# San Giovanni

Iconic commercial fishing vessel delivering fresh seafood in Monterey since 1959

## Elevator pitch
The San Giovanni is a third-generation, family-run commercial fishing boat. Our family has been catching fish on her, over 70 different species, out of Monterey Bay since 1959. When my father-in-law passed away four years ago, operations stopped as ownership was transferred to my wife and me. Now, we're raising funds to finish refurbishing the iconic all-wooden boat so we can get back on the water and start fishing. 

- Canonical URL: https://wefunder.com/san.giovanni
- Entity ID: wefunder:company:28484
- Last updated: 2026-06-10T05:00:10Z
- Generated at: 2026-06-10T10:47:22Z

## Quick facts
- Projected $400K to $750K in revenue each year, $240K in yearly expenses. 
- Capable of $20,000 worth of fish in a three-day trip.
- One of 120 boats in the Certified Sustainable West Coast Groundfish Trawl Fishery. 
- Third-generation family business.
- 70-foot wooden boat, 75 years old.
- The F/V San Giovanni LLC owns California State Halibut trawl permit and lease for Federal Limited Entry Trawl permit. These two permits allow the boat operate all year round without seasonal restrictions.

## Active fundraises
- wefunder:fundraise:19754: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)

## FAQ
1. **Once you are up and running, are you the type that just wants to do the job or are you open to putting in adjustable efforts to reduce costs, make business improvements, and increasing margins?**
   - For the last 15 years our industry and business has been handling a very large growth in regulatory burdens. We` have had to completely redo our operation from what it was 20 or 30 years ago. In 2011 the whole fishery management changed again to a new system (catch share management) which brought a prospect of long term planning and management. We are constantly looking for improvements in our fishing gear efficiency, quality of product improvements and new market opportunities. That is ...
2. **WHAT IS THE MINIMUN DEBT INVESTMENT IN THIS PROJECT**
   - You can invest as little as $100
3. **I have a strong affinity for what you’re doing and am considering a five figure investment. What debt do you currently have that may be considered Senior Indebtedness within the terms of the note? It sounds like any commercial, venture, etc debt that you take on after your fun...**
   -   First, let me thank you for your interest and your consideration in investing in our venture. We really appreciate it.  Currently we do not hold any debt or loan and we do not anticipate taking on any additional loans, if this fundraiser is successful. Once we are operational, we fully expect to be able to sustain our business by fishing the boat.  
4. **Also, what is the FMV of the vessel and equipment that is being offered to secure this loan?**
   - Until the boat is completely finished, we cannot provide a completed survey to evaluate it. The replacement value of the vessel is around 200-300K, but the vessel or its equipment are not used as a security for this loan. I hope this answered your question. Thank you again.
5. **5 Years ago you were quoted in this article that it is impossible to earn a living with the system that is in effect. Jeremiah O'Brien and his wife, Trudy, on their boat in Morro Bay. “The catch share system is probably the worst thing that ever happened to the fishing industr...**
   - Dear Sir, Thank you for your interest in the history of our industry and our business. While I do not really see you asking a specific question about our venture, I will try to address the article you are pointing out. Our industry went through two decades of dramatic changes. In the year 2000 there were about 300 permits and boats in our west coast ground fish fishery. The fishery and its management had been under great stress with long lines of lawsuits over supposed inadequate protection o...

