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.

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.

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.

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.