why now?
Economic Development
Economic Development
Oregon coast visitors spend about $840,000,000 on food stores and food services annually, contributing tremendous amounts of new money to our local economies each year. Even just a 10% increase in local seafood usage on the Oregon Coast would generate an additional $90 million for local economies.
Quick Facts
In 2021 alone, Oregon imported $105 million of seafood (Source)
OCVA estimates that $178,000,000 was lost in 2024 from the Oregon Coast food systems economic due to economic leakage (Source: OCVA)
Research indicates that a 10% increase in local seafood usage on the Oregon Coast would generate an additional $90 million for local economies (Source)
OCVA has found that ‘False scarcity' of locally sourced seafood denies emerging entrepreneurs the opportunity to experiment.
Oregon Dungeness Crab Fishery Volume and Price Trends (Source)
The Oregon Ocean Cluster brings together policymakers, impact investors, funders, producers, nonprofits, researchers, creatives, and community organizers to accelerate solutions that advance policy and investment for sustainable blue food systems, and unlock actionable pathways toward a resilient, equitable food future.