Community Supported Fisheries Share Bounty of the Sea
Community supported agriculture is a
growing movement in which subscribers
pay farmers for weekly shares of their
crops before the growing season starts,
benefiting both. The farmers receive an
infusion of cash up front and are paid
a fair price for the food they produce.
Consumers receive fresh food from
sustainable, local farms and are often
introduced to vegetables and fruits they
might not try otherwise.
The same concept applies to new community supported fisheries (CSF), which
reconnect coastal communities to their local food systems. According to Paul
Greenberg, author of American Catch: The Fight for our Local Seafood, 91 percent
of the seafood that Americans eat comes from other countries, while one-third of
the seafood caught by American fishermen is sold outside our borders. He believes
this situation exists because most Americans aren’t willing to pay premium prices
for better seafood and domestic fishermen realize better prices overseas.
By using the website LocalCatch.org/locator to find nearby CSF programs,
pioneering coastal communities can benefit from both supporting sustainable
fishing practices and their local environment while still sufficiently feeding their
residents.
Source: Mother Nature Network
