Monterey Bay fisher Valerie Philips represents our region at recent PFMC meeting
By Emily Hess, April 9, 2025
Photos courtesy of Valerie Faulk
Fisheries management is a complex business, and as fishermen often joke: ‘If you’re not at the table, you may be on the menu’. Fisher voices and knowledge throughout the management process are crucial to ensuring the overall outcome of fishing regulations are not only sustainable for the resource, but for local communities. Local fisher Valerie Faulk is now seeing that firsthand.
A Santa Cruz native and second generation fisher, Valerie Faulk, has been around commercial fishing her entire life. Her father, Tom, and mother, Coco (profiled by MBFT here), own and operate a commercial fishing vessel, the F/V Aqua Leo, out of Santa Cruz Harbor and Half Moon Bay.
“I started working on the boat at 20 years old as a means to fund my housing costs when I attended Ccollege,” Valerie explains. “After working a Dungeness crab opener, I felt more passionate about fishing over any of the experiences I had going at school. I finished my Degree and was hired full time on the Aqua Leo at 21 years old. We fish almost year round for crab, albacore, rock and black cod.”
Still fishing full-time and now raising a family of her own, Valerie has become increasingly involved with the policy side of local fisheries. She is the Vice President of the Santa Cruz Commercial Fisherman’s Association and has been making sure her voice is heard at the Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC), which oversees fisheries management in the U.S. West Coast. But it didn’t come easily - there is a steep learning curve, and Valerie had to invest time to understand the process.
Fortunately, the Marine Resources Education Program (MREP) provides fishers with comprehensive training around the science and management of our federal fisheries. Held in either La Jolla, Santa Cruz, or Newport, Oregon, the weeklong workshop provides an intensive learning opportunity for local fishers to grasp the intricacies of fisheries science and management processes in a condensed period.
In May 2022, thanks in part to a scholarship from MBFT, Valerie attended a weeklong MREP workshop. “I gained valuable insights and realized that fishery management wasn’t as rigid and complex as I had anticipated before starting the program,” Valerie reflects.
The program fosters connections among fishers and NOAA Fisheries staff responsible for the Council process. The ultimate goal is to empower these individuals with education and increased participation, thereby amplifying the voices of Monterey Bay fishermen in critical decisions affecting our region’s fisheries. This is why MBFT continues to offer scholarships to support local fishermen’s participation in MREP.
Last year, armed with more confidence from the training, Valerie attended her first PFMC meeting to address the closure of the nearshore groundfish fishery and the critical challenges facing local fishermen. She also testified on proposed closures in the Monterey Bay region for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to research and restore coral reefs, showing up as a strong and organized leader for the fleet.
Map of potential deep sea coral research and restoration locations within the MBNMS. From PFMC Meeting Decision Summary - Agenda Item F.2, Attachment 1, June 2024
Valerie recounts that, “Two of the three final proposed areas are very valuable fishing grounds for us. From my point of view, fishermen had been left out of the sanctuary planning phases for these sites. I felt the only option we had was to push back on these closures within the council process. The final outcome was that only one of the three sites ([the southern one shown belo]w) was selected aAs a GEA [Groundfish Exclusion Area] and we were able to “save” the Ano Nuevo sites.”
This highlights the impact that her presence and the participation of other local fishermen had in the final decisions made by the council.
Once again, in March of this year, Valerie chose to engage in the council process as it considered an important change to the gear endorsement rules for holders of limited entry fixed gear permits in the groundfish fishery (one of her family’s permits). MBFT provided travel funds, which made it possible for her to attend the PFMC meeting in Vancouver, Washington. Aside from the agenda items concerning the groundfish fishery, she also wanted to participate because “the council process is part of federal mandates, programs, and funding, and with the chaos in our government right now I felt now was a good time to get a pulse check on how the process would function, and gain insights to the level of concern we should have as an industry in uncertain times.”
While at this council session, Valerie sat in on a few discussions for the GAP (Groundfish Advisory Panel) and the SAS (Salmon Advisory Subpanel), and listened in on several other agenda items. She also had the opportunity to network with fellow fishermen, gaining insights into different marketing strategies for specific groundfish species, and gathering references for where she can locate the gear that she is trying to invest in.
