Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2019

  • Collection DOI:
    Principal Investigator:
    Natalie Springuel
  • Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2019 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
Adam Mistler Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2019

Adam Mistler is an advocate for environmental conservation and collaboration between environmental nonprofits and fishing communities. As a representative of the Ocean Conservancy, he works to dispel misconceptions and build bridges with lobstermen, emphasizing their role as stewards of their livelihoods. Adam's passion lies in positive storytelling and engaging with diverse stakeholders to find common ground in addressing environmental challenges while supporting sustainable fishing practices.

Galen Koch, Giulia Cardoso Rockland, ME Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute, Maine Fishermen’s Forum
Alex DeKoning Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2019

Alex DeKoning, a mussel farmer based out of Bar Harbor, ME, is the son of seventh generation mussel farmers from Holland. His family has been farming mussels in the Netherlands since the 1750s. However, due to limited expansion opportunities there, they decided to explore other regions and eventually settled in Maine. DeKoning and his family run the only mussel farms in North America that farm mussels on the bottom instead of on ropes.

Matt Frassica Rockland, ME Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute, Maine Fishermen’s Forum
Ali Berlow Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2019

Ali Berlow is a graduate student at Vermont Law School from Martha's Vineyard, MA studying how the role of Atlantic herring has changed in the U.S. food system. She came to the Forum to ask fishermen for their perspectives and talks about her findings as well as how she connects marine fisheries to her work in local-regional food systems and how eaters can support fishermen.

Scope and Content Note

Natalie Springuel, Eliza Oldach Rockland, ME Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute, Maine Fishermen’s Forum
Anne Hayden Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2019

Anne Hayden is a senior fisheries program manager at Manomet from Brunswick, ME. She has spent over 20 years actively participating in the Maine Fishermen's Forum, engaging with fishermen and researchers to understand the pressing issues and trends in the industry.

Corina Gribble , Natalie Springuel Rockland, ME Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute, Maine Fishermen’s Forum
Bobby Ingalls and Reggie Lee Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2019

Bobby Ingalls is a seasoned lobster fisherman from Bucks Harbor, Maine, with decades of experience in the industry. Known for his resilience and love for the sea, Bobby embraces the traditional aspects of fishing and values sustainable practices.

Reggie Lee, from Westport Island near Boothbay Harbor, is a versatile fisherman who has dabbled in lobstering, dragging, shrimping, and eel trapping throughout his 46-year career. Reggie is transitioning to longlining and eagerly explores new fishing opportunities while advocating for the preservation of smaller-scale fisheries.

Natalie Springuel, Giulia Cardoso Rockland, ME Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, Maine Fishermen’s Forum
Bruce Bourque Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2019

Bruce Bourque lives in Freeport, ME, where he has taught archaeology and conducted research at Bates College since 1972. Now retired from teaching, he is working on a documentary film on the history of Maine's fisheries. Bourque came to the state originally to study Maine's prehistory, the period before 1600, and the people that lived on this coast. He was able to collaborate with others to combine this archaeological record with more recent accounts of fisheries history to build a longer timescale of context for how the Gulf of Maine has been changing.

Matt Frassica Rockland, ME Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute, Maine Fishermen’s Forum
Butch Harris Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2019

Butch Harris is a seasoned fisherman and summertime charter captain from Eastport, Maine. He has spent the majority of his life engaging in lobstering, scalloping, and urchin diving. 

Scope and Content Note

Matt Frassica, Griffin Pollock Rockland, ME Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute, Maine Fishermen’s Forum
Chad Libby, Jr. Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2019

Chad Libby is in the 11th grade at Jonesport Beals High School. He has been a lobster fisherman for as long as he can remember. His goals for the future include to lobster fish, worm, and clam, and attend college for auto mechanics. 

Scope and Content Note

Matt Frassica Rockland, ME Maine Sea Grant
Chris Petersen Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2019

Chris Petersen, a professor of biology and ecology at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, ME.  He has worked with undergraduates on Mount Desert Island, at multiple locations in the Caribbean, and the Pacific Northwest, and is currently collaborating with researchers with several groups in Maine including the Penobscot East, the University of Maine, and Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory.

Matt Frassica, Griffin Pollock Rockland, ME Maine Sea Grant, The First Coast, College of the Atlantic, The Island Institute, Maine Fishermen’s Forum
Cormac Hondros-McCarthy Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2019

Cormac Hondros-McCarthy, from Lowell, MA, is part of a team of engineers at LobsterLift LLC developing ropeless lobster traps to reduce the risk of whale entanglement.

Scope and Content Note

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