A lobster fishing boat goes out to sea under the dawn sky on Casco Bay in South Portland, Maine. There is growing awareness that U.S. seas can be sustainably harvested at higher levels than they currently are.
Leadership on local waterfronts
Karen Bell is the scion of a Florida fishing family that spans three generations. Her hometown fishing village, Cortez, has seen ups and downs, but its survival against global and domestic forces, Ms. Bell says, is largely because of its resilient fishers.
“It’s an environment where people seem to thrive and where your focus is more on just being happy, loving what you do, and doing it,” says Ms. Bell, who owns A.P. Bell Fish Co.
As part of that spirit, she says, a local fishers’ consortium recently bought a piece of marshland at the edge of the village to protect it from development – and showcase its value to the fishery.
Still, she has to balance nostalgia with reality. A number of her boats are stuck at dock, thanks to tight snapper quotas. “It’s hard to even think about getting rid of ‘the girls,’” as she calls the boats, all named after women in her family.
But when asked if the U.S. can supply all its own fish, she answers as a seafood self-reliance skeptic. “I don’t know if it’s feasible,” says Ms. Bell. “Today you would need a pile of money to get into this. But the tide turns.”
In Alaska, regulators are fighting to reserve catch shares for younger fishers and community groups. In Point Judith, Rhode Island, the Town Dock is a major domestic supplier of calamari. In Tybee Island, Georgia, the Tybee Oyster Co. opened the state’s first floating oyster farm, the result of a legislative change. Briny “salt bomb” oysters are a hit with locals and visitors.
And here in Bluffton, Mayor Toomer and the city council are focused on waterfront improvements to not only preserve but also to showcase what he calls “this incredible, sustainable treasure.”
To move toward sustainability and food self-reliance, “One thing that’s absolutely important is leadership,” says Mr. Halmay, the sea urchin diver. “If your little area doesn’t have a leader willing to stick their neck out, it’s not going to work.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-22 13:01:00
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