It’s a Maine Thing - Hezzy’s Sidewalk Talk

January 2008

Penobscot East Resource Center, Stonington, Maine

The great thing about living in Maine, and Downeast in particular, are the number of low-key, yet amazingly fascinating,  projects in the works that few people know about. It’s reflected in the arts, science, food, technology or manufacturing.  Sometimes these projects are international in scope or as innocent as an activity undertaken by the local third graders.  Behind many a door in sleepy villages in Maine, something great is brewing. And the only way you find out about it is because you know somebody, who knows somebody, who knows somebody. Talk about being connected.

Sorrento Harbor, Mt. Desert View, January

That recently happened to me when an acquaintance, Howdy, stopped by my coffee bar, the Maine Grind, in Ellsworth, on a recent wintry day. I was on my way to Stonington to visit Richard Penfold at Stonington Sea Products. Hearing I was heading that way, Howdy hitched a ride with me because he wanted to visit his friends at the Penobscot East Resource Center to check in with the Downeast Initiative in Stonington.I was totally unaware of the Downeast Initiative and had read only a little bit about the Penobscot Bay Resource Center. But, after spending 45 minutes in the car with Howdy on the trip down, not only did I become familiar with this community-based Center and the responsible things they are doing, I also learned about the Stonington Fisheries Alliance and the lobstermen who built the Zone C Lobster Hatchery in Stonington. Remember what I said about sleepy villages where dynamic projects are happening? This is one incredible project that I have to take the opportunity to share with you, dear reader.

The Penobscot East Resource Center is a community-based organization established in 2003 to help secure a future for fishermen and their communities. They support responsible fisheries management, collaborative marine science, and sustainable economic development that benefit fishermen, coastal communities on Penobscot Bay, and the eastern section of the Gulf of Maine. Does the name Ted Ames ring a bell? Remember the guy who won the McArthur Genius Award for his scientific research of cod migration patterns? His work, facilitated in part by Penobscot East, has translated fishermen’s traditional, sustainable knowledge of groundfish behavior on coastal Maine into concrete scientific data. The data that he has collected is helpful to current studies that aid in rebuilding groundfish stocks in Downeast Maine. (A Maine fisherman receiving a Mc Arthur Genius Award. Pretty sweet, huh?)

Islesboro, Aerial View, January, 2008

The Zone C Lobster Hatchery is the result of the collaborative effort between the Zone C Lobster Council, the Stonington Fisheries Alliance, and the Stonington Lobster Co-op with Penobscot East having provided the operational and staffing support necessary to build and operate this community project. Six area towns donated the time, materials, and money which have supported the hatchery through each growing season. It costs about $100,000 annually to operate the hatchery site.

Many of Maine’s coastal communities are dependent on only one fish . . . the lobster. An unexpected downturn could spell disaster for the livelihoods of thousands of people who work within this fragile industry, not to mention the i the coastal communities that are dependent on small-boat fisheries. Penobscot East Resource Center has helped create a structure and opportunities that have helped rebuild groundfish stocks, resource management plans for clams, reclaiming the scallop industry and providing long-term solutions to groudfishing challenges. The fishing stocks can be rebuilt. Managing them locally using responsible methods will guarantee that the stocks will be there for future generations.

The necessary first step to restore groundfish stocks in the Gulf of Maine is working with the New England-wide area Management Coalition. This group is made up of fishermen, scientists, conservation groups, and individuals working together to create a community-managed groundfish fishery in Downeast Maine. Collectively all these groups envision the Gulf of Maine once again over-run with fish supporting communities in sustainable and responsible ways. This will come as a result of careful, local management with everyone involved.

The first step has been the construction of the Zone C Lobster Fishery. Located in Stonington, this hatchery was built by and for fishermen. 40,000 lobsters, each the size of the top of your thumb, were released annually  in 2006 and 2007 in suitable habitat selected by local fisherman. The goal of the hatchery is to learn whether hatchery-grown lobsters can survive and improve the wild fishery in chosen areas along the Maine coast. The released lobsters are now Stage 4 in the development phase and just beginning to be bottom-dwelling.

Pretty interesting stuff, huh? Want to learn more? Visit the Zone C Lobster Hatchery at 51 Indian Point Road, Stonington, 367-2708. Or if you are in Stonington, visit the Penobscot East Resource Center located on the road above the Stonington Opera House. For information junkies, endless resource information related to the fisheries abounds. Well worth the trip. Our hat goes off to Robin Alden and her dedicated staff for doing such an amazing job!

Fisheries Facts:
Stonington, Maine once had 25 groundfish boats. Now it has fewer than 3.
Lobster provided 76 percent of Maine’s fisheries in 2005.