For a Maine fisherman like me, summer on the coast of Maine is the busy season. I'm feeling hopeful it will be a productive one as support for what we catch and our fishing practices continues to grow.

Thanks to everyone who added their name to our group comments on NOAA's plan to certify sustainable seafood. It's critical that they hear from community-based fishermen and with this set of comments we showed them what a passionate, committed network we are.

Wishin' and fishin' for a great summer.

Ed Snell

NAMA board member

Commercial fisherman

Buxton, ME

We'd like to share-

Building community:

Working together on purpose!

At NAMA, so much of our work is collaboratively based because we know if we lead with our values when collaborating, we can build a
long lasting movement with impact.

FLC principles: transparency, collaboration, justice, capacity-

building, respect, inclusivity,

openness, accountability.

As our fishing community organizer Brett wrote on our blog a couple of weeks ago, "underpinning any collaborative, network, or movement's long-term success is a strong set of values. Values unite people on a fundamental level and help build trust. Trust fosters more effective teamwork and teamwork gets things done!"

Influencing policy:

Magnuson-Stevens hearings moving slowly on Capitol Hill

As Congress prepares to authorize the MSA, we're lucky to have some eyes and ears on the Hill this summer keeping track of what's going on.

"We don't know when the debate over reauthorizing Magnuson-Stevens will happen in the House," writes Tyler Mac Innis, but we do know which issues are important. Read Tyler's post to find out what's happening (or not happening) on Capitol Hill re: MSA.

One of the important issues is fisheries privatization and the global push to transform fisheries access into private property, which we know undermines healthy ecosystems, local economies, community based fishermen, and a just seafood system. Earlier in June, Brett and University of Rhode Island professor Seth Macinko, presented at the Left Forum to expose how fisheries are steered toward privatization and who is behind the wheel. Here's a peek at the post that we adapted from our presentation.

Transforming Markets:

Boat-to-School efforts steaming ahead

Here's another recap of the efforts of UNH Dining Services to bring locally-caught seafood into the university. Truly a collaborative effort! Boat-to-School is also making its way into the Gloucester school system through a joint effort between NAMA, Cape Ann Fresh Catch, Gloucester Fishermen's Wives Association, Mass Farm to School Project, Backyard Growers, the Open Door, and FoodCorps.

Upcoming events:

So many of them!

Save the Date for NAMA's fundraising bash, Rock the Boat!, on November 7th at the Armory in Somerville, MA. There will be fish! And music! Stay tuned for more details.

We're in the thick of Seafood Throwdown season with events happening throughout July and August (Boston's Jerkfest is a don't miss if you're in the area). Get the lowdown on our website, and get inspired by this youth-led Throwdown from last summer:

These kids can throw down!

What we're reading:

The latest news in fisheries

NAMA's guest post for the Rural Climate Network on how community-based fishermen can adapt to climate change. (See Brett talk about it below.) Saving striped bass. Herring vs. haddock. If you need another reason to avoid imported shrimp, slave labor might do it.