Vancouver Has An Appetite For Sustainable Seafood, by Randy Shore for The Vancouver Sun

Sonia - February 3, 2015

Read the full story at The Vancouver Sun.

“A longtime supporter of the local food movement, Sonia was familiar with the social enterprise model used by farmers to market their produce directly to the public. By joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) individuals and families pay at the beginning of the season for a farmer’s produce, delivered weekly through the growing season.

Well Vancouver, meet the CSF, Skipper Otto’s Community Supported Fishery.

“We had been getting our fruits and vegetables directly from farmers and we had this A-ha moment that maybe we could apply those same principles to help fishermen get paid an honest wage and support sustainable fishing practices,” she explained.

She met with staff at FarmFolkCityFolk, an organization that supports CSAs, to pitch her idea, and together they brainstormed ways for her to structure Skipper Otto’s as a fair trade business that would pay fishermen more for doing right by the environment.

“I put out the word in 2008 for the 2009 fishing season and made a little website,” she said. “We had 40 members sign up the first year, people we didn’t know who sent us cheques for $250. The next year we had over 200 members.”

Fast forward to 2014 and Skipper Otto’s CSF now takes delivery from 15 fishermen and grosses more than $500,000 a year from 1,200 members.”

Sonia - February 3, 2015


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Vancouver Has An Appetite For Sustainable Seafood, by Randy Shore for The Vancouver Sun

Sonia - February 3, 2015

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