Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders' Alliance

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The Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance is the largest organization of commercial snapper and grouper fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico.  The Shareholders' Alliance works hard to ensure that fisheries are sustainably managed so fishing businesses can thrive, and fishing communities can exist for future generations.  The Shareholders' Alliance consists of the harvesters that provide much of the American public with a reliable source of domestically-caught wild Gulf seafood and holds the philosophy that sustainable seafood and profitable fishing businesses depend on healthy fish populations.

The fishermen of the Shareholders’ Alliance actively engage with scientists, managers, academics, seafood suppliers, environmental allies and other fishermen to improve fish stocks, fishing businesses, fishing communities, and American seafood consumers' access to Gulf seafood.  Some of its dedicated campaign work includes programs that: 

• Ensure fishermen are part of the science and management process
• Protect commercial fishing quotas
• Promote sustainable seafood access
• Implement effective fishery management strategies
• Improve fishery science and data collection systems
• Support opportunities for the next generation of commercial fishermen
• Defend sustainable fishery laws and policies
• Improve accountability
• Reduce bycatch
• Maintain critical fishery habitat 
• Improve water quality

Gulf Wild™ is a registered program of the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance that provides real-time tracking of Gulf of Mexico seafood. Created by environmentally conscious Gulf Coast fishermen, Gulf Wild™ involves a unique suite of sustainability, seafood safety, tracking, and marketing solutions all under a single label. It is the only fishermen-run traceability program that requires participants to adhere to a strict series of "Conservation Covenants". Any seafood product tagged with a Gulf Wild™ label can be traced all the way through the supply chain to the fisherman who originally caught the fish. This ensures consumers the safety and authenticity of their fish. 

The Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders' Alliance launched the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Quota Bank in the Gulf of Mexico in 2015 to reduce red snapper discards in the eastern Gulf and to support the next generation of commercial red snapper fishermen. The Quota Bank leases red snapper allocation to the following two groups of fishermen:1) eligible grouper fishermen that need red snapper allocation to cover some of their discards, and 2) Eligible "next-generation" red snapper fishermen that are entering the fishery. In exchange, the Members agree to report their catches electronically, participate in regulatory meetings, and adhere to a series of Best Business Practices. The Quota Bank is the only program of its kind in the Gulf of Mexico that is generating quadruple-bottom-line benefits for its fishery by:

• Reducing red snapper discards,
• Improving the profitability of fishing businesses,
• Supporting the next generation of fishermen, and
• Facilitating fishermen involvement in solving management and regulatory problems.