November 2023 - Director's Corner

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.   

Thanks to GMRI and funding by NOAA Fisheries, MREP is available to fishermen  - commercial, recreational, and tribal - and all costs are covered to attend. Even so, a challenge fishermen have is any time away from the water or their business is money out of their pockets. Recognizing this, we set up the first of its kind scholarship program to support up to three local fishermen each year to attend the workshop. It’s not what they might be making, but this $1,000 stipend is better than nothing, and it helps get fishermen to the workshop. 

This year, three individuals from the Monterey Bay region attended. Casey O’Hara is the skipper of the FV Hallie Marie based out of Monterey targeting local groundfish and shrimp, while Jaima Jolin is a part-time fisherman with her partner on the FV Rose Marie out of Santa Cruz. Daniel Gross was formerly a commercial fisherman, and currently works for a recreational charter business as well as being an avid sport diver in the region. All three took time out of their busy lives to spend a week learning fisheries science, the federal management process, and getting a chance to meet other fishermen from the West Coast. 

Our three scholarship recipients, from left to right: Daniel Gross, Jaima Jolin, and Casey O’hara. (Photo credit: Anna Mahoney)

In total there were 35 participants as well as 12 presenters. Some of the presenters are fishermen who have engaged in the management process, and want to inspire their colleagues in the industry to participate. Other presenters represent top leadership at the PFMC, NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region, and CDFW. The group absorbed a mountain of material and were able to ask many questions as they went. In this program every question is valid, and everyone’s voice is respected.

The highlight of the week was spending an afternoon in Moss Landing Harbor touring the FV Noah’s Ark, an active commercial fishing vessel on duty as a research vessel for the annual bottom trawl survey with NOAA scientists Peter Frey and his team. They also learned about gear modifications in the blackcod and dungeness crab fisheries, and we finished the evening with a locally sourced seafood dinner at Woodward’s Marine Market. 

I know that Casey, Jaima and Daniel learned a lot, and came away with different perspectives on the management process. I hope that their experience improves their capacity to not only navigate their industry better, but to step into leadership roles as well.