To Stay In Business, Fishermen Form Community-Supported Fisheries (CSFs)

by David Orr · 2010-09-08 09:30:00 UTC
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In a small fishing village in Maine, a group of fishermen have put away their traditional methods of "catch-everything-you-can" in favor of a somewhat unique alliance that promotes sustainability.

Almost everyone in the village of Port Clyde either fishes or is related to someone who does. Children started fishing with their grandfathers; when they grew up, they taught their grandchildren to fish, and so on through the generations.

In the 1970s, however, an influx of advanced commercial fishing equipment turned the waters once teeming with cod and flounder into an overfished, heavily regulated zone that forced many fishermen out of the business. But as Glen Libby, a Port Clyde fisherman of 40 years told NPR, "We got mad, I guess, stopped blaming other people, tried to find solutions."

So the fishermen of Port Clyde, once fierce competitors, took a page from the local farmers playbook and formed a co-op to deliver freshly caught fish to a group of weekly customers. They opened their own fish-processing plant to save money and streamline operations, and began selling to farmers' markets, health food stores, and restaurants. Just like farms offer Community-Supported Agriculture (CSAs), local fishermen are now offering Community-Supported Fisheries (CSFs).

So far, the profits have been thin, but business is growing, and the Port Clyde Cooperative is becoming a model for small boat fishermen across the country. As John Sackton, editor of Seafood News told NPR, "The fishermen don't have the ability to make up their business by volume, so in order to keep fishing, they have to think about this in a different way. It does allow them to stay on the water and stay in the business."

And in a particularly inspiring note, the Port Clyde fishermen are now working to develop more sustainable fishing practices with the environmental groups they once scorned. This goes to show that sustainability really must be a collaborative effort in order to succeed. The focus needs to shift from quantity to quality, and as the Port Clyde fishermen are showing, that can be a benefit for everyone.

Photo credit: mikebaird via Flickr

David Orr is a sustainable cook, writer and activist.
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