Easygrants ID: 41423 NFWF Project ID: 0303.14.041423 Fisheries Innovation Fund
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Easygrants ID: 41423 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation NFWF Project ID: 0303.14.041423 Fisheries Innovation Fund - 2014 - Submit Final Programatic Report (New Metrics) Grantee Organization: Fishermen's Marketing Association of Bodega Bay Project Title: Regional Community Fishing Association and Sustainability Planning (CA) Project Period 6/02/2014 - 10/30/2015 Project Location This project focuses Bodega Bay and Bolinas, historic fishing communities on the Northern coast of Description California, located 67 and 28 miles north, respectively, of San Francisco. (from Proposal) Project Create two new Community Fishing Associations in Bodega Bay and Bolinas, California. Project will Summary (from develop business, sustainability, and legal entity plans to drive regional economic, social and Proposal) environmental sustainability. Summary of This project proposed a regional approach to modernize governance and infrastructure of two of Accomplishments California’s important fishing communities: Bodega Bay and Bolinas. Under the 2011 trawl rationalization program and its new catch share fisheries management regulations, small-boat commercial fleets must adapt to stay in business. Bodega Bay and Bolinas proposed to complete the underlying work required to form two new Community Fishing Associations: legal entities established by the Magnuson Act that support sustainable fishing and provide new opportunities for economic stability and job creation. While different in terms of existing infrastructure and fleet size, both ports have a history of reliance on fishing characterized by small, family-owned boats and diverse shoreside businesses. Despite increasing regulation, rising costs, and competition from imports, both communities retain a core fishing fleet. This project, through an innovative capacity building process that brings stakeholders together, provided strategic and business planning aimed at building economic, social, and environmental sustainability. In general, fishermen from both communities were engaged and involved throughout the whole process. In Bodega Bay, an average of 7-10 fishermen attended each meeting. In Bolinas, a far smaller port, 2-3 fishermen attended each meeting. Participants were enthusiastic and buzz was generated though both communities. In Bodega Bay, a new LLC was formed, compete with an operations agreement and membership standards. A lease was signed with Sonoma County to create a new working waterfront at a previously vacant and decaying dock space. Bodega Bay CFA members volunteered their time and labor to revive the space, and the Board is seeking an operations manager to run a new offloading business. In Bolinas, the newly formed CFA Board determined that fiscal sponsorship with a local Marin entity was preferable to managing their own separate legal entity. A CSP and strategic plan were both completed for Bolinas and Bodega Bay. Plans are designed to create working waterfronts, protect access to traditional fishing sectors, and encourage new entrants. This project resulted in a clear understanding of Bolinas and Bodega Bay as fishing communities, and created opportunities and strategies that empowered each community to successfully interact with the Pacific groundfish catch share program. When the project was first conceived, the regional approach was based on geography and a desire to get the commercial fleet organized to ultimately acquire groundfish quota. Now, at the conclusion of the yearlong project during which resources and ideas were shared, both CFA’s feel empowered to work together to accomplish mutual goals. Additionally, their positive experience has inspired other ports, particularly Humboldt and Eureka, to seek business and sustainability planning to create their own CFA’s. This is an exciting and positive outcome that has potential to keep local fishing fleets operating well into the future. Lessons Learned A few key lessons from this project are potentially applicable to other fishing associations aspiring to create CFA’s. First, not all CFA’s are created equally – it is critical to communicate regularly with fishermen Board members about their goals and objectives on how they want their particular CFA to operate. Each may have differing ideas of membership standards, involvement of non-commercial fishermen members outside, the types of business ventures they feel capable of undertaking, for profit or nonprofit status, and much more. It is vital to think through the process carefully and methodically, with input from members throughout the whole process. For example, the Bodega Bay has an active Board, financial accounting practices in place, dues-paying membership, and a long history of community development. With that said, Bodega Bay had the social capital and structural foundations The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. to create new legal entity and a fishermen-run working waterfront. Conversely, the fishermen in Bolinas determined that they did not want the accountability of a new legal entity and preferred instead to use an existing umbrella organization as a fiscal sponsor. The second important lesson learned, is that varied consultant knowledge and teamwork is very important. So many issues arise when putting together a CFA, that diverse expertise on a variety of topics is required. During the course of this yearlong project, consultants had to address corporate, tax, real estate, business, financial, and economic questions, none of which would have been applicable to the project without an already competent grasp of fisheries policy, permitting, and biology issues. Finally, as expected, commercial fishermen are not always an easy group to organize. Fishing seasons make meeting difficult to schedule and many fishermen choose not to carry cell phones or use email. Consultants learned that the best way to make progress on this project was to get the group together by traveling to the ports and literally rounding up fishermen. This was not at all for lack of their enthusiasm or interest in the project, it is just the way they operate and why they because self-employed commercial fishermen to begin with. This is likely not a project in which a typical conservation organization would find success. Working with fishermen takes experience, patience, and time invested to gain their trust. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Activities and Outcomes Funding Strategy Capacity, Outreach, Incentives Activity / Outcome FIF - Fishing season - # of days Required Recommended Description Enter the # of days open to fishing within the regular season # of days - Current 90.00 # of days - Grant Completion 90.00 Notes Currently the 2 primary fisheries in Bodega Bay and Bolinas are crab and salmon, that combined with weather and productivity there are approximately 90 days of fishing. With implementation of a CFA these fleets will increase access to groundfish, halibut and blackcod. This will then increase fishing days approximately 30% for these fleets. Although this is not a short term goal, we still believe this will happen in the long-term. Funding Strategy Capacity, Outreach, Incentives Activity / Outcome FIF - Change in economic performance - % profitability Required Recommended Description Enter the percent of revenue represented by profit (profit/total revenue) % profitability - Current 0.00 % profitability - Grant Completion 0.00 Notes CFA’s taking on new markets for greater profitability 10-15% increase in price per pound fishermen receive for harvest. Although we still believe this to be true, we have not sold product through the CFA yet. We were hoping on the crab season as our launch but due to the stalled season, we will have to wait until Jan 1st to find out. Funding Strategy Planning, Research, Monitoring Activity / Outcome FIF - Tool development for decision-making - # tools developed Required Recommended Description Enter the number of tools developed # tools developed - Current 0.00 # tools developed - Grant Completion 19.00 Notes Bolinas CFA strategic plan; Bolinas Community Sustainability Plan; Bodega Bay CFA business plan; Bodega Bay Community Sustainability Plan; Bodega quota business plan summary; 2 RFP for waterfront property, Manage job description, MOU between CFA and FMA, Bodega Financial Analysis (2) unloading business, distribution business; Term sheet for Bodega CFA and McGowen trucking; Bodega Bay LLC Operating Agreement; CFA Membership agreements (2); Fiscal Sponsorship for Bolinas - all documents. Funding Strategy Planning, Research, Monitoring Activity / Outcome FIF - Management or Governance Planning - # plans developed Required Recommended Description Enter the number of plans developed that had input from multiple The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their