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Salmon Direct From a Fisherman
Being a commercial Fisherman in a time of climate change is challenging enough. About ten years ago I wanted to do something concrete to reduce the carbon foot print of my catch and to make all aspects of my fishing as sustainable as possible, this motivated me to set up a Community Supported Fishery ( CSF). The CSF is still going strong, each year we are selling more and more of our catch here on the South Island. What is a CSF? Like a farmer’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) it is me as a fisherman selling my catch directly from my boat to members of my community. For families something we offer is a Pink only share. Pink salmon are highly nutritious same as sockeye and coho. They have a milder taste then their high class brethren, for children sometimes that is just the thing to introduce them to salmon. They are great barbequed or baked with butter and tarragon. They smoke fine, are perfect for making salmon cakes and ideal for canning. Biologically pinks are a real success story, yet they are barely harvested by the small boat fleet due to the low prices paid by the fish companies and the high cost of fuel. At Michelle Rose CSF Salmon Direct From a Fisherman we see this as an opportunity to get more people eating salmon and give young and larger families a great way to enjoy some great seafood at a lower cost.
Bigger is not better and complex food distribution systems that move food ½ way around the world do not make sense for food security or a new green economy. I troll for salmon and a variety of other fish, as well as trap prawns, king shrimp and octopus, all low impact fishing methods. People buying shares in my catch lets me know what fish to bring home for the CSF. It also allows me to not have to borrow from the fish companies preseason for rig up and repairs, and so I have the independence to be able to sell my catch to the community. The CSF has been the answer for me and an increasing number of fishermen here in BC and many other places.
Have a look at our web site at : michellerosecsf.com to see how our CSF works and how you can part of a sustainable food economy on the south island.
Guy Johnston, Fisherman, Michelle Rose Community Supported Fishery
Sustainably Harvested Seafood
from Michelle Rose CSF
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