When we launched the California Fisheries Fund in 2008, it was unique and untested: a public-private partnership with the mission to make capital available to a growing sustainable commercial fishing industry. Since then, we’ve provided more than $2.5 million in loans to fishermen, fish buyers, processors and distributors enabling them to transition to or continue more sustainable fishing business practices. Many people and institutions have reached out to ask questions about our experience and story. Some organizations are considering establishing similar funds and they’ve asked for advice on how to get started.
In response to those and a growing number of requests, we’ve developed several resources that describe our experience establishing and managing the CFF:
A brief paper on the CFF, “Investing in sustainable fishing” that highlights its history, challenges and successes
A three-part CFF video series:
- California Fisheries Fund: Investing in Sustainable Fishing: CFF borrowers share their stories about how they used loans to improve the sustainability and profitability of their fishing businesses.
- Reflecting on Our Growth: Vision to Implementation: Founders of the CFF discuss how the fund started, how it reduced risk and highlighted the opportunities for growth in the fisheries finance world.
- Looking Ahead: The West Coast fishing industry has seen great benefits as a result of its transformational fishery management approaches and the California Fisheries Fund’s support of sustainable fishing practices. Continued research, innovation, funding and faith in the fishing industry will help fishermen, fishing organizations and the industry as a whole succeed.
As the interest in financing fisheries continues to bud and its dialogue becomes richer, we will continue to share our story in hopes of inspiring others to invest in fishery conservation.