MCGives: Support leadership in our local fishing community

This is part of a series exploring the different areas of our work that are made possible by your contributions. We’re proud to join in the annual Monterey County Gives! campaign this year: November 11 to December 31, 2021.

Fishermen and small business owners in the seafood industry are essential collaborators for ocean conservation and fisheries management.

But it can be challenging to fully engage while also maintaining a successful and sustainable seafood business. Federal and state agencies manage commercial fishing to protect ecosystem health, seafood supply, and coastal economies. It’s critical that fishermen be a part of this process. However, this involves hundreds of hours of annual meetings—challenging to track, let alone participate in! It’s a lot to manage outside of the day-to-day operations for fishermen.

Our team at the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust is committed to helping navigate the waters. A core tenet of our mission is focused on building the capacity of local fishermen to fully participate in essential conversations and direct work to support healthy oceans and fisheries. We help to build relationships between fishermen, resource managers, environmental groups, and others in the industry.

MBFT provides support, tools, information, training, and technical assistance to make that possible. For example, we offer scholarships for fishermen to attend the Marine Resource Education Program. This program is focused specifically on fishermen and how, when, and where to engage effectively in fisheries science and management.

We also organize the annual Lost Gear Recovery Project through which the local fishing community engages directly with important ocean conservation work. MBFT partners with local fishermen, the boating community, and local harbor districts to find and remove lost crab gear from Monterey Bay. It takes a village! Ultimately, this reduces the risk of entanglements with boats and marine life while highlighting the existing stewardship of our local fishing community.

Plus, we publish the Buoy Bulletin—a monthly newsletter that’s an easy-to-digest way for fishermen to track important dates, industry updates, and other essential information. You’ll find this and other resources in the Fisherman’s Portal on our website.

We’ll continue this important work in 2022 with your support. Join us in helping fishermen take an active role in conservation and management.

The Monterey County Gives! campaign is designed to inspire local philanthropy for local nonprofits—including the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust. You’re invited to contribute! Our goal is to raise $50,000 to support MBFT in the year ahead. At the end of the campaign, each nonprofit receives 100% of their donations, along with a matching gift from participating community partners.

Questions about the campaign? Learn more at montereycountygives.com/faqs