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| Pacific Fishermen's Cooperative | |
|---|---|
| Name | Pacific Fishermen's Cooperative |
| Type | Cooperative |
| Founded | 1938 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
| Region | Pacific Coast, United States |
| Members | ~1,200 (peak) |
| Key people | John M. Alvarez (founder), Maria T. Sinclair (executive director) |
| Products | Salmon, Dungeness crab, Pacific hake, sablefish |
Pacific Fishermen's Cooperative
The Pacific Fishermen's Cooperative is a regional fishermen's association founded in 1938 on the United States West Coast, historically active in California, Oregon, and Washington. The cooperative has been central to commercial fishing around the Pacific Ocean rim, participating in fisheries linked to San Francisco Bay, the Columbia River, and the Bering Sea supply chains, while engaging with agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Pacific Fishery Management Council, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Over decades it has interacted with unions, industry groups, and municipal bodies including the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, the Sierra Club, and port authorities in Seattle, Portland, Oregon, and San Diego.
Founded during the late-Depression era, the Cooperative emerged amid contemporaneous labor movements like the Longshore Strike of 1934 and economic programs associated with the New Deal. Early leaders drew inspiration from cooperatives such as the United Farmers Cooperative and linked to shipping networks servicing Alaska fisheries. During World War II the Cooperative supplied fleets involved with wartime logistics connected to the United States Maritime Commission and later adapted to postwar shifts influenced by treaties like the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. In the 1960s–1980s it navigated regulatory changes spawned by cases before the United States Supreme Court and collaborated with research institutions including the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
The Cooperative is governed by an elected board patterned on models used by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and similar to governance forms in the International Cooperative Alliance. Membership historically included independent skippers, vessel owners, and processing workers drawn from communities such as Astoria, Oregon, Crescent City, California, and Kodiak, Alaska. Membership rules incorporate quota allocation reminiscent of arrangements under the Individual Fishing Quota framework and compliance provisions reflecting precedents set by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The Cooperative has partnered with labor organizations like the Pacific Maritime Association and educational institutions such as University of Washington and Humboldt State University for training and certification programs.
Operations span gear types and fisheries connected to species managed by the Pacific Fishery Management Council and documented in reports from the National Marine Fisheries Service. Vessels have used methods like purse seine fishing associated with Alaska Pollock fleets, trap gear used in Dungeness crab fisheries, longline techniques similar to those in the North Pacific sablefish fishery, and trawl operations studied by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Cooperative’s fleet historically docked at ports including Monterey, California and Newport, Oregon, and cooperated with processors linked to the Japanese market and distributors serving the Seattle Fish Exchange and San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market.
The Cooperative influenced regional markets by aggregating supply for buyers such as seafood processors tied to firms in Seattle, Vancouver, British Columbia, and importers in Tokyo and Hong Kong. Economic relationships involved municipal fisheries commissions, regional development authorities, and export regulations influenced by the United States International Trade Commission. Its operations affected ancillary industries including shipbuilding yards like those in Tacoma, Washington, cold storage operators in Oakland, California, and maritime insurers operating under practices used by the Lloyd’s of London market. Economic studies by institutions such as the Brookings Institution and the Pew Charitable Trusts referenced similar cooperative models when assessing coastal livelihoods.
The Cooperative collaborated with conservation groups including the The Nature Conservancy and the Environmental Defense Fund on habitat restoration and bycatch reduction initiatives modeled on programs from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It participated in stock assessment processes coordinated with the Pacific Fishery Management Council and research partnerships with the Alaska Fisheries Science Center and the Northwest Fisheries Science Center. Measures included gear modifications inspired by studies from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and voluntary closed-area agreements analogous to measures adopted after findings by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Labor relations have involved negotiations with unions such as the Seafarers International Union and the ILWU, and dispute resolution through mediators experienced with the National Labor Relations Board. Community programs included apprenticeship schemes run with vocational schools like Mendocino College and outreach in fishing towns linked to cultural entities such as the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The Cooperative supported disaster relief efforts after events comparable to the 1964 Alaska earthquake and partnered with food banks operating in networks like the Feeding America system.
Legal challenges addressed allocation, quota trading, and access rights litigated in forums including the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and administrative appeals before the National Marine Fisheries Service. The Cooperative navigated regulatory regimes governed by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, international agreements like the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and cross-border trade rules influenced by the North American Free Trade Agreement. Enforcement interactions involved agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Law Enforcement and customs inspections coordinated with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Category:Fishing cooperatives Category:Organizations established in 1938