Specialized programs. Built for this region.

Redwood Region Blue Economy

The Redwood Region's Blue Economy work starts from a simple premise: fishermen are farmers and rural coastal communities thrive when the work is treated as the agricultural and economic backbone it is. Funded by California Jobs First, West Center worked alongside the Noyo Harbor District to invest in the infrastructure, training, and market access that a working waterfront needs to stay competitive. This included building a 20-ton flake ice facility, the first of its kind in Fort Bragg, putting fishermen through professional safety and food safety training at no cost, and launching real-time systems that connect the public directly to fresh, local catch.

That work also reached beyond the docks and into the community. Local seafood now makes its way into Mendocino County schools, giving students a direct connection to the people who caught their lunch and bringing that awareness home to their families. A regional seafood identity program, North Coast Catch, grew out of this effort and is part of a broader push to build a coordinated North Coast seafood strategy through multiple harbors.

West Center is also part of a larger regional effort, the Redwood Region RISE coalition, taking on the role of sector investment coordinator for economic development across the Blue Economy, Working Lands in Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt and Del Norte counties. This means connecting harbor-level projects like Noyo to the broader regional and state infrastructure, policy, and funding conversations happening across the North Coast. The throughline across all of it is the belief that relationships are infrastructure, and that investing in the people who work the water pays off in stronger, more resilient rural economies.