| Info for Fishermen | Info for Consumers | Local Participants in 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 WorksCSF 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.
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:
Challenges
Operating a CSF arrangement presents certain challenges such as:
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. 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 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.
Fishermen*
Wholesale Fish Houses & Cooperatives
Retail Fish Markets
Project Green Leaf
433 Graham Building
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Greensboro, NC 27402-6170
Phone (direct line): (336) 256-1164
Email: s_andrea@uncg.edu
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