Historic Fishing Town Of Monterey, California, Gets New Funding To Focus On Sustainable Sourcing

The Monterey City Council has approved a grant of $225,000 to help fishermen in Monterey — home of the infamous Cannery Row — increase local and sustainable fishing practices, the Environmental Defense Fund has announced in a press release commending the decision.

Furthermore, the EDF's own California Fisheries Fund (CFF) — a program that finances sustainable commercial fishing in California, Oregon, and Washington — has issued a low-interest loan of $220,000 to the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust (MBFT) to provide further assistance to fishermen dedicated to sustainable fishing.

"The CFF and city funds will be used to acquire rights for Monterey fishermen to catch hundreds of thousands of pounds of groundfish under a sustainable management system," announced Phoebe Higgins, director of the CFF's Oceans Program.

"The allocated pounds, also known as 'fishing quota,' will be managed by the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust, a new community nonprofit dedicated to owning and managing groundfish quota for local fishermen.

"We are proud to help advance the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust's goals of ensuring the long-term viability of fishing in this small but historic and vibrant fishing town. We look forward to continuing to support the Monterey's dedication to environmental stewardship, sustainability and its strong fishing community and heritage."