Community Supported Fisheries

Community Supported Fisheries
Community Supported Fisheries (CSFs) is a project  supported by a Fisheries Resource Grant funded by NC Sea Grant. CSF is a direct marketing approach, linking consumers to the commercial fishing community.  CSFs is a new approach to marketing seafood based upon the success of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) arrangements. They have been in the United States since 1980s. CSFs promote eating locally landed seafood and knowing one’s fishermen.
How It Works
CSF arrangements are based on an agreement between a fisherman or seafood vendor, and a consumer. Arrangements are tailored to the fishermen’s fishing practices and consumer’s seafood preferences. Consumers support “their” fisherman by ordering and paying for their locally landed, wild caught seafood. Advanced  orders provide the fisherman a guaranteed market for their product and capital to keep fishing. 

You may contact a local fisherman or seafood vendor listed on this website before you arrive and while you are in the area. As participants in a CSF you are committing to supporting a fisherman, and to meeting at a designated time and place to pick up your seafood order. In this way CSF consumers obtain quality, fresh, wild caught seafood. 

Advantages

• Builds community
• Links consumers to their seafood providers
• Encourages social responsibility and stewardship of the waters
• Provides a source for fresh, local seafood

Information For Participating Fishermen and Seafood Vendors

How a CSF arrangement can benefit you
Community Supported Fisheries (CSF) is about diversifying marketing options to create community around local seafood. Participants join to appreciate taste, freshness, and quality of local seafood products.

Advantages
A CSF arrangement can be a valuable part of your fishing operation. This method of direct marketing provides:

• Capital at a time when it is needed
• Shared risk among participants, fishermen, and vendors
• A larger market for a portion of what is caught
• A vital link to consumers and  to community

Challenges
Operating a CSF arrangement presents certain  challenges such as:

• Management skills
• People and public relations
• The number of participants in relation to production capacity
• Seafood demand
• Time needed for processing and packing orders
• Method and location of distribution
• Updating product prices and availability

Information For consumers

Is a CSF arrangement for you?
Becoming a participant of a CSF arrangement may not be practical for everyone. Consider the following before deciding to join:

Being a CSF participant may mean reorienting one’s household food eating  habits. Seafood is limited to what is in season. See the Carteret Catch website for a seafood availability chart (www.carteretcatch.org).

See Project Green Leaf for seafood recipes http://greenleaf@uncg.edu, (look in the sidebar  under wild caught fishing project). Also ask your local fisherman for cooking tips for what is  available.

Seafood is best when it is fresh.  Be sure and keep your fish cold until you are ready to use it.
When placing your order find out if you need to bring a cooler.

For more specific information about how to start a CSF arrangement or information about potential   participants, contact  Susan Andreatta at UNCG-Project Greenleaf s_andrea@uncg.edu

For more information

Call the fishermen and vendors to see what is in season. Remember weather influences seafood availability. Call and plan ahead; make your arrangements today. Remember to ask the count size for shrimp.  For example, 30-40s mean there are about that many in a pound. The larger the number the smaller the shrimp.  Bigger shrimp such as, 16-20s, are some of the biggest available when in season and cost more than the mid-size shrimp. When quoted a price it will be for the size of shrimp with their heads on, some ice, and no ice chest. You might want to have your own cooler with additional ice or ask if an ice chest is available for purchase.

LOCAL PARTICIPANTS IN COMMUNITY SUPPORTED FISHERIES

Fishermen*

Ida and *Kenny Rustic (Dallas and Dorothy) Highway  70E,  Bettie 252-241-2439 (Roadside Stand)

*Allan, Gina  and *Thomas  Smith  Highway 70E, Beaufort 252-725-0363 (Roadside Stand)

*Larry and Sandra Kellum  Bettie  hm: 252-728-5781 cell: 252-241-2656

*Sandy and *Elbert Gaskill Harkers Island  252-728-2089 (Roadside Stand)

*Randy and Anita Gray 228 Shore Road Mill Creek 252-726-5265 (Roadside Stand) 

*Jesse Taylor Atlantic, cellphone: 252-225-0546 hm: 252-725-0720

Wholesale Fish Houses

Crystal Coast Fisheries 2010 Bridges Street, Morehead City   252-728-9548

Quality Seafood 2890 Cedar Island Road, Cedar Island  252-225-0073 qualityseafood@clis.com

Luther L. Smith and Son, Atlantic  252-225-3341

Retail Fish Markets

Blue Ocean Market, 2010 Bridges Street, Morehead City  252.-726- 4886

Capt. Jim's Seafood 4665 Arendell Street, Morehead City 252-726-3454

Fishtowne Seafood Center 100 Wellons Dr., Beaufort 252-728-6644

Tripps Seafood 1224 Harkers Island Road, Beaufort 252-447-7700

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