SUPPORTING REGIONAL MARKETS FOR CLIMATE WINNERS: TAKEAWAYS FROM THE LOCAL CATCH NETWORK| EWTE WEBINAR

On January 23rd, 2024, we teamed up with our friends at the Local Catch Network (LCN) to host a webinar all about climate-resilient supply chains. The session was the first open opportunity to create content for our collaborative Roadmap for Climate-Resilient Seafood Supply Chains. It was great to engage with such a diverse audience, from businesses to research institutions, and get a feel for the kinds of strategies, needs, and species they would like to be represented! 

The session began with a presentation from Nicky Roberts and Kate Masury, project leads, as they showcased their research assessing supplier adaptability in New England. They showed how businesses of all sizes could take advantage of the changes brought on due to warming waters by maintaining a flexible and diverse portfolio of species. Their conclusions also revealed a set of anchoring characteristics among adaptable businesses that would need to be supported in action on climate-resilient supply chains:

“Deep species knowledge

Flexible processing infrastructure

Local-product focused business models

Direct sourcing from fishermen

Community engagement

Retail outlets

Innovative preparations of species”

After a short research Q&A, the time remaining was spent building out parts of the roadmap: 

  1. Resilience pillars (broader elements necessary to build resilience)

  2. Strategies in action (examples of initiatives/businesses living out these models)

  3. Necessary actions that are lacking in the current business and policy landscape. 

DISCUSSION TAKEAWAYS 

The discussion revealed a number of practical responses that we will be using as ‘food for thought’ in the roadmap: 

Examples of climate-resilient initiatives/businesses

  • On Long Island, New York, the Choose Local F.I.S.H. initiative, led by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, has been working extensively to increase consumer awareness and consumption of  local fish species. This includes regionally popular choices such as Scup (Porgy), Black Sea Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), and Bluefish as well as lesser-consumed species such as Sea Robins, Dogfish, and Skates

  • The FISHLINE app, started by a Local Catch Network member, connects local fishermen with  customers and restaurants on a day-by-day basis. If adapted, it could function for wholesale distribution 

  • Many restaurants in coastal areas host Fishermen Dinners where diners can connect with their fishermen as they speak about their product, their harvest methods, and share their stories.

  • Community-supported fisheries (CSF) models are a great way for fishermen to ensure guaranteed buyers that are flexible with species choice and willing to pay more premium prices 

  • The New England Feeding New England project aims to mobilize local and regional food supply chains, and strengthen and grow the New England regional food system with a goal of sourcing 30% of food eaten in the region from the region.

  • Relationships between suppliers, organizations, and local chefs: creative restaurants help set the trend for new species within the region

 

Business needs to take advantage of climate winners

  • To facilitate restaurant-fishermen relationships: If more restaurant owners became fish dealers, they would legally be able to purchase directly from commercial fishermen– increasing traceability while getting to know new species 

    • Or if more commercial fishermen became dealers and chose to deliver the product themselves, they would have direct delivery to the restaurants they want to supply

  • To facilitate more relationship-building overall: Streamlined access from supply chain businesses (middlemen, restaurants) to fishermen 

  • To support local fisheries development: 

    • Greater financial support for small-boat fishermen to compete with larger boats and dealers

    • Lowering distribution costs through backhauling, especially across coasts

  • To reduce risk of introducing new species, enhance profitability for local fishermen, and offer flexibility in catch/distribution: The ability for fishers to know they have a market prior to fishing, so they can plan for where their catch is going and plan how to keep the quality good to the end buyer.

  • To encourage government support and policy reform: Collaborative research that provides the economic case for climate winners (impact of losing species and also climate winner species coming in)

  • To promote information sharing and strengthen local food hubs:  Centralized location for sharing up-to-date information about NE regional seafood supply chains 

    Examples of climate winner species by area

  • Northern New England: Black sea bass- good restaurant fish 

  • Southern New England: Blue crab- income diversification for lobstermen, with the right regulatory incentives

  • New England/Mid-Atlantic: oysters

  • Mid-Atlantic: Gray triggerfish and sheepshead

  • South Atlantic:  Puffer fish, lion fish, stone crab


NEXT STEPS

Stay tuned for a full recap of our March events!