CFSB Board Meeting August 24, 2017
Chris Voss opened the meeting August 24, 2017 at 5:30pm in the Harbor Classroom.
In attendance: Jason Robinson, Chris Voss, Bernard Friedman, Kim Selkoe, Mike McCorkle, Gary Burke, John Colgate, John Richards.
1. Mike McCorkle gave a report from the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission annual meeting in San Diego last week. A lot of focus on new digital observer programs coming down the pike, and on gear interaction with crab and marine mammals.
2. Chris Voss’s update on AB944, Spiny Lobster Marketing Commission. Bill AB944 has gone through Assembly and all committees and now needs a final vote in Senate. Looking to get Sen. Toni Atkins from SD to lead it in the Senate.
The commission will allow a lot of protections for the fleet to take collective actions. Money will be collected from buyers. It will be up to buyers to collect from the fishermen. Works the same way as the Sea Urchin Commission.
3. Progressing the groundfish quota transfer deal from The Nature Conservancy. Goal tonight is to finalize language for the draft list of objectives in the agreement. TNC wants to be able to show their board that this is a partnership in which CFSB will take actions to manage the quota well and advance shared goals between the two organizations. There are 5 objectives in the written agreement to that effect. Having them in writing ensures there is no misunderstanding about strings attached to taking this quota. The objectives focus on: designating a CFSB board member responsible for managing the quota, engaging in collaborative fisheries management, marine debris clean up, sustainable seafood educational events and networking with other quota banks.
We have already been doing all of these things and so this is a good deal for us. We have modified language to avoid being on the hook for doing more than we are already doing. There is a second document that outlines the legal contract that will guide the transfer of the asset. Once it is transferred, we believe that we are sole owners and TNC has no right to dictate what we do with it or pull it from us. However, the legal contract still needs scrutiny and after we conduct due diligence, it will be brought to a vote by the CFSB board before we sign off on it with TNC. The feds have never acted on their prerogative to pull quota that is not being fished. Our small amount of quota would make it unlikely we would be a target for the feds.
Board members have concerns that some in the port will be wary of CFSB partnering with TNC. Other board members feel positive about recent changes in TNC’s approach to working to support fishing ports and the new TNC personnel hired are pro-fishing. Bottom line is that this is a free asset being given to us that may grow in value considerably in the future.
· Chris Voss made a motion to finalize the language in the list of 5 objectives for the quota transfer agreement. Bernard Friedman seconded. Votes: 4 to accept the language as final, 1 abstain, 1 against.
4. FishSB update. Funding from Plains All American will end at the end of December 2017. This funding supported half time salary for Kim Selkoe as the director of FishSB and in that role, volunteer executive director of CFSB. Kim will be making a fundraising push this fall to get more funding to continue past 2017. Plains is likely to put in $15-30K if we demonstrate matching funds. Kim would like to write up a letter to show to Plains and other potential funders, written from CFSB, that states CFSB’s commitment to contributing matching funds. This will help create momentum and show to other funders that CFSB has skin in the game and is motivated to keep this going. The letter is not binding. CFSB has about $50K in the bank for some time.
· Chris Voss made a motion to commit $10K as matching funds to continue funding for Kim as CFSB’s executive director into 2018. Votes: 6 in favor, 0 opposed.
5. Ventura Shellfish Enterprise. Not much news to report. Attendance at their meetings has waned. McCorkle felt they would have done better to have gone to the fishermen first before developing a plan instead of vice-versa. A map with the area that the trawlers’ would like excluded in red wasn’t provided to other stakeholders before they cast their votes for preferred layout of the lease sites. The process continues to go slowly.
6. CFSB BBQ fundraiser at Goleta Beach on Sept. 17. Scott Street will do tacos. Need other donations and volunteers. Gary gone but will buy tickets to send folks. Bernard can donate mussels. Jason will work the event, donate black cod. Steve Escobar and Paul Teall can both work the event and donate an auction item related to catering a seafood meal and boat experience.
7. Second fundraiser at the Maritime Museum on Nov. 1. They will do much of the legwork and hosting, and split the profits with us. We expect $1500. We have four great chefs lined up for that event to do seafood tastings. We will need donations of seafood to each one of them, and auction items.
8. Saturday Fishermen's Market grant spending report:
$600 for vendors equipment needs
$1887 for fillet booth
$400 permits
$820 advertising
$1000-2000 being spent on fillet booth modifications to create a mobile enclosure.
This leaves $1000-2000. May spend it on more advertising and market improvements.
9. Saturday Fisherman’s Market activities report. Effort to formalize a board structure for the market was successful. No conflicts or challenges so far. This is a separate entity to CFSB, but CFSB will have a member on the Market Association board, and continue to run the fillet station. With a Taiwanese intern from Antioch, we’ve been doing social media and posting Chinese language fliers in the Asian community, and also in English for the broader community. We need to move the fillet station off Chris’s boat to the pier and get a replacement fish cutter for when he fishes lobster.
Chris Voss closed the meeting at 7:45pm.