A Fund for Fishermen: Catch Together’s Fund Enters Next Chapter

Chris Watt on the left with fellow fishermen

From the windswept shores near Provincetown’s Race Point Lighthouse to the bustling Chatham Fish Pier, Chris Watt has spent the past season on Cape Cod’s docks and fishing boats. The goal wasn’t just observation—it was immersion.

“My focus has been on building relationships, learning about problems on the docks, and understanding the challenges in quota-managed fisheries in New England,” he says. “But also to ground-truth the co-op model we’re developing at Catch Together with fishermen and see how it fits with the reality on the water.”

Chris’ path to this work was shaped by a lifelong connection to natural resource–based economies. A passionate fly fisherman, he first examined fisheries governance during a Fulbright in Vanuatu and went on to study environmental management and economics at Duke, focusing on the intersection of finance and conservation to address systemic challenges. At Catch Together—founded as a fiscally-sponsored program in 2017 by Paul Parker and Erica Murphy—he found a home for that vision. The organization was built on a simple premise: the people who know the ocean best should have a real stake in its future. Today, as Director of Programs & Strategy, Chris works at the critical junction of capital and community, advancing shared ownership models designed to keep fishing access rooted in local hands. 

LegacyWorks Group began supporting Catch Together in 2022, initially through strategic consulting to refine the organization’s business model and impact framework. Beyond shaping strategy, LegacyWorks helped strengthen Catch Together’s internal capacity—helping the two-person team build organizational infrastructure, governance, and operational systems. LegacyWorks also helped the team strengthen its collaborative network of Community Fishing Organizations and funders, bringing these key partners into Catch Together’s strategy and organizational development process. 

This groundwork laid the foundation for the design and launch of Catch Together’s $10 million Quota Acquisition Fund to secure fishing rights and hold them in community-controlled structures. LegacyWorks helped structure the fund and secure grants and recoverable grants for quota and permit acquisition. The fund launched  in March 2024, and now stands at $6.7 million thanks to initial investments from the Walton Family Foundation, Builders Vision, innovaciones Alumbra, and the Campbell Foundation. 

Since inception the fund has been housed at and managed by LegacyWorks, but with its expanded capacity and the successful launch of its new Massachusetts 501(c)3 nonprofit, Catch Together is ready to take on management of the fund. 

Rebecca Kern

Rebecca Kern is another young leader helping make this transition possible. Her journey bridges capital markets and working waterfronts. After a career in finance and wealth management, she found herself drawn to the people behind the seafood supply chain. She joined Catch Together in 2024 and now serves as Catch Together’s Director of Capital & Growth where she moves seamlessly between investor meetings and fishing docks, translating cooperative ownership models into language both funders and fishermen can trust.

“It’s an incredibly dangerous job, and these fishermen are willing to risk their lives for the American people,” she says. “I want people to see where their seafood comes from.”

With their expanded team, growing quota portfolio, and expanding engagement with fishermen, momentum is building. LegacyWorks and Catch Together have already secured $3.4 million in fishing quota across New England, the Gulf of Mexico, and Alaska, and several large deals are in the works. Catch Together is already creating access for community-based fishermen while setting the stage to move quota into cooperative ownership structures in the years ahead. 

From the docks to the boardroom, Catch Together is building a model that restores ownership, builds community and supports long-term resilience within fishing communities. As Chance Adams, a fisherman from Freeport, TX, reflects, “If you have a group of people moving toward a common goal, then there is not much that can stop you. Fishermen are stronger together.”

LegacyWorks is thrilled to see Catch Together stepping into this next chapter with their increased capacity, empowered to grow what Chris calls “an army of champions” for a new system of ownership and cooperative management of fishing quotas—a vision that has him, and everyone involved, energized about what’s possible.