March saw a whirlwind of action leading to positive outcomes for the Monterey Bay region’s beleaguered fishing community. Here’s a run down of the action…
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I probably sound like a broken record talking about the challenges our fishing industry is facing on the California coast. But since our mission depends on a viable fishing community, I can’t help but try to put into perspective what this latest closure of the nearshore fishery means for our local fleet.
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Of all our key accomplishments over the last year, I am the most proud of our new 5-yr Strategic Plan. In just 10 pages, we lay out our history, how the fisheries and oceanscape are changing and what we can do about it, the necessary partnerships and levers, and a roadmap for how to get there.
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Just like waves on the beach…the last year recedes, and another year rolls in.
The start of a new year beckons hope, yet with all that’s going on, this year also invites worry. Multiple wars, climate disruption, and political strife are affecting us globally. Closer to home, our fisheries are facing a calamity of closures, threats, delays, and nearly a total loss of ‘on the water’ income. An industry that was once thriving is now in dire straits, threatening our food security, heritage, and community fabric.
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December is a moment where I like to slow down to reflect on where we’ve been this year, and how to prepare for the new year that’s just around the corner. As I shared at our recent community celebration event, 2023 was a year of rebuilding our capacity and structures, while also maintaining programs, tracking fishery challenges and promoting educational opportunities.
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In late September, I had the honor of being a moderator for the Marine Resource Education Program (MREP) workshop held here in Santa Cruz. MREP originated out of the New England region in the 1990s when a group of fishermen got together and created a program to educate themselves and other fishermen about how the science and management process works. The program, now run by Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), has expanded to all regions and is the most effective way for any fisherman to quickly get up to speed in order to advocate effectively as a co-manager of fisheries.
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I was struck by a statement from a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle about the status of California’s commercial fisheries.
Author Tara Duggan stated “California’s $200 million commercial fishing industry could become the state’s first big casualty of climate change, along with related businesses like charter boat companies and fish processors.”
This made my heart sink.
I know it’s really tough right now in the fishing industry, but the word “casualty” takes it to a whole new level. Is fishing as a community based, intergenerational and independent industry going away on our watch?
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It’s now deep summer in Monterey Bay. This is one of the best times of year, when the beaches and roads are less crowded, the days are clear and warm, and the bite of offshore tuna and coastal white seabass energizes many in the fleet. (Photo by @minkmingle, unsplash.com)
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It’s hard to believe, but it’s been one year since I took over as the Director of the Trust!
As I look back on what unfolded over the last year, I’m both exhilarated and humbled by the learning journey. I am learning what it takes to run an organization smoothly AND achieve the intended impact. It’s definitely a work in progress, but I’m appreciative that in this year of transition we kept ‘the ship’ moving ahead.
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I heard the term ‘mailbox fisherman’ recently, in reference to the 2023 salmon closure that will keep fishermen off the water this year and looking to their mailboxes instead for payment from the government.
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Happy Spring! The seasons are finally turning, and this is the time of year when the wind picks up over the bay. It was fitting then that we got to hear a presentation from Mike Conroy of the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) about the powerful movement to establish wind energy farms off California.
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March was a month of big decisions, both for us and for our local fishing community.
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It was a sunny, cool January day in Moss Landing when I arrived in the early morning hours to witness a sight that hasn’t been seen here much in the past few years. An event that for decades used to happen on a daily, if not weekly basis. A long time West Coast groundfish trawler, the FV Noah’s Ark, was delivering its first load of groundfish to the dock at Moss Landing.
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Last month I attended the management portion of the Marine Resource and Education Program (MREP) workshop in Vancouver, WA. I learned more about fisheries history, policy, and process in one day than I had in my 10+ years working in the trenches as a fisheries conservation practitioner!
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Happy New Year! As 2023 opens a fresh start for PEACE ON EARTH, we are hopeful and excited.
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It’s the end of November and I’m watching the rain fall outside my window. It dawns on me that there is just one more month left in this year and I’m astonished at the movement of time. Is the planet spinning faster or do we all just need to slow down? Writing this piece does allow me to slow down and reflect on what happened.
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In early October I had the pleasure of participating in the Marine Resource Education Program, MREP, held in beautiful Newport Oregon. MREP is a program ‘by fishermen, for fishermen’ and offers workshops throughout the US with the goal of educating stakeholders on fisheries science and management process.
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In a recent conversation, I was asked to explain how the Trust got started and why we do what we do. In other words, what is our origin story? I appreciated the chance to share because it told me this person was really trying to understand us in order to discern what is possible for working together in the future.
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As I move through my first month on the job with the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust, my excitement continues to run high. I accepted this position because I believe a great deal of potential exists for us to celebrate and showcase this coast’s local wild capture fisheries, rebuild markets to support fishermen and ensure long term food security for our region.
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