A voice at the table - Reflections of our Program Manager
by Oliviya Wyse, Program Manager
2020 has been a unique and challenging year. Only a little over halfway through, much of it has been spent at home as COVID-19 has required us to shelter in place. In a strong-willed effort to focus on the positives of this experience, the forced pause of our daily hustle has created space to reflect on where we as an organization have been, and focus and adapt to the new and necessary needs of our fishing community.
While we have been busy with new programs, such as our summer #MontereyBaySeafood campaign, or navigating the complexities of various pandemic relief efforts, we have continued to participate in discussions and seek opportunities to be part of larger conversations around topics such as climate change, ocean litter, federal ocean policy, and the broader fishing communities of the United States. Recognizing that it is sometimes challenging to share all that we have been working on, we have decided to develop a series of blogs to keep you updated.
Sherry Flumerfelt, our Executive Director recently shared a piece about climate change titled, Climate Change and Fisheries – Planning for Uncertainty, that if you have not yet read, I encourage you to do so. While also following these discussions, I have contributed to a handful of meetings at both the local and regional scale.
A group at Local Catch Seafood Summit in Portland, participating in a small break-out discussion around resiliency in the face of natural disasters.
In October of 2019, I had the pleasure of attending the Local Catch Seafood Summit in Portland Oregon, where fishermen, fish businesses, scientists, and managers from all around the United States came together to discuss the challenges of the industry, the changes within the industry, and brainstorm how, as a broader community, we can build resiliency. The two-day workshop kept me busy, bouncing from one talk to another, and meeting interesting individuals along the way. I participated in discussions that were relevant to our community in Monterey Bay, such as fishery disasters and resiliency, scaling a business and marketing, and I even joined in on conversation around eco-labeling. I left the summit feeling optimistic, inspired, and ready to apply my learnings to our programs.
One month later, I found myself in Santa Cruz for the Healthy Oceans Coalition’s Ocean & Coastal Advocacy Training. Still being green in the world of policy advocacy, this was an opportunity to broaden my knowledge and build on my advocacy toolbox regarding federal ocean and coastal issues such as offshore energy development, habitat protection, and fisheries conservation. Throughout the workshop I focused on how best to advocate for the Young Fishermen’s Development Act—a bill that would create opportunity for the next generation of fishermen and women.
I left with a lot more, though. The workshop connected me with many local organizations (e.g., MPA Collaborative Network) that have a shared interest in marine resources but have limited connections to the individuals and businesses that utilize it (i.e., the commercial fishing community). As I stay connected and involved with these organizations, I am able to encourage representation, collaboration, and partnerships.
Jump ahead several months and into the new and very different year we have found ourselves in, and I am attending workshops remotely from home, including the California Ocean Litter Strategy Implementation Workshop hosted by the Ocean Protection Council and NOAA Marine Debris Program. The workshop was well organized and full of meaningful discussions regarding current and future strategies to address marine pollution, including projects such as our Lost Gear Recovery Program. Despite so many different perspectives, opinions, and goals for marine debris removal, there was always one constant, which was the importance of including and collaborating with the fishing community—something the MBFT has always sought to do with our programs.