SAIL Catalyst

SAIL Catalyst is a 2.5-month, producer-centered business training program developed to help seafood companies build the knowledge, skills, and networks needed to sustain and/or grow their operations. The program is run as a partnership between the Local Catch Network and Ecotrust.

SAIL Catalyst Details

Application Information

The application for the 2026 Winter Cohort is open until November 23, 2025.

Up to 15 businesses will be accepted into the SAIL Catalyst program. Not all applicants who apply for SAIL Catalyst will be accepted. The acceptance rate varies yearly.

Who Should Apply?

Community-based seafood businesses in the United States that are interested in sustaining or scaling up their operations and sell a portion of their catch directly to consumers through community supported fisheries (CSF), restaurants, institutions, and/or other similar outlets are invited to apply. Access to the internet, a computer, and a webcam with a microphone are required to participate.

Successful applicants will be businesses that meet the following selection criteria:

Operate a business and have direct experience in business planning, strategy, finance, and direct marketing.
Identify as a small- or mid-sized seafood business.
Alignment with the network’s core values.
Engage in anti-racism, food/environmental justice, and/or food sovereignty activities.
Have a demonstrated commitment to increasing access to seafood within communities.
Have an interest in networking with other seafood businesses.
Are committed to actively participating in the program’s activities, including attending weekly virtual trainings, webinars, doing offline work as assigned, responding to program-related communications, filling out evaluations, etc.

What to Expect

SAIL Catalyst participants will learn alongside their peers during virtual sessions twice a week. These sessions are 1.5 hours over three months.

Catalyst sessions are led by professional service providers who understand the unique needs of seafood harvesters. Catalyst participants can expect to deepen their knowledge and competencies in the following areas:

Business Structure/Entity Formation
Contracts and Partnerships
Accounting Framework for Managing Liquidity and Building Wealth
Marketing
Introduction to Taxation
Access to Capital
Labor & Employment for your Fishing Business
Necessities in Insurance and Understanding Risk
Cashflow

Review a sample program syllabus for full session descriptions.

Participants must be able to attend a majority of the training sessions and be willing to complete “homework” between sessions. Participants can expect to commit a total of approximately 50 hours to the program. A full agenda with training dates will be distributed upon acceptance into the program.

As part of our efforts to assess the effectiveness of the program, participants are required to complete a series of evaluations throughout the duration of the program and beyond.

Program Timeline

A typical timeline looks like…

October 20, 2025 – Application period opens.
October 29, 2025 – SAIL Catalyst info session. This is an opportunity to hear directly from the SAIL Catalyst team, learn more about the program, and ask questions. Register today!
November 23, 2025 – Application period closes
December 15, 2025 – Applicants are notified of their application status. Accepted applicants will be asked to complete a business health assessment before the start of the program.
January 13, 2026 – April 2, 2026 – Virtual program trainings will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from 1:00 – 2:30 PM ET.
In-person Gather – As part of the SAIL Catalyst program, participants will have the opportunity to join an in-person, networking gathering (optional). Details about this gathering will be forthcoming.

Program Cost

We have been able to offer the SAIL Catalyst program at no cost to participants through the generous support of multiple funders.

If you are interested in financially supporting future cohorts of SAIL Catalyst participants you can donate to the Local Catch Network fund. If you would like to volunteer or provide professional services, please contact us.

Partners

SAIL Catalyst is modeled after Ecotrust’s Ag of the Middle accelerator. LCN has partnered with Ecotrust to develop and implement Catalyst programming. Consultants and community organizations who are familiar with the needs of small-to-mid scale fishing businesses that participate in direct marketing are contracted to facilitate key trainings.

Questions?

Refer to our recorded information sessions, or contact Local Catch (info@localcatch.org) and Tyson Rasor (trasor@ecotrust.org).

2025 Cohort

Fifteen seafood businesses are participating in the 2025 SAIL Catalyst program. Get to know the cohort:

Fishermen’s Market (California)

Pelagic Fish Company (Alaska)

Fish Food (Minnesota)

Little Fish Fine Seafood Market (Oregon)

Levelock Tribal Fisheries, LLC (Alaska)

Whidbey Island Seafood Company (Washington)

Slipstream Sockeye (Vermont)

Clam Daddy’s (New Jersey)