To that end, our first goal is that fishermen become a voice for the diversity of fisheries and conservation of the eastern Gulf of Maine ecosystem and take responsibility for sustaining its resources. Fisherman stewardship will result in more fish and more opportunity for local small-scale fishing businesses. Eastern Maine is one of the places in the United States where this approach can succeed because of the area's fishing dependence, the stewardship in the lobster fishery, and the unavoidable and obvious fact that so many of the fisheries in the area are depleted. These communities have few alternatives. Fishing is their history, their culture -- and can be their future. We work in one of the few remaining community based fisheries in the USA, where the traditional culture is still virtually intact and children can expect to grow up and fish the way their great grand-fathers did- in small owner-operated boats going out in the early hours every day, six days a week. Penobscot East's work combines hope and practical grassroots action. Hope is essential to counter despair and apathy. Grassroots action provides tangible results. This type of cultural change is a long term process, creating the safe space where fishermen themselves grapple with changing to live within the bounds of the ecosystem they use. Our role is to provide a long term presence, contributing tools, skills and resources as needed for fishermen and fishing community members to do this.
Partial Data by Infogroup (c) 2024. All rights reserved.
Partial Data by Foursquare.