The Return of U.S. Flavor to Our Plates: A Business Case for Investing in West Coast Groundfish

Prepared by Wilderness Markets & Changing Tastes with the support of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

The West Coast Groundfish (WCGF) fishery in California is a fishery management success. Yet despite significant ecological progress, fishing and conservation communities continue to share concerns about the long-term economic sustainability of the fishery.

Changing Tastes and Wilderness Markets in collaboration with Compass Group (one of the world’s largest foodservice companies), Santa Monica Seafood (SMS) (one of the region’s largest seafood distributors), Real Good Fish (RGF) (a local California seafood distributor), and California-based harvesters in the California including the Groundfish Collective (CGFC) recently completed a pilot that demonstrated a strong potential to increase demand and garner premium prices for WCGF.

Based on the pilot and the contextual analysis, we believe a unique and compelling opportunity exists for developing an effective, experienced product evangelist capable of operating within the supply chain as a “good middleman” who improves transparency, connects supply chain players, and is committed to improving fishing livelihoods.

If successful, this investment would contribute to the full recovery of the WCGF fishery, enabling fishermen to continue to meet sustainability requirements and restore the economic performance of the fishery.

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The Return of U.S. Flavor to Our Plates: A Business Case for Investing in West Coast Groundfish