Local Catch Network receives $500,000 USDA grant
The Local Catch Network, based in the UMaine School of Marine Sciences, has received a $499,463 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support better integration of seafood into local and regional food systems. Joshua Stoll, assistant professor of marine science and policy and Mitchell Center faculty fellow, co-founded and helps to run Local Catch.
The grant will help fund the creation of ‘Scale Your Local Catch,’ the first nationwide training and technical assistance program to catalyze sustainable direct-to-consumer seafood operations, according to an article in the Bangor Daily News. With this funding, Local Catch will begin building out the program’s infrastructure and expects to start recruiting its first cohort in the summer of 2021.
Josh will give a talk on April 19 as part of the Mitchell Center’s Sustainability Talks series on integrating seafood in local and regional food systems and the work of Local Catch.
MaineBiz also reported on how the recent funding will support Local Catch’s work.