Working for Fishing Industry Sustainability in the Face of Ocean Industrialization
About
The California Fishermen’s Association is a 501 c 6, nonprofit Mutual Benefit Corporation founded in 2022 and populated by Commercial Fishermen’s Associations throughout California. It was formed to establish a “point of contact” between fishermen, California Regulatory Agencies, and offshore, non-fishing, industrial developers. The express goal of the CFRA is to avoid, minimize, and mitigate “to a level of insignificance” disruption of commercial fishing activities by a myriad of challenges posed by the industrialization of California’s ocean. The CFRA advocates for healthy, productive, ocean environments and long-term resiliency for seafood harvesters and our local coastal communities.
CFRA Member Associations
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Crescent City Commercial Fishermen’s Association
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Trinidad Bay Fishermen’s Association
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Humboldt Area Saltwater Anglers (HASA)
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Shelter Cove Fishermen’s Preservation, Inc.
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Salmon Troller’s Marketing Association of Noyo
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Bodega Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Association
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Golden State Fishermen’s Association
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San Francisco Crab Boat Owners Association
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Half Moon Bay Commercial Fishermen’s Association
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The Alliance of Communities for Sustainable Fisheries
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Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara
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California Wetfish Producers Association
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Santa Cruz Commercial Fishermen’s Association
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Ventura County Commercial Fishermen’s Association
Who is the CFRA?
As offshore wind development has evolved in California over the years, state agencies have repeatedly asked that California's commercial fishermen unify. In 2022, fishermen from Crescent City to Ventura came together to form the California Fishermen's Resiliency Association. We are a coalition of commercial fishing associations focused on preventing, minimizing, and mitigating the negative impacts of offshore wind development, ocean industrialization and other non-fishing activities on our coast.
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Industry to Industry Agreements
California Fishermen and the California Coastal Commission are advocating for negotiated Industry-to-Industry agreements between OSW developers and a specific. broad based, democratic, and inclusive, fishermen’s non-profit entity. This requirement for an Industry-to-Industry Agreement (agreements) is being formulated in the Coastal Commission 7C Fishermen’s Working group process. The CFRA was designed and established to negotiate these agreements in accordance with a California Statewide Strategy and through the CFRA bylaw provisions to facilitate the thirty yearlong administration of those agreements by local fishermen in the impacted area that is subject to each agreement.
How to Accomplish Both Goals
The CFRA is a broad-based, inclusive, democratic organization with fourteen California port and/or fishermen’s organizations. This gives the CFRA wide access to opinions, ideas and area challenges port by port. It also allows the CFRA to communicate developments at state and federal levels concerning policy and legislative actions concerning fishing communities. This is a characteristic that the Coastal Commission staff has recommended.
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When it comes to an actual agreement for mitigation of negative impacts in a specific area or port, the lifetime administration of that agreement must be performed by local, impacted area fishermen who understand local conditions, challenges and who can provide long term solutions to support fishing communities and keep fishermen fishing. This is accomplished through the CFRA’s formation of regional (the impacted area) management committees as per CFRA bylaws.
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The CFRA Umbrella
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Most California port commercial fishermen’s associations were incorporated in the 1950’s as “marketing associations”. Their state mandate was to negotiate the ex-vessel prices on fish caught by their membership. Up until the early 1970’s, many California fishermen’s marketing associations held assessments collected from their members in excess of $150,000 (equivalent buying power of $1,170,000 in today’s economy). Today, those funds are significantly diminished, leaving many associations hamstrung financially and unable to pay for legal counsel, accounting and management services, administrative services and support staff necessary for running a corporation.The CFRA supports local, impacted fishing communities by providing regional management committees with essential services, including paid legal counsel, insurance, certified public accounting, recordkeeping, and administrative staff. It also ensures compliance with state and federal reporting requirements for taxes and community support activities, as well as the statewide strategy conditions. Additionally, the CFRA eliminates the need for each development to create a new nonprofit corporation by managing multiple agreements across various impacted areas. This model enhances coordination among fishing communities, promoting positive outcomes for current and future fishermen and their businesses as it addresses local mitigation needs.
CFRA’s Mission Statement
The specific purposes of the California Fishermen’s Resiliency Association are to support the long term resiliency of California Commercial Fisheries and represent members interests and providing support at local, state and federal governmental levels and in negotiating agreements with other private industries concerning:
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Spatial challenges to fishing ground access
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Non-fishing offshore developments
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Navigation and marine safety
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Ecological and environmental concerns impacting fisheries
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Zoning and port fishing infrastructure
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Impact mitigation
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