen develop & sell their region’s locally-caught fish in alternative markets. The organizers of Farnet asked NAMA to participate in the “Short Chain Markets: Community Supported Fisheries” lab. As a guest "expert,"I spent three days helping the FLAGs build a toolbox of resources and steps to starting CSFs and fish box schemes around Europe’s coastal communities.

The concept of CSFs was fairly new to most of the FLAGs, who were visiting from Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Estonia, Cyprus, Finland, Latvia, the Netherlands, UK, and beyond. My co-expert was Jack Clarke, who recently started the first CSF in the UK called “Catchbox,” and Paul Soto of

FARNET facilitated the lab, helping organize & translate concepts, problems, and solutions for the diverse participants.

Over the three days, we discussed the basic components of a CSF—how it works, who is involved, and gave the example of various CSF initiatives in the United States, and the UK’s fish box scheme. We negotiated possible challenges such as broker/fisherman relationships and lack of a local niche market, and found solutions like incorporating intermediaries into the process and consumer education of under-appreciated species.  The FLAGs, who spend time daily with fishermen in their regions trying to discover new ways to market their catch as well as advocate for fair prices and policies, created a ‘universal’ symbol for short chain markets and laid out the bare bones steps to building a CSF.

Along some of Europe’s coasts, short chain markets and direct sales of fish have successfully existed for centuries, and the participants shared the knowledge they’ve observed and learned from local fishermen. In other places, the scale of the fishery is industrial, as is the market. Independent fishermen are trying to carve out a niche for their smaller catch because they believe short chains and direct sales will work well in their communities, and provide all with a better product. 

But there are still folks who believe this process could never work because the tradition of auction-based sales for a global market, far removed from the fishermen and their communities, can never

change.

In the end, European fisheries and markets share a lot with what is happening in New England’s fishing communities, and around the United States. The question that arose time and again in Stockholm around short chain, direct sales and community-based markets was this: Can it work, and can it change the face of the industry for the better? The answer, rooted in hope was this: Yes it can. It starts with one fisherman and one consumer working together to make a difference.

Shannon Eldredge is a commercial fisherman and a shellfish harvester on Monomoy Island and a weir fisherman in Nantucket Sound where her family has been involved in environmentally sound fishing practices using weirs, the oldest most passive way of fishing, since 1953. She serves on the board of directors of the Women of Fishing Families, is the co-propriotor of the Cape Cod Community Supported Fishery (CSF) and serves as the president of NAMA's board of trustees. 

When fishermen, food activists, and chefs rode together on buses to Raleigh

In North Carolina, fishermen are joining the local food community.

Recently in North Carolina, a group of fishermen organized a rally to maintain their access to red drum, spotted sea trout, and estuarine striped bass. 

The rally drew close to 300 protestors, and fishermen, food activists and chefs rode together on buses to Raleigh.   

A recreational fishing group had proposed a bill that would designate those three varieties of fish as gamefish, thereby banning the commercial harvest. 

Recreational fishermen say that the bill would be an economic boon to the state - with more anglers coming to NC to fish - and that the impact on commercial harvesters would be negligible. But a coalition of chefs, consumers, and farming advocates disagreed - and joined with the fishermen to protest the bill in person and via an online petition.

Groups like Chefs Collaborative and the Carolina FarmStewardship Association sent action alerts warning their members that the bill would take NC seafood off the dinner table.  And the North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation recognized commercial fishermen as important food producers.

The support from the local food community was all the more remarkable considering that seafood was barely on the radar screen of local food advocates during a series of statewide “farm to fork” policy discussions that took place in 2008.

A lot of work has taken place since fishermen and their friends witnessed that void.    

Groups like NC Catch and its local catch affiliates are working hard to educate consumers about seafood seasonality and the economic, ecologic, and cultural benefits of buying local seafood.  “Bringing Seafood into the Local Food Movement” was the theme of their annual summit and Uli Bennewitz, a pioneer in the movement in North Carolina, was the keynote speaker.

Coastal communities are hosting more local seafood events, like the Seafood Throwdown at Day at the Docks in Hatteras in September that NAMA graciously helped stage.

Most of our seafood still heads north to out-of-state markets, but more is moving west to supply in-state demand.  Community-supported fisheries are delivering seafood to drop-off locations in places like Raleigh and Durham.  More North Carolina is available at inland farmers’ markets, and entrepreneurs are turning inland chefs onto species, like sheepshead and cobia, that are new to them.

We have been told that the gamefish bill will not be run this session, but proponents are continuing to pressure legislators to bring it to a vote this summer. In any event, it’s likely to be back for consideration next year, so fishermen aren’t resting easy.

Still, it is reassuring that North Carolina seafood is recognized as an important component in the local food economy of a state better known for its sweet potato and turkey production.

Susan West is a journalist and lives on Hatteras Island, NC with her husband Rob who is a commercial fisherman.  West serves on the board of NC Catch.

Slow Fish, Catching on Fast

Slow Food leaders get their crawfish boil on. 

In New Orleans last week, NAMA helped Slow Food USA present Slow Fish, a campaign for good, clean, and fair fishing practices and policy that's making waves worldwide. We're humbled and honored to be part of this fast-growing network that's critical to fixing our fisheries. Among those working to fix our food system, it's agreed: the time is now to bring fishers, seafood, and ocean health into the movement. 

At NAMA, we spotlight the domestic issues all the time: 

• Policies that favor consolidation in the fishing industry also harm small-scale fishers and ocean health. 
• Transparency about where seafood comes from is hard for the public to come by. 
• 91% of our seafood consumption is imported (from untraceable sources) - even though we catch enough domestically to easily feed ourselves. 

These trends don't bode well for small-scale fishermen or lovers of fresh, local seafood. And it's not just in the United States. In early May, NAMA joined with other stakeholders at the biennial Slow Fish conference in Genoa, Italy where this years theme was ‘the fish belong to the people.’ But we need to take the fish back. The stuff we talk about at home? It's happening all over the world.

• Community organizers in Chile told us that 90% of their fisheries quota is controlled by only seven companies.
• We heard that in places like Colombia and India, upwards of 60% of critical mangrove habitat is being destroyed by industrial shrimp farming.
• In Peru, most of the anchovy catch gets exported for fishmeal that feeds animal agribusiness and fish farms.

The good news is that Slow Food and networks like it have a track record for helping to reverse these trends by raising public awareness, helping people "vote with their fork," and encouraging community activism. 

We know these strategies are working when it comes to food grown from the land - think of how farmers markets, CSA's and organic food has become part of the mainstream in the past decade. It's encouraging for sure, but when it comes to the fisheries, the reverse is happening. Small, low-impact fishing businesses are the fastest shrinking segment of the industry. This is why Slow Fish is needed now and stands to play such a critical role. 

If we don't act fast and apply the Slow Food principles of good, clean, and fair food to the food that comes from the ocean, U.S. fisheries will continue on a path toward their transformation into an industrial, global production system. And while that system may favor a few, it certainly won't favor most of us - fishers and fish-lovers alike.