Tag: commercial fishing

Ocean Frontiers: Port Orford Fishermen Protect Ocean & Way of Life

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Port Orford is a small fishing community on the southern Oregon coast that relies on a rich ocean ecosystem for their livelihoods. To put them on a path toward sustainability, they have recently designated the Port Orford Community Stewardship Area to both protect the ocean and their economy. The Stewardship Area encompasses 1,300 square miles, which includes their traditional fishing grounds and the upland watersheds that feed into them.

The Port Orford Ocean Resource Team, or POORT, is run by commercial fishermen who are dedicated to maintaining access to natural resources by people who are fishing selectively, while promoting sustainable fisheries and protecting marine biological diversity. They operate on the triple bottom line: ecology, equity and economics. Partners include the City of Port Orford, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Surfrider Foundation, South Coast Watersheds Council, Redfish Rocks Community Team and Friends of Elk River among others.

Port Orford has developed a communal vision to sustain their fisheries and their ecosystem as one. In order to have a sustainable fishery and economy, they have initiated local science research to inform their fishery management, established a marine reserve and marine protected area, and have protected upstream forests to save their salmon—a farsighted perspective that considers both their links to the land, and the future of their children.

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Ocean Frontiers: An Ocean Blueprint for Florida Keys

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In the Florida Keys, divers and fishermen have turned controversy over marine resources into a blueprint for industry and conservation collaboration.

The coral reefs of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary are America’s most popular marine destination—bringing in 1.2 billion dollars every year via tourism. They are also America’s showcase of marine conservation zoning.  With a dizzying array of people making a living and playing in the Keys, the marine zones provide an effective way to reduce conflicts between ocean users and protect the reefs, the fisheries and ocean dependent jobs.

The management of the Sanctuary is overseen by a Sanctuary Advisory Council, which is made up of more than 30 organizations and industries including sport and commercial fishing, tourism, diving, research, restoration and conservation.  The Sanctuary provides refuge, recreation, and livelihoods through a collaborative plan developed by all concerned.

However, the road to the Keys management success has not been a smooth ride. Initially there was strong opposition to marine zoning, marine protected areas and marine reserves, but strong leadership and intensive stakeholder collaboration turned the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary into a world-renowned model of how to protect our coastal and ocean economies through ocean planning.

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