Dear friend,

Hello everyone, I am Estefanía Narváez, I use they/them pronouns, and I am the new digital organizer with NAMA! I wanted to introduce myself a bit as part of this months newsletter so you all can get to know me a little bit and know where and how to find me!

I first learned about NAMA in 2013 when I joined a gathering of community based fisherfolk in New Bedford, MA. Since then I haven’t looked back. Fighting for the ocean to remain a commons felt as intuitive as fighting for my culture. I grew up in Quito, Ecuador, in a thick populated city yet deeply connected with our food traditions, music, history and more. Once in the U.S. it was through NAMA that I began to understand how fisheries policy over the years have changed the conditions under which people back home can practice our culture. I learned about the shrimp industry in Ecuador that borrows its logic from policy trends in the United States including labor exploitation and human rights violations inflicted upon fishing families who are pushed to work at processing plants. I was able to understand why as time passed I saw less and less small fishing boats in the coasts and more industry exploiting ‘cheap’ labor in order to produce high volumes of seafood at low cost.

What I have understood so far is that fisheries policy in the United States impacts the entire world. I see the organizing we do in North America as targeting the belly of the beast.

I have been organizing for food justice since the day I arrived to this country because I grew up with a deep political context seeing Indigenous movements and food producer led cooperatives and organizations take down ineffective governments. I witnessed young people take the streets and successfully win against free trade agreements, genetically engineered seeds, and rising food and gas costs. I believe that we can win the ocean back. I believe in our organized power to end the injustices in the fishing industry that affect fishing communities everywhere. I believe that a global and intersectional approach will get us there.

I feel blessed to be a part of NAMA in this critical time for ocean policy. You can find me at estefania@namanet.org or by sending a direct message to our Instagram (@nama_net).


Estefanía Narváez
Digital Organizer
NAMA has done a lot of refreshing recently, from a name change to a new logo, and in the middle of that new people with new energy joined the team. Our recent staff retreat was the first time several of us had met in person! During our time together, we drafted a cultural and community agreement that not only lays out how we interact with each other as a team, but how we want to be present in other spaces. Along with this, we dove into our programmatic areas to strengthen our shared understanding of how we will move them forward. We also talked about and planned different aspects of our new website. While doing all of this we ate plenty of good food, we relaxed, and we had fun together! A huge thank you to Blue Mountain Center for providing us with a space to have a successful staff retreat!
We’re excited to share our new logo with all of you. Once our name change became official, we realized that some other updates were necessary too, including our logo! Why the starfish?? Starfish are a symbol of renewal and regeneration; if the starfish loses a limb, it will not only regenerate the lost limb, the lost limb itself can grow a whole new starfish. As an organization, we have diligently worked to create an environment where “indispensability” is not what we strive for - in fact, we strive to make ourselves dispensable. We believe we are strong as all the parts that regenerate from our actions. We have intentionally worked to build and support networks where the work can continue if any one part was injured or left. Our approach to creating the Fish Locally Collaborative network is one example of how this way of working can lead to regeneration and growth of other movements. What started as 18 people in a room in 2018 has grown into a decentralized North American network connecting fishing communities to allies. In addition, the FLC’s limbs - if you will - have led to the creation of other networks, like Slow Fish North America and the Local Catch Network. So it only makes sense that this regenerative spirit is reflected in our new logo as a reminder to us of what we stand for and to others of what is possible once you let go of ownership, ego, and power in order to build a broad movement.
Episode 8 of the Fish Talk with hosts Nic Mink and Paul Greenberg discusses the problems with our industrial seafood system and solutions to improve it. They’re joined by guests Chef Isabelle Jackson Nunes, Alan Lovewell, Niaz Dorry, and Dr. Talia Young.
America’s fisheries are undergoing a radical revolution — some might call it a “Revol-Ocean.” This Revol-Ocean is led by changemakers that seek to bring more transparent, sustainable, and responsible wild-caught fish to the plates of American eaters. This episode highlights a few of these changemakers, exploring the stories and the models that are making a difference in the way that fishers harvest and consumers eat fish.
In line with rebooting the revolocean, Don’t Cage Our Ocean Coalition (DCO2) is back in action. With some shifts in leadership and backbone support, DCO2 has been able to secure funding to hire 2 people (see below for a job opportunity!). DCO2 played a critical role in pressuring the previous administration to strike down the AQUAA Act. Since the AQUAA Act was reintroduced in early November, DCO2 will keep putting pressure on the administration to strike the act down again. Along with this, DCO2 continues to champion the Keep Finfish Free Act.
The House Natural Resources Subcommittee held a hearing on November 16 on the Sustaining America’s Fisheries for the Future Act (HR4690), authored by Representatives Jared Huffman and Ed Case. The Sustaining America’s Fisheries for the Future Act, an update and reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, aims to focus on the needs of fishing communities while addressing the consequences and challenges of climate change. Click here for a one-pager of the bill.

“Congressman Huffman's bill is a good first step toward addressing climate change, creating more resilient fisheries, and ensuring long-term sustainability of fish populations and our national fishing traditions,” said Kevin Scribner, Founder of Forever Wild Seafood.
On November 10, a letter signed by 267 Indigenous, frontline, environmental, business, political, and social justice organizations was delivered to the administration asking them to stop the sale of more than 80 million acres for oil and gas development in the Gulf of Mexico, known as Lease Sale 257. The administration failed to stop Lease Sale 257. Just as we’ve seen with land-grabbing in the agricultural industry, bottom grabbing, privatization, and consolidation of the ocean, through actions like Lease Sale 257, threaten the health of the ecosystem, and undermine the economic resilience of coastal communities. Along with this, Lease Sale 257 will disproportionately impact the region’s Black, Indigenous, and communities of color which are already more severely impacted by climate change. You can read the full letter here.
NH Community Seafood
NH Community Seafood is hiring a General Manager, operating out of their office in Portsmouth, NH. Deadline to apply is December 13. See the full job description for details and how to apply.
Don’t Cage our Ocean Coalition
Don’t Cage our Ocean Coalition (DCO2) is hiring a Legislative Director. Based in Washington, D.C., the Legislative Director will be the primary face of DCO2 on Capitol Hill, with federal agencies, the Administration, and often in the media. See the full job description here.
NAMA is a fishermen-led organization building a broad movement toward healthy fisheries, and fishing communities.

We build deep, and trusting relationships with community based fisherman, crew, fishworkers, and allies to create effective policy, and market strategies.

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