Community-Based Seafood

EXPERIENCE

North American Marine Alliance, Aug 2022-Present

NAMA is a grassroots, commercial-fishermen-led alliance building a broad movement for healthy oceans and thriving fishing communities. Much of our work converges on fighting against the privatization and corporate takeover of the ocean and our seafood system. We build relationships with small- and medium-scale commercial fisherfolks, seafood businesses, community members, and many other allies to support vibrant fishing communities, protect marine ecosystems, and ensure food sovereignty. Our approach is to shift seafood markets and fisheries policies while movement- and community-building. Food and racial justice are core to our vision. As media coordinator, I build bridges between journalists and the fisherfolks and allies in our networks.

Fishadelphia, Sep 2020-Present

I help run Fishadelphia, an innovative youth-oriented fish CSA (or a CSF, community supported fishery) in Philadelphia. We organize a seafood subscription club, purchasing fresh seafood directly from community-based NJ fisherfolks and shellfish farmers at a fair price, and distributing it to culturally and economically diverse consumers in the Philadelphia region. We run after-school programs at two Philly high schools, where students have the opportunity to learn business skills, work on real-world creative projects, and get paid. If you'd like to better understand what we do, you can check out our Instagram, watch this elevator pitch, or check out "Porgies: Sea to Table."

Local Catch Network, Sep 2021-Present

The Local Catch Network is a hub for knowledge exchange and innovation to support and catalyze local and community-based seafood systems. Members of the Local Catch Network align with a set of core values that aim to create a higher level of accountability and trust, both internally within the network and externally to the public. Local Catch Network members include seafood harvesters who sell their catch locally and regionally through direct marketing channels as well as those engaged in research, technical assistance, and community organizing. I served on LCN's advisory committee to co-create accountability indicators for alternative seafood networks in fall 2021. In spring 2022, I participated in LCN's first Scale Your Local Catch accelerator co-hort. Since 2022, I've been a member of the LCN executive committee.

PUBLIC SPEAKING

Capitol Hill Ocean Week, "Food from the Sea" panel. Jun 2022. Participated in plenary exploring the role sustainable seafood plays in food security and protecting cultures in the future, in conversation with Imani Black from Minorities in Aquaculture, Dr. Dalee Sambo Dorough from Inuit Circumpolar Council, and Dr. Michelle Tigchelaar from Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions.
NJ Sea Grant & Rutgers University's Aquaculture Career Readiness through High School Apprenticeship workshop. Aug 2021. Shared Fishadelphia's model and inclusion strategies with seafood businesses and NJ educators.
World Affairs Council of Philadelphia's UN Summer Camp for Middle School Students. Jul 2021. Presented "Fishadelphia: A local solution to a global problem?"

RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS

Contributor, "True Confessions of CSFs on the Journey of Scaling Up," presentation at the Local Seafood Summit held Oct 2022 in Girdwood, AK.
Participant, "East Coast Climate Change Scenario Planning Workshop," organized by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and partners, held Jun 2022 in Arlington, VA.
Contributor, "Accountability Measures for Alternative Seafood Networks" abstract & presentation at the World Small Scale Fisheries Congress, held Jun 2022 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Produced artwork for the North American Marine Alliance's "Sustainable Seafood Guide" (May 2022).
T Young, G Cumming, E Kerns, K Hunter-Thomson, T Manik-Perlman, T Palacio, N Veang, WX Weng, F Yin, and C Cuite. Strategies for increasing participation of diverse consumers in a community seafood program. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 36, 18 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-023-09912-y

*Featured illustration by feini yin for the North American Marine Alliance Seafood Guide.