Sustaining Local Families and Fisheries
In Monterey Bay, local fishermen and women have been feeding our coastal communities for generations, and today, they are feeding members of our community who are faced with food insecurity.
In November 2020, the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust launched the Monterey Bay Community Seafood Program to provide healthy, sustainably harvested seafood to local families, farmworkers, seniors, and others in need of food assistance, along with economic support to our local fishermen, food workers, and seafood businesses.
We work with Monterey Bay seafood businesses to purchase seafood from fishermen at a fair market rate. They then process and deliver the fish to local food relief organizations.
To date, we have purchased nearly 16,000 lbs of local, sustainably-caught seafood and donated over 43,000 nutritious seafood meals in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties.
Meet our Community Seafood Program partners:
Seafood Suppliers Food Relief Organizations
Lusamerica, Moss Landing Al & Friends, Monterey
Ocean2Table, Santa Cruz Food Bank of Monterey County, Salinas
Real Good Fish, Moss Landing Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula, Monterey
Sea Harvest, Moss Landing Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes, Watsonville
H&H Fresh Fish, Santa Cruz Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County, Watsonville
The Big Share, Big Sur
Meet some of our Community Seafood Program Partners
Peter Adame is the Communications and Sustainability Director with Lusamerica. Lusamerica became a CSP supply partner in 2023 and has helped us create a market for an underutilized local species of seafood called grenadier through this program. Learn more by watching this short video featuring Peter.
Meet Ian Cole, Co-owner and Operator of Ocean2Table. O2T has been a partner of the CSP since it’s inception. Take a few minutes to watch this short video and learn about why it’s so important to buy locally caught seafood.
Our collaborative effort reduces pressure on food relief organizations, provides thousands of community members access to a sustainable, healthy protein, and supports markets for local seafood, thereby fueling the local fishing economy and maintaining our local seafood processing infrastructure and labor force.
Together, we can feed our community and support Monterey Bay’s working waterfronts and local, sustainable seafood for years to come.
“What is unique about this program is that it is connecting the need for food, which is significant right now, with a lot of fishermen who are ready, willing, and able to catch fish and provide that to our community.”
“We’re tremendously grateful for the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust and the local fishermen who help us provide locally-sourced nutrition for our clients. This is an excellent example of creative collaboration. When it comes to working towards a common goal, we are stronger together.”
“I love the Monterey Bay Community Seafood Program! I would love to see the program continue to move forward. The food banks love the fish and we love to supply them.”
“In our pantry, giving fresh fish to clients to prepare at home has been an extra special treat. Many would not be able to afford to buy this fish. We are grateful to provide this resource.”
In the News
