This project will fund a feasibility study for a maritime collective, a multi-faceted facility with cold storage, seafood processing, and educational programs

This $162,560 Project Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service through the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP) will fund planning for a maritime collective facility in California. The collective aims to support local and regional seafood producers through cold storage, processing, and educational programs. It will provide infrastructure and services to help seafood harvesters gain more control over market entry, diversify products, add value, and better serve small to medium buyers focusing on local markets.

The Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbara, the award recipient, will use the two-year grant period to conduct stakeholder engagement, analyses, business planning and partnership development. This planning process intends to raise funds and implement the maritime collective, expanding local market opportunities for seafood producers. The collective will leverage an existing building leased within the city's ocean-dependent use zone, where the recipient organization has managed a boat and gear storage yard for over 30 years. If implemented, the maritime collective aims to directly market seafood and complement growing local interest in seafood following pandemic-related disruptions.

The collective will support the lfpp's purpose of supporting the development, coordination, and expansion of local and regional food business enterprises to increase access to and availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products. The covid-19 crisis spotlighted the growing need for capacity to store, process, and distribute seafood locally; infrastructure was identified as a top need through a california sea grant assessment across california ports and seafood industry roles (C. Culver, personal communication). The collective will give seafood producers leverage to control the entry of products into the market, diversify seafood products, add value, and better serve small to medium size buyers, who focus on local markets and present an opportunity to increase seafood harvesters' market share. This project will support our local fishing community by expanding on existing markets, such as our weekly fishermen's market which takes place in the harbor. Our port association, commercial fishermen of santa barbara (CFSB), has managed a boat and gear storage yard within the city's ocean-dependent use zone for 30+ years. We plan to lease an adjacent existing building in this zone to house the maritime collective's cold storage, seafood processing and educational programs. This is a planning grant and will not be used towards construction or purchase of infrastructure. This planning grant will support the stakeholder engagement, analyses, business planning and partnership development needed to raise the funds and implement our maritime collective enterprise. Expanding local markets has become more important since the pandemic; this project will result in a direct marketing opportunity for seafood producers that is consistent and complementary to resurgent local interest in seafood.