Benjamin Crocker, Sr.
Assessing Vulnerability and Resilience in Maine Fishing Communities
This project developed a participatory, place-based approach for assessing the vulnerability and resilience of Maine fishing communities, documenting threats and resources available to respond to those threats. To understand the forces driving vulnerability, Johnson and graduate students Cameron Thompson and Anna Henry worked with community stakeholders to identify opportunities and strategies for improving resilience of fishing communities. They produced a summary report entitled, “In Their Own Words: Fishermen’s Perspectives of Community Resilience.” Once upon a time, Maine fishermen and women harvested a diversity of species, from groundfish and herring to lobsters, clams, shrimp, and scallops, depending on market conditions and resource abundance. Today, Maine’s fishing culture is concentrated in 50 coastal communities and is overwhelmingly dependent on lobster, while regulations have restricted other fisheries. Since 1990, the number of vessels landing groundfish in Maine dropped from 350 to 70. At least 72 groundfish permits have been lost, and dramatic changes in management are imminent, leading Johnson to wonder, “How vulnerable are Maine’s fishing communities? What can be done to improve their resiliency to future change?” These are the questions that federal fisheries managers must ask when assessing the impact of new rules, yet too often they don’t have the right data to answer the questions. This project developed a participatory, place-based approach for assessing the vulnerability and resilience of Maine fishing communities, documenting threats and resources available to respond to those threats. To understand the forces driving vulnerability, Johnson and graduate students Cameron Thompson and Anna Henry worked with community stakeholders to identify opportunities and strategies for improving resilience of fishing communities.
National Capital Contracting
On July 31, 2011, Sara Randall interviewed Benjamin F. Crocker for the "Assessing Vulnerability and Resilience in Maine Fishing Communities" project. The interview, conducted in Tenants Harbor, Maine, explores Crocker’s extensive experience in the fishing industry, beginning with clamming at age 8 and lobster fishing at age 11. Crocker discusses his family background in Machiasport, Maine, his lack of familial ties to fishing, and the influence of trial-and-error learning on his career. He details his operations in various fisheries, including lobstering, scalloping, and groundfishing, and reflects on the evolution of these industries over his lifetime. Crocker shares insights into the challenges of entering and sustaining a career in fishing, the technical aspects of different gear types, and the environmental and regulatory changes impacting fish stocks and fishing practices. He recounts the transition from unrestricted licensing to limited-entry permits and how regulations influenced his decision to leave the groundfishing industry by 2000. His experiences with local and regional markets for fish, including trucking logistics and price fluctuations, provide a broader context for economic trends in Maine's fisheries. Crocker also reflects on generational changes in fishing, discussing his family’s limited involvement in the business and his cautious encouragement of his grandchildren to pursue fishing careers.
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