## Team
- Elizabeth Nozicka (Founder)
- Jiri Nozicka (CEO)

## Recent posts
- An update from Wefunder about your Payout (2021-02-26T04:11:44Z)

## Q&A
- Q: Thank you for TWO payments !! I didn't see that coming :)
- Q: Any chance of getting a photo of your boat that I can frame and put on my office wall?
- Q: Just saw the update and wanted to wish you well. (Also just received my first payment.). I hope I can come (from Hawai’i) to see your boat some day. I was one of the first women in Hawai’i to get a commercial captain’s license from USCG and also spent two years sailing through the S Pacific. I’m out good on power boats (the fumes make me seasick) but love the ocean and love your beautiful old boat and your sense of family tradition. My father was from Sicily. Do you know what part/port your father was from?
- Q: What kind of gear do you operate? Is it "light touch"? Can you say something about regulatory and environmentalist pressure?
  - A: Hi Ricardo, Thank you for your interest and question. A light touch trawl gear is very popular term surrounding our industry in the last few years. The "light touch" can describe several different designs of trawl nets and gear. For example in California Halibut trawl fishery it describes specific design combinations ( no rollers on the net, small size of otter boards, only approved "paranzella" net ..etc. ) this type of design is working reasonably well for the fleet of mostly smaller vessels(35-45ft) in very shallow waters in which the California halibut can be harvested. However these nets and the combination design will not be much efficient and even environmentally any more better than regular modern style nets. These nets will be fishing in different types of bottom, mostly soft. And thus they have to be light to the bottom by design otherwise will not be able to produce at all. There are some new concepts getting developed with midwater otter boards(which do not touch bottom) , but they can be only used on only some types of fish and bottom types and mostly for larger 80-90ft boats (bigger horsepower). So in other words the "light touch"depends on the eye of the beholder. As for our boat, we have been using very small selective flat fish gear nets in the last 15 or so years. Our gear is tuned to 300HP engine, which is about half of traditional west coast trawlers power of the same size boat, therefore our gear is considerabely smaller and thus lighter then rest of the fleet. hope this helps jiri
- Q: Hi Jiri, Can you contact Wefunder and have them update records? I'm showing as having my full investment in my portfolio, but I think the loan has been fully paid off, so it should be showing as zero. Thanks!
- Q: Hi Jiri, I was expecting the last payment quite some time ago. Please tell us when you will be sending it. Soon I hope... aloha, mary
  - A: Hi Mary. I hope you're doing well. First thank you for all your incredible support and help. We have made our last payment to wefunder almost a year ago. I'll see if I can contact them and make sure they disbursed all of the payments to you all. Thank you again. Jiri
- Q: Hi Jiri. I hope all is well with you and the boat and business. Is there any way you can tell me the interest I received in 2023? I need to report it on my income taxes. Please next year prepare 1099-INT forms for all of us. Thanks. But for now, just a number I can pass on to my tax preparer. Thanks!
- Q: Hi Jiri. I hope all is well with you and the boat and business. Is there any way you can tell me the interest I've received? I need to report it on my income taxes. Please next year prepare 1099-INT forms for all of us. Thanks. But for now, just a number I can pass on to my tax preparer. Thanks!
- Q: Hi! I'm checking back in on the part of the investment about getting fish. Has that started yet? If so, can you tell us how to connected? Thank you.
  - A: Hello Trish, Unfortunately, right now the only way getting fish to you is , if you can come directly to Monterey`s Wharf when we come from fishing and we can give you the fish that way, Three years ago, we have lost our space here on the wharf with Royal Seafoods losing its lease on the wharf here. At this moment, we unfortunately don`t have the abilities to send the fish out. But if you have any chance , or way of being here in Monterey, We`ll get you the fish anytime we come from fishing. thank you for all your support and hopefully we`ll see you here sincerelly jiri
- Q: Hi Jiri and Elizabeth, Please be so considerate as to provide your lenders a detailed update. I think there is only a year left on your note but you have only repaid about half the loan. Thank you for keeping up with your quarterly payments in 2022. Please let us know where the business stands, where we stand and what to expect. Photos would also be greatly appreciated. Aloha, Mary
