This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Community Update

CSFs make way for new, innovative fish
share model:



 



            A community-supported fishery (CSF) is a loosely formed
cooperative between two or three groups, consisting of fishermen and consumers,
or fishermen, local fish dealers, and consumers. The model is based loosely on
the cranberry cooperatives or farm CSA's that led to the renaissance of that
once-moribund agricultural sector.

Find out what's happening in Back Baywith free, real-time updates from Patch.



          It all started in 2007 in Port Clyde,
Maine. The local fishermen, some of whom came from families that had worked in
“America’s First Industry” for generations, were hurting.



          The day-boaters were being whipsawed –
by declining margins, regulatory burdens and the non-sustainable harvesting
practices of the commercial fishing industry.

Find out what's happening in Back Baywith free, real-time updates from Patch.



          But someone had an idea – what if the
day-boaters could sell directly to consumers, or at least local fish dealers?
And thus was born the first CSF – community-supported fishery.



          CSF’s allow consumers to get fresh
fish, really fresh fish, perhaps for the first time in their lives. As Dave
Henchy of Cape Cod Fish Share says, “If
you have not had day boat seafood, you really need to experience what your
parents and grandparents knew: good fish does not smell like fish.”



Buying from a CSF gives you great fish
you can feel good about



          Beyond the exquisite quality and
freshness of the product, another benefit of CSF’s is that they introduce
consumers to underutilized species. Many species of fish that you can’t find at
your local supermarket or restaurant are plentiful, and taste just as good as
the “standards.” Perhaps you recall the series of stories in a Boston newspaper
about lesser-known species being foisted on diners who couldn’t tell the
difference. That will never happen with a CSF, but it does illustrate that
sometimes the biggest drawback a species has is not its taste or texture, but
its name.  The push is on to rename spiny
dogfish "Chatham Whitefish" for instance.



          For those interested in promoting a
sustainable environment, remember that these lesser-known species are not
overfished, and remain plentiful. But whatever catch your CSF delivers to you
from week to week, you know where it comes from. The day boats also use less
fuel, and waste is limited by the very small-scale nature of the operations.
Even the byproducts are recycled – as bait.



          Bottom line: CSF delivers great,
fresh seafood that you can feel good about.



          The CSF share model works much like
CSA farm shares, but for shorter periods: five to eight weeks at a time,
depending on the program.  The programs
go year-round, with short breaks. 
Fishermen are out off the north Atlantic shores even in the brutal
winter months, following the same calendar they and their ancestors have hued
to since the days of the Pilgrims.



          Right now there are only 26 CSF’s in
the U.S. The need to deliver the seafood fresh necessarily tends to limit their
geographical reach, although old-fashioned American entrepreneurial innovation
is rapidly expanding their bases.



          Despite their small number, CSF’s are
already getting noticed nationally. In October 2012 The New York Times ran a
story headlined, “For Local Fisheries, A Line of Hope.”



           The boats are not industrial-sized, like the
clam-dredgers you may have recently seen in the media as Georges Bank was
recently reopened to the corporate fisheries. The day boats in general are less
than 40 feet long and have a crew of two to four people. Many boats are family
businesses passed down from generation to generation.



          Many of the CSF’s, like Cape Cod Fish
Share, also provide weekly cooking and freezing instructions, along with
recipes and wine pairings in their newsletters.  (link at bottom of story)



A nod to
history, and the future



          The programs do go year round with
short break in between. Fishermen are out there even in the brutal winter
months, fishing from day boats that have worked the shores of our country since
the time of the pilgrims. Chris Seufert of Mooncusser Films made an excellent
short film on the subject called “Longlining on the Mad Dog” – based in
Chatham, it offers some history and explains how a local small boat fisherman
makes his catch. If you have time for a warm cup of tea or a glass of wine,
this is one of the most wonderful relaxing films you will ever watch for thirty
minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCgxoh-y4Dk&feature=related
 



Necessity (and entrepreneurial spirit)
is the mother of invention



          As of 2012, there are only 26 CSFs documented
in the United States[1].
These organizations demonstrate a self-limiting factor based on resources and
distribution constraints[2].  The limiting factor is a loss for consumers
outside of certain delivery areas, which is necessary in order to maintain the
quality of the seafood.  This limiting
factor seems to be changing, however, thanks to some good old-fashioned American
entrepreneurial innovation (See excerpt from Cape Cod Fish Share’s press
release below for an example).



