Thomas Balf
Strengthening Community Resilience in America’s Oldest Seaport
In partnership with the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, these oral history recordings capture the invaluable life experiences of long-lived members of Gloucester's working waterfront, one of the oldest fishing communities in the United States.
Molly Graham
Tom Balf is an environmental professional with diverse experience in regulatory policy, environmental management, and sustainability in the corporate, consulting, and non-profit sectors. His current consulting work, as founder of Oceanvest, LLC, focuses on projects that support sustainable fishing communities, maritime technology applications, and 21st century working waterfronts. He is the former executive director of Maritime Gloucester.
Scope and Content Note
In the interview, Tom Balf mentions his involvement with Maritime Gloucester and his efforts to connect with the fishing community. He talks about the programs at Maritime Gloucester, such as Ocean Explorers, which aimed to provide education focused on marine science and create a connection between children and the ocean. He also mentions expanding the educational programs and organizing lectures and events to demonstrate the value of the organization to the community. Balf emphasizes the importance of being an honest and neutral convener, allowing different perspectives, including those of fishermen and environmentalists, to be heard. He mentions building trust and forming connections with the fishing community, even if they don't always agree on everything. He also acknowledges that it is a challenging time for fishermen. However, he believes that