A local fishing management organization is fishing for proposals to do research that furthers its mission.
“The Morro Bay Community Quota Fund is pleased to announce the 2026 Research Fund Request for Proposals,” reads a news release from Quota Fund Executive Director, Dwayne Oberhoff. “This process will approve one or more grants for research projects that address needs relevant to the fishing communities of Morro Bay and/or Port San Luis.”
All told the Quota Fund has some $200,000 and anticipates funding one or two research proposals.
The non-profit organization’s mission is “to develop and enhance an economically and environmentally sustainable Central Coast fishery built upon local stewardship and management of marine resources and secured fishing rights anchored in the community.”
The Quota Fund is a byproduct of the Federal Catch Shares system, which sought to manage the groundfish fishery, the deep-water species normally caught with trawl nets or fish traps.
The Federal Government developed the system to manage the various fish species that have traditionally made up the backbone of Morro Bay’s commercial fishing industry, bringing in millions of tons of fish across the local docks.
It sprang from a desire to limit perceived damage done to the seafloor by trawl nets being dragged across the bottom. That led to the buyout of numerous fishing boats and permits by environmental organizations, most notably by the Nature Conservancy.
But simply buying out fishermen’s permits and retiring them couldn’t work, as requirements are that these permits must be fished or forfeited.
Permits had become valuable commodities with big corporations buying them up and combining them, with landings made at ports far from where the fish were caught.
It jeopardized the commercial fishing infrastructure, as with few fish to buy and sell, landings were in danger of closing. In small ports like Morro Bay and PSL, that could have devastating effects.
So, the catch shares system, was developed to limit the take, and in turn the Community Quota system arose from it, to try and ensure local fish were landed locally.
That means a certain amount of the fishery could be held by a local entity and leased to fishermen willing to go about their business in more environmentally sensitive ways, such as switching to traps and away from nets.
The lease payments that have been made over the years have been enough to repay TNC for the catch shares they held and for the executive director, with extra accumulating into such grant programs.
The Quota Fund is also working on a deal to donate some $150,000 to the Harbor Department to help with needed repairs to the Fishermen’s Wharf adjacent to Dockside Too in Morro Bay. That’s where the quota fish are landed.
“Each year,” Oberhoff’s release said, “Morro Bay Community Quota Fund leases groundfish quotas and permits to fishermen, offering prioritized leasing to fishermen who land in Morro Bay and Port San Luis.”
It’s a complicated system to navigate, with quirks like vastly different sized quotas for different species. When fish are pulled up from these depths, whatever comes up is mostly out of a fisherman’s control, which could lead to exceeding a particular quota or bi-catch, species outside the permits that can’t be landed.
Currently, there is only one commercial fisherman working the local quota, but Oberhoff said they may soon have a second boat under lease.
The Quota Fund released a list of priorities for what research projects it would consider and, “must address needs relevant to the fishing communities of Morro Bay and/or Port San Luis, and must be aligned with one or more of the following program priorities:
• Improved fisheries management;
• Strategies to increase markets for seafood landed in Morro Bay and/or Port San Luis; and/or,
• Other timely projects that impact the environmental and economic performance of Central Coast fisheries.”
They also issued some pointers to make a proposal more competitive:
• High potential for positive impacts on the fishing communities of Morro Bay and/or Port San Luis;
• Involves members of the fishing community in a collaborative role with the researchers; and,
• Has secured matching funds.
The fund will also only consider research projects “that are relevant and applicable to the fishing communities of Morro Bay and/or Port San Luis.”
The list of eligible applicants includes nonprofit organization, state government agencies, local governments, municipal governments, Indian tribes, educational institutions and businesses. Ineligible applicants include unincorporated individuals.
Certain uses are excluded from consideration:
• Fundraising campaigns or fundraising events;
• Payment of debt or legal settlements;
• Political or partisan purposes;
• Activities that are non-secular or promote a religious doctrine; and,
• Expenses incurred prior to the grant award date.
There are also several reporting requirements of grant awardees, including a final report on results from the research projects, due with 60 days of completion, among others.
If you have questions about the grant program, email dwayne@ecologicalmgmt.com. Applications are due before March 6 at 11:59 p.m. Awards will be announced May 8.
