Jessica Echard and Rebecca Weil
Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum 2019
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.
Molly Graham
Jessica Echard and Rebecca Weil, from Cooperstown, NY, both work for the Northeast Center for Occupational Health and Safety as a research assistant and research coordinator, respectively. Their main project has been working with fishermen to increase their use of lifejackets while fishing. They have focused on talking with fishermen about why they choose not to use lifejackets, what their concerns are, and how they can help improve lifejacket design to make them more appropriate for the job.
Scope and Content Note
In this interview, they discuss their research process and their stories from working with fishermen around safety issues, highlighting how important safety is to fishermen even if they choose not to use lifejackets. They emphasize the need to involve the entire community in finding solutions to this issue, as the impact of a drowning affects not only the families but the whole community. The conversation touches upon the changing attitudes among fishermen towards wearing life jackets, with an increasing number expressing interest and excitement. They recount stories of fishermen who have embraced the use of life jackets and even credited them with saving lives. Beyond the topic of safety, Jessica and Rebecca discuss other issues affecting the fishing and farming communities, such as changing ocean conditions, regulations, right whale conservation, pricing, and the struggles faced by farmers, including dairy farmers, due to pricing issues and foreclosure. They mention the upcoming focus on addressing sleep deprivation in the fishing community as a new area of exploration.
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