Community Supported Fishery
= A community supported fishery (CSF) is a scheme where consumers pre-purchase a portion of a fishing harvest. It is similar to community-supported agriculture. Food pickup is often dockside as the boat returns from a fishing run.
URL = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_supported_fishery
Description
"CSF shareholders pay up front for a share of the catch. Most CSFs deliver whole fish in season, so customers experience variety and seasonality. Fishermen are paid a flat rate per season, rather than being paid only for the number of fish they catch. This encourages them to diversify their catch and fish according to the demands of the ecosystem, rather than to maximize sales.
According to the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (NAMA), which works on policy to support small-scale fishing, nearly 20 other communities across North America have been inspired by the Port Clyde experience to start their own CSFs.
“It makes people feel good to know their fisherman,” Libby remarks. He says no one left in the small-boat community-based fishing business in New England is in it for the money. “Bringing a high-quality product to consumers they wouldn’t ordinarily have is the real reward.” (http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/what-happy-families-know/boat-to-table-fishing-csas-catching-on)
Example
- North CarolinaWalking Fish CSF at http://www.walking-fish.org
- Atlantic Canada's First Community Supported Fishery, http://www.offthehookcsf.ca/
- Skipper Otto’s Community Supported Fishery, http://skipperotto.com/
More Information
- Northeastern U.S. directory, at http://namanet.org/csf