When asked about her testimony regarding the endorsement item, she said “I got to the point where I had to accept that I’ll never know exactly what the consequences of an outcome will be…but if they are making the choices, and if you have any preference over another it would be a seriously missed opportunity to not voice it at the appropriate time. I'm not much of a coulda, woulda, shoulda type of person so I figured even if I was really hesitant to do so, I'd rather make the comment than look back regretting not doing so if the outcome was something I wasn’t happy with.”
Valerie further stated, “I had my reservations about the changes being proposed, but I did feel that if the changes were made there was one alternative I preferred. The alternative I was in support of did get selected as the ‘primary preferred alternative’. I’m glad I commented at this stage of the process at this meeting because you can't go back and ask them to reconsider something if it's already been taken off the table.”
In participating in these meetings and other management processes, Valerie wants to represent what is best for the Monterey Bay region as a whole and encourage other fishermen to reach out to her with any questions or reservations about the work she is doing.
“I am happy to be the voice of our area, but I do hope it's a voice that speaks to everyone's interests, not just my own”, she says.
We asked Valerie for advice to share with other fishermen or local industry representatives who are interested in getting involved or learning more. She recommends checking out the council website and subscribing to their emails. The emails provide information on when and how to attend all the subcommittee meetings virtually and updates on council meetings.
Valerie also recommends signing up for the MREP program, stating, “There is an effective way to get involved, and the program teaches you how to do that. In my experience, fishermen are passionate individuals who often lead with their feelings and are looking for a place to voice their misgivings about things from the past. The MREP program gives you perspective and a place to talk about things like this so that when it comes time to participate in a council meeting, you can stick to the facts and present relevant, informed information.”
In closing Valerie stressed, “The final suggestion which I feel is the MOST important, and even if one forgoes all the suggestions above should not be skipped, is if there is an item on the council agenda you're preparing for you HAVE to read ALL the briefing documents before the item hits the floor. So many times I have seen people make comments on items which clearly show they did not read the background information. The council wants informed comments and if you care enough to comment you need to care enough to read the documents, no matter how long they are.”
Information about the 2025 MREP session, which will take place October 6-10 in La Jolla, CA, will be available this summer. MBFT offers up to three $1,000 scholarships for local fishermen who wish to attend. Valerie’s experience and her emerging leadership is a testament to the value of MREP and community engagement, which is strengthening the seafood industry and ensuring a sustainable seafood supply here in our region.
Valerie further stated, “I had my reservations about the changes being proposed, but I did feel that if the changes were made there was one alternative I preferred. The alternative I was in support of did get selected as the ‘primary preferred alternative’. I’m glad I commented at this stage of the process at this meeting because you can't go back and ask them to reconsider something if it's already been taken off the table.”
In participating in these meetings and other management processes, Valerie wants to represent what is best for the Monterey Bay region as a whole and encourage other fishermen to reach out to her with any questions or reservations about the work she is doing.
“I am happy to be the voice of our area, but I do hope it's a voice that speaks to everyone's interests, not just my own”, she says.
We asked Valerie for advice to share with other fishermen or local industry representatives who are interested in getting involved or learning more. She recommends checking out the council website and subscribing to their emails. The emails provide information on when and how to attend all the subcommittee meetings virtually and updates on council meetings.
Valerie also recommends signing up for the MREP program, stating, “There is an effective way to get involved, and the program teaches you how to do that. In my experience, fishermen are passionate individuals who often lead with their feelings and are looking for a place to voice their misgivings about things from the past. The MREP program gives you perspective and a place to talk about things like this so that when it comes time to participate in a council meeting, you can stick to the facts and present relevant, informed information.”
In closing Valerie stressed, “The final suggestion which I feel is the MOST important, and even if one forgoes all the suggestions above should not be skipped, is if there is an item on the council agenda you're preparing for you HAVE to read ALL the briefing documents before the item hits the floor. So many times I have seen people make comments on items which clearly show they did not read the background information. The council wants informed comments and if you care enough to comment you need to care enough to read the documents, no matter how long they are.”
Information about the 2025 MREP session, which will take place October 6-10 in La Jolla, CA, will be available this summer. MBFT offers up to three $1,000 scholarships for local fishermen who wish to attend. Valerie’s experience and her emerging leadership is a testament to the value of MREP and community engagement, which is strengthening the seafood industry and ensuring a sustainable seafood supply here in our region.