Roger Freeman
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 December 1, 2011, Cameron Thompson interviewed Roger Freeman in Rockland, Maine, as part of the “Assessing Vulnerability and Resilience in Maine Fishing Communities” project. Freeman, a lifelong Rockland resident and commercial lobsterman, shares his experiences in the fishing industry, reflecting on its evolution over decades. He details his entry into lobstering at age 19, the progression from hand-built traps and manual hauling to modernized equipment, and the challenges of adapting to regulatory changes, rising costs, and market fluctuations.
Freeman discusses the decline of Rockland’s once-thriving sardine and fish processing industries and the impact of economic and demographic shifts on the community. He emphasizes the resilience of the lobstering industry, noting its self-regulation efforts, such as size and seeder protections, to preserve lobster stocks. Freeman also highlights the economic significance of tourism and the increasing tension between long-time residents and an influx of out-of-state property owners.
Despite the challenges, Freeman underscores his love for the work and the Maine coastline, while expressing concerns about the industry's future amidst rising costs, bait shortages, and regulatory constraints. He also reflects on the importance of family involvement in the industry and the changing nature of relationships within the fishing community.
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