          The expansion of CSFs in coastal areas
is having a positive impact. Instead of becoming an endangered species
themselves, there is now hope that local fishermen and the communities they
live in will be able to earn a long-term, sustainable income. Given the
cultural significance of day boat fishing as “America's first industry,” these
CSF programs matter. 



          As just one example, the Brinson, Lee
and Rountree study shows data assumptions of the flows of funds to and from a
fish share, demonstrating two main benefits. Not only do the fishermen receive
more funds through a CSF, but the community also receives equal input as the
money spent on the whole fish. To put it another way, when a group of fishermen
receives a million dollars over a year for whole fish, another million goes
into jobs and infrastructure in the local seaside communities. If you have ever
been to Cape Cod in January, you know this type of cash flow is much appreciated.
Local communities devastated by the changes in the fishing industry need this
type of program to preserve their way of life.



 



Press
release excerpt:



          The Cape Cod Fish Share (CCFS) introduces
a new home delivery option, even if you live outside of Massachusetts. Managing
overnight shipping logistics and sourcing biodegradable insulated packaging has
made way for consumers in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine
and Rhode Island to participate in this CSF. 



          The
Cape Cod Fish Share has been testing this service in Brookline, MA for the last
three months, and is now ready to roll it out to the consumers from Northern NJ
to Bangor, ME. Fish shares may be purchased online, resulting in five weeks of
wild caught fresh fish from Cape Cod’s waters delivered to your door via FedEx
or UPS overnight. The cost for shipped home delivery is an additional $7.95 per
week.  The CCFS also has an office/apartment
building hand delivery service for $5.95 per week, currently available in
Boston, Brookline and Cambridge. All fish share participants will receive two
species of fish per week (enough for two weekly meals for the whole household),
and see at least eight different species over the five weeks.  A weekly newsletter includes the
waters/vessels from where the fish comes, information on sustainability of the
given species, nutritional information and recipes with wine parings. The
newsletter is sent out each week of the share on Tuesdays. Read more at
http://capecodfishshare.com/



          The
next share begins the last week in October. 
The Cape Cod Fish Share has many locations in the Boston, Brookline,
Cambridge and Amherst Areas where the share can also be picked up with no
delivery charge.  Locations in center of
Boston include Bacco's Fine Foods Wine and Cheese on Saint James Ave in Back
Bay, the Beacon Hill Market 55 Anderson Street, the 570 Tremont Market in the
South End, Copley Sq Farmers Market and City Feed & Supply in Jamaica Plain. 



Useful Links:



·       
Cooking tips for
fish: http://capecodfishshare.com/cooking-methods-2/



·       
Recipes: http://capecodfishshare.com/this-weeks-catch/recipe-blog/



·       
Weekly Newsletters
with all sorts of great info: http://capecodfishshare.com/this-weeks-catch/weekly-flyers/



·       
If a customer
from the Boston, Cape or Amherst areas wishes to pick at one of the many
delivery locations of the Cape Cod Fish Share with no delivery fee, they can
find these locations and times here: http://capecodfishshare.com/about-the-program/share-calendar/



 



About the
author:



Dave
Henchy learned to love Cape Cod as a boy on vacation with his parents and has
now returned to the Cape after 19 years working in Europe.



He
earned his Executive MBA at Suffolk University, which is where the idea for the
Cape Cod Fish Share was born. Dave is presently a doctoral student in the
business program at Pace University in New York.  His research is based on the CSF business
model and the ethical choices consumers make in relation to locally supplied
food chains.  Dave serves as CEO of the
Cape Cod Fish Share and lives on the Cape in Brewster with his wife and
four wonderful children.












[1] Witter, A. (2012). Local seafood movements and seafood sustainability in North America.
(Theses).  







[2] Brinson, Lee, & Rountree, 2011
community supported fishery programs. Marine
Policy, 35
(4), 542. -548



 













We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?