Slow Fish Debuts in Charleston, SC, Uniting Fishermen, Chefs, Researchers to Elevate Values-Driven Seafood

The first of its kind in six years, the November gathering will focus on more direct and localized supply chains to provide fair, high-quality seafood to North American consumers. 

CHARLESTON, SC — A gathering focused on reshaping seafood systems will take place in Charleston, SC from November 1-3, 2024. Titled “Crew Together: Catch the Rising Tide!,” this  gathering, co-organized by Slow Fish North America, Slow Food USA, and Slow Food Charleston, aims to build more direct, localized seafood supply chains rooted in food justice, sustainability, and community values. 

“Slow Fish 2024 brings together family-scale seafood harvesters, community fishmongers, chefs, educators, researchers, and advocates working together to create more direct supply chains based on our network values of providing good, clean, and fair seafood at the community level,” says Mara Welton, director of programs at Slow Food USA. “We’ll be plunging into serious conversations and exploring the threats that family fishers face. We’ll also be generating solutions, and stoking and sharing collective joy.” 

The conference, which will include attendees from as far as Hawai’i, Alaska, Louisiana, and Maine, representing more than 35 organizations, will kick off with a “key chord” from five keynote speakers. The speakers are Captain Charlie Abner, a fisherman operating out of the South Atlantic and owner of Capt. Charlie’s Fish Co; Kerry Marhefka, marine biologist and co-owner of Abundant Seafood in South Carolina; Captain Kindra Arnesen, a fisherwoman out of Louisiana and member of the Women’s Southern Fisheries Alliance; Buck Jones, marketing specialist with the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission; and Chef Dana Honn, owner of Carmo restaurant in Louisiana. Their speeches will bring up topics such as Tribal food sovereignty, mentoring young harvesters, the role of chefs in community-based seafood systems, and the impacts of climate change on fisheries.

The rest of the gathering includes deep dives on topics such as values-based seafood and aquaculture, local processing infrastructure, effective seafood marketing, whole fish utilization, fair access to ocean resources, and policy that supports fishing communities. By the end of the gathering, attendees will have built more community around Slow Fish values, gained resources to launch Slow Fish initiatives in their own regions, shaped a collective roadmap for engagement and advocacy, and thoroughly enjoyed Charleston’s sustainable seafood scene.

“The Slow Fish community has been a source of inspiration and support for me as I operate my local seafood business and train the next generation of young fishermen,” says Captain Charlie Abner, who is originally from Beaufort, SC, and has worked as a commercial fisherman for over 50 years. Abner is also a founding member of Atlantic Seafood Harvesters, a fisheries cooperative dedicated to empowering Black fishermen in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida to have more control over their catch, costs of operation, and seafood supply chain. 

In recent years, there has been greater public awareness of the flaws and ills of the global industrial seafood system, including ethical violations and vulnerability to disruptions. At the same time, interest in local seafood has surged. The United States, and North America broadly, holds a rich tapestry of deeply-rooted fishing communities and working waterfronts along its coasts. Yet these legacies are at risk as the seafood system has become increasingly industrialized, globalized, and dominated by powerful corporations. Today, some 65 to 90 percent of all seafood consumed in the US is imported, while much of the seafood landed domestically is exported (about $5 billion worth in 2023).

A recent study published in Nature Ocean Sustainability found that seafood independence, or a country’s ability to meet seafood consumption needs through its own production, is “within reach” for the US, particularly with more investment in local and regional seafood systems. In April 2024, food columnist Melissa Clark wrote in The New York Times, “the supply chains needed to support local seafood have been long neglected.” But, she said, referring to the work of Slow Fish and its partner Local Catch Network, “there are people working to rebuild them.” 

“There’s a lot of work to be done at the grassroots level, which is why the Slow Fish movement is focused on nurturing community connection. We’re working toward seafood systems built on relationships and trust between their various participants, from harvesters and processors to consumers and chefs,” says Colles Stowell, network coordinator at Slow Fish North America and founder of One Fish Foundation. “At the same time, we’re helping educate people about policy-level change, which is why we’re excited to support the recently introduced Domestic Seafood Production Act, which would invest $90 million into coastal community development projects to boost local seafood infrastructure.” 

Having been on hiatus over the last several years due to COVID-19, this network-wide Slow Fish gathering last took place virtually in 2021 and in-person in San Francisco in 2018. The theme of this year’s much-anticipated event refers to the need to “crew together,” meaning get all hands on deck, in order to build seafood systems centered on food sovereignty, social justice, and ecological stewardship. It also refers to the network’s Rising Tide program, a series of initiatives that Slow Fish has introduced to communities across the country, featuring events such as Chefs Camps, “KNOW FISH” dinners, and Seafood Throwdowns. 

“We’re excited to welcome so many lovers and builders of sustainable seafood to Charleston to experience the rich seafood scene and local food ecosystem that we’re lucky to be steeped in here,” says Kerry Marhefka, who, along with her husband, Captain Mark Marhefka, provides local, sustainable seafood to Charleston restaurants, as well as directly to consumers through a community-supported fishery and via retail sales at their Shem Creek dock in Mount Pleasant. 

Register and see the detailed agenda for Slow Fish 2024 here. For press entry, reach out to Feini Yin ([email protected]).