Describing the diversity of community supported fishery programs in North America
Abstract
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. This research investigates organizational diversity within Community
Supported Fisheries (CSFs) in North America. Generally understood as the direct marketing
of seafood through pre-arranged deliveries, CSFs have increased in number and geographic
distribution since their origin in 2007. Despite, or because of, this rapid growth,
fundamental questions remain unanswered about what organizational structures and business
practices currently constitute the term 'CSF'. This research draws on interview data
from 22 CSFs to highlight the diversity within the CSF movement and inform ongoing
debates about appropriate paths for their continued growth. Interview data is used
to describe key areas of convergence and divergence among the goals, business practices,
and structures of CSFs. Three general types of CSF are identified based on this analysis:
harvester focused, consumer focused and species focused. Each type is described through
a short illustrative case study. Overall results indicate that the term 'CSF' does
not currently refer to a specific structure or type of organization, but rather an
approach to seafood marketing used by a variety of organizations with broadly similar
production philosophies centered on engaging and informing consumers around traceable,
domestically sourced seafood. Acknowledgment of CSFs as diverse and socially embedded
organizations is necessary to understanding their potential benefits.
Type
Journal articleSubject
Science & TechnologySocial Sciences
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Environmental Studies
International Relations
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Community Supported Fishery (CSF)
Commercial fisheries
Sustainable food systems
Local seafood
North America
Traceability
SEAFOOD
SUSTAINABILITY
AGRICULTURE
ILLEGAL
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/18613Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1016/j.marpol.2016.01.007Publication Info
Bolton, AE; Dubik, BA; Stoll, JS; & Basurto, X (2016). Describing the diversity of community supported fishery programs in North America.
Marine Policy, 66. pp. 21-29. 10.1016/j.marpol.2016.01.007. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/18613.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Xavier Basurto
Truman and Nellie Semans/Alex Brown & Sons Associate Professor
I am interested in the fundamental question of how groups (human and non-human) can
find ways to self-organize, cooperate, and engage in successful collective action
for the benefit of the common good. To do this I strive to understand how the institutions
(formal and informal rules and norms) that govern social behavior, interplay with
biophysical variables to shape social-ecological systems. What kind of institutions
are better able to govern complex-adaptive systems? and how can societies (la

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