  - A: Hello Mary. We wanted to than you all for all of your support and wish you all a Happy New year. Sorry for not keeping up with all the updates as much as we would wish, or probably also should. It has been quite challenging year, but also very exciting . We have started fishing in the August of 2021, but due to the physical injury, we have made only one short trip in that year. Last January, we have started fishing on regular basis, so we have one full year behind us. We have made 16 fishing trips last year, which was some less then we hoped for, but considering all the circumstances it was actually a great year. In all we have landed almost 200 000 lbs of fish. Which is about half of our intended goal, but it was a great first year and great firs step to build on this year. The commercial fishing infrastructure in Monterey and pretty much the whole central coast of California deteriorated even further and so now not only we fish, we have to sell all our catches, independently. In 2021 we found our selves in situation when we have had no fish buyer, no place to unload our catch here in Monterey, but also no one to even unload our fish here due to special licencing requirements. Due to all these challenges we as the F/V San Giovanni LLC had to acquire all licencing necessary for full independent operation as a fish receiver, wholesaler, direct from boat to customer sale and this year also some fish processing operation. It is a lot of work, but it is the only way to make it right now. Thankfully we have some great relations with many local fish purveyors, businesses and restaurants and we were able to sell all of our catch last year. Thanks to these relations we managed to sell about 60% of fish right here locally in the Monterey Bay area and rest in the San Francisco Bay area. Some of the great local restaurants and stores are selling our Petrale Sole, Rock Fish, Sand Dabs, Halibut and other fish from our boat. Our Local Meals on wheels services, which provides about 3000 meals a day for local seniors are using our fish on regular basis, During our dock sales in Monterey Harbor (4 times this year) people come as far as 100 miles away to buy our fish directly off the boat. It is very nice to see people so excited when they have the ability to purchase such a fresh product this way. I know that we have promised some of you to receive some fish from us on quarterly basis, from our Royal Seafoods affiliate business. Unfortunately the Royal Seafoods no longer exists , so we hope you would understand that due to our circumstances, we were not able to do so. As our operation evolve with its capabilities this year , we would like start doing so, but it is still hard to say if we will be able to do so this year. There are many hurdles to overcome, but we believe that we are on the good track. This year we would like to secure our own place here, where we can have our own Ice plant and other equipment to really utilize the boats capability to catch fish in the most productive and sustainable way for our community. Again We wanted to thank you for all your support, it really means a lot to us
- Q: Hi guys. I have received payments from you. I contacted wefunder because I wanted to get a 1099-int from this loan. I also wondered whether I am receiving all the money you have sent my way or if wefunder takes a cut off the top. A later question to them about this and other companies earned me the following quote. "Companies deal with their own 1099s so for any inquiries related to them you'll have to reach out to the company directly. " This last time I got notified on 3/31 that you had sent me a payment and I went in and said how i wanted the payment. on 6/2 , I sent a question to them: " Any idea what happened to my two payments. I did my sending them to my checking account. Any idea why these have not shown up or is there an extended period when they are not sent? Also, who is responsible for sending out 1099's? When you send me money, I have no idea what part is principal and which part is interest. kind of makes it difficult for tax time. Are you taking portion of the payments on loans?" I got no response for these questions. And the payments did show up that day. That would be 2 months after you sent them the money. Can you talk with them and straighten out these issues.. I do not have any idea how much you paid and if i received the same amount. I am very happy with this investment. I was very happy to assist in getting you back in the water. Alan Weiss
- Q: Also, my records show only two repayments so far - Sept 2020 and Feb 2021. If there was a payment since Feb, it may not have hit my account from Wefunder yet. Please let us know all dates of payments made and what to expect going forward. aloha, Mary
- Q: Can you please tell us when/if we can expect a 1099 for 2020.
- Q: Hi Jiri and Elizabeth, Can you please give us an update on your progress? Would love to hear how it's going and see some photos. Aloha, Mary
- Q: Hi Jiri, First of all, Thank you for the first of the quarterly payments! I was very happy to see this arrive in my bank account since that means your plans are progressing. I'm sure there are lots of ongoing challenges. The first payment arrived 8/11, so that suggests the second quarterly payment should arrive 11/11 or so? Please let me know what to expect going forward so I can plan. Thanks :-)
  - A: Hello Walter, thank you for your support and staying in touch. We started making paymentd in April 2020. Every payment is due quarterly. I am not sure of how the Wefunder distributes it. But I assume its quarterly as well.  Regarding the fishing. We are trying to reconfigure the new operation. During this pandemic our industry has basically collapsed. The markets are in really bad shape, which affected us greatly. However we should be fishing this spring in some form. We will keep you posted on our progress. We hope you all are OK in the middle of all this.God bless yousincerellyjiri​