Apply to join the Commercial Fisheries Thought Leadership Forum on mCDR
By Sarah Schumann
May 19, 2025 — Commercial fishermen, seafood businesses, and fisheries representatives are invited to join a Thought Leadership Forum on Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR). This is an opportunity to collaborate with other dedicated fisheries stakeholders to set the tone for industry engagement in the field of mCDR. To apply, fill out this form by August 15.
mCDR is a set of experimental techniques that could someday make a sizable contribution in the fight to curb climate change. These techniques work by enhancing the ocean’s natural ability to sequester carbon from the atmosphere, either though photosynthetic activity or abiotic carbon cycles. However, mCDR techniques could have various impacts on fishery ecosystems, resources, and the communities who depend on them. Although little is yet known about these impacts — which could be positive or negative — now is the time for fishermen to get informed and develop a presence in the mCDR space.
By cultivating a credible and thoughtful voice on these complex issues, the fishing community has a shot to steer the field of mCDR towards responsible, fishery-sensitive development pathways as it matures.
Development of an informed fisheries presence in mCDR is already underway. In Spring 2025, 34 fishermen and fisheries representatives participated in a series of virtual roundtables hosted through the Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign in collaboration with the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance and staff from the Alaska Ocean Acidification Network, California Current Acidification Network, and Northeast Coastal Acidification Network. At these roundtable sessions, fishermen discussed core values, creative ideas, and industry concerns and priorities related to mCDR research, development, and governance.
Over the summer, input gleaned from these sessions will be used to develop a set of guidance memos outlining steps that the fishing community, the research community, the regulatory community, and the developer community can take to ensure that mCDR is deployed in ways that respect and uphold the integrity of marine ecosystems and ocean-dependent communities.
From September 2025 to February 2026, the Thought Leadership Forum on mCDR will act as a steering committee and sounding board for the finalization and publication of these guidance memos. The Thought Leadership Forum will also chart a course for further engagement by the fishing community on mCDR and may continue meeting after this timeframe (if desired) to contribute a fisheries perspective to input opportunities that arise in the future.
We are seeking a diverse group of participants from across the seafood spectrum. Although we expect the group will be weighted towards Alaska, the West Coast, and the Northeast (the Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign’s current sphere of collaboration), we welcome applicants from other U.S. regions. We aim to include at least one representative of a tribal nation with fisheries involvement, in order to facilitate strategic collaboration between tribal and nontribal coastal communities in the context of mCDR.
Stipends are available to support participation, and we will work around participants’ fishing schedules.
For inquires related to this opportunity, please contact Sarah Schumann at fisheryfriendlyclimateaction@gmail.com.
