The Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association (CCCHFA) is a group of fishermen that came together in 1991 to discuss and deliberate the future of their industry and the ocean that had sustained their way of life.  They decided to form an organization that would be an active voice for their interest in preserving a healthy ocean, balanced with a need to maintain the viability of local coastal fishing communities.  Through careful growth of fiscal and human resources, membership and volunteerism, the CCCHFA has evolved to have a prominent public presence.  With ten staff and an active Board of fishermen and concerned coastal residents, the CCCHFA is positioned for a future of ongoing activism and influence on the decision making process that directly affects the lives of its core constituency while promoting conservation and restoration of limited marine resources. 

The Sustainable Fisheries Trust concept comes at a significant time for the fishing industry.  Marine fisheries and fishing communities in the United States face a perfect storm of challenges: depletion of resources through overfishing and excessive by-catch, as well as habitat damage, rapidly increasing corporatization of the seas, and flawed public policies. The impacts of these problems are most severely felt by the rural coastal communities and fishing families that have for generations depended on the health of this industry. Extensive job loss, reduced wages, business closings, out-migration, and falling school enrollments are among the most visible effects. Without deliberate actions to improve the present situation, the nation's marine fisheries and fishing communities are at risk of irreversible decline