Fish Forward Initiative
Free one-on-one business support to help your business thrive
Are you a business in the seafood restaurant or retail market industry?
Do you have questions about:
Seafood sustainability
Local seafood seasonality
Rhode Island seafood and fisheries
Local seafood focused staff training
Diversifying menus/ markets
Marketing of local seafood species
Creating an educational dining or shopping experience for your customers (local seafood focused)
Sourcing local seafood
Underutilized species
Maintaining quality in seafood
Are you a fisherman or business in the fishing industry?
Do you have questions about:
Financial Planning
capitol construction
Loan Application Preparation
Accounting & Bookkeeping
Tax and Retirement Planning
Vessel Insurance
Electronic and Integrated Monitoring
Licensing & Permitting
Legal Clinic
Corporate Structuring
Expanding Access to Markets
Marketing
Social Media
Website Building
If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, now is the time to take advantage of the free and confidential business support offered through the Fish Forward Project.
Clicking the "Request Business Support" button above will take you to the Rhode Island Small Business Development Center website to register for business support.
Learn more at https://www.cfcri.org/fish-forward.html
About the Project
Rhode Island’s seafood sector has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. But this crisis has also opened new innovations and opportunities. Eating with the Ecosystem has partnered with the Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island (CFCRI) and the Rhode Island Small Business Development Center (RISBDC) to provide free consulting to fishermen and seafood businesses. Known as “Fish Forward”, this new program has been established to help the community recover and then thrive in the long-term. All services being offered are free and confidential and are informed by the needs of the sector. They include monthly webinars; a free legal clinic; a blog about the latest goings-on; and one-on-one counseling that can cover a range of needs, like identifying and connecting with new markets, building a web presence, accounting advice, and licensing, permitting, insurance assistance, and a host of other things. These services are available until September 2021, so take advantage now! If you have any further questions feel free to contact fredmattera@cfcri.org or shayerooney@cfcri.org.
This project is funded through the CARES Act and the U.S. Small Business Administration.
We Want to Hear from You! We want to understand how your business has been impacted by the pandemic and your specific business needs. Fill out this survey to tell us how we can better support you and your business.
