Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

  • Collection DOI:
    Principal Investigator:
    Natalie Springuel
  • Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2018 is a project of Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, and the Island Institute, with support from the Maine Fishermen’s Forum Board of Directors.

Interviewee Sort descending Collection Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Marcia Beal Brazer Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

Marcia Beal Brazer, from Ogunquit, ME, shares a personal story about her husband Norman Brazer, a lobsterman, who got tangled in a lobster buoy rope and fell overboard while fishing near Boon Island, ME. N. Brazer was lucky that he was carrying a knife and was able to untangle himself; however, when he surfaced, he could not find his boat. Luckily, another lobsterman, Mark Sewell, noticed N. Brazer’s body floating and took him to the hospital. After three rounds of CPR, N. Brazer finally responded. He is still a lobsterman. M.

Matt Frassica, Corina Gribble Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute
Marina Cucuzza Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

Marina Cucuzza, a marine researcher from Boston, MA, is currently working on her thesis which assesses the capacity for sustainability in coastal communities. She discusses buzz words such as resilience and sustainability which she finds important to define and what she has come across in her projects so far.

Matt Frassica, Corina Gribble Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute
Merritt Carey Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

Merritt Carey, from Tennent’s Harbor, ME, grew up summering in Maine and is now a key member of the Maine Aquaculture Co-op. In this interview, she recounts her experiences working Maine, including delivering lobster, being a crew member in the second all-female crew to participate in an around-the-world sailing race, and buying a wharf and forming the Maine Aquaculture Co-op. Her goal is to make sure that aquaculture money stays at the shore.

Galen Koch, Teagan White Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute
Micah Woodcock Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

Micah Woodcock, a wild seaweed harvester from Stonington, ME, speaks about the reality of the practical, personal, and community sides of harvesting wild seaweed. He discusses his experiences in Maine and his opinions of the future of the seaweed industry and the people influenced by this business.

Galen Koch Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute
Patrick Shepard Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

Patrick Shepard works for the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries and was born in Stonington, ME. He talks about his experiences growing up in a fishing family and lobstering with his brother from a very young age. He also speaks about the changes he sees in his hometown and what the future of fishing in Maine might hold, particularly in finding ways to make more money from a smaller amount of high quality product.

Galen Koch, Matt Frassica, Kaitlyn Clark Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute
Paul Molyneaux Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

Paul Molyneaux, an author, journalist, and former urchin harvester and fisherman from Milbridge, ME, speaks about the capitalism and economics of the fishing industry. He also speaks about his experiences winkling for periwinkle snails and diving for sea urchins as well as participating in the governance of the sea urchin fishery.

Matt Frassica Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute
Phoebe Jekielek Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

Phoebe Jekielek, an education program leader on Hurricane Island, ME, speaks about the realities and importance of working with students on Hurricane Island. She discusses changes she has observed through her years of work and the successes and challenges of aquaculture in education.

Rebecca Clark Uchena Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute
Richard Nelson Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

Richard Nelson is a retired lobsterman out of Friendship, ME. He moved to Maine to continue a musical instrument repair business, but the ocean view from the window of his shop called him out onto the water. He tells the story of how he started out helping and learning from a long-time lobsterman while slowly building up his own equipment and credibility in the community.

Galen Koch, Rebecca Clark Uchena Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute
Robert Morse Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

Robert Morse is the owner of Atlantic Laboratories North American Kelp. He runs a plant in Waldoboro, ME, that has been operating since the 1970s to produce fertilizers and animal feed supplements out of rockweed. They export to more than 24 countries and have established a global market for seaweed. Morse talks about the uses for “liquid seaweed” as well as how the seaweed business has changed over the years.

Galen Koch Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute
Rustin Taylor Voices of the Maine Fishermen's Forum 2018

Rustin Taylor, from Somesville, ME, is an elver fisherman who fishes around Mount Desert Island and Ellsworth. He talks about the changes in the fishery over time and the environmental balances to consider when fishing. He explains some of the factors that affect this fishery, such as water level fluctuations caused by the Union River Dam and the quota system established after the 2013 season.

Natalie Springuel, Rebecca Clark Uchena Rockland, ME Maine Fishermen’s Forum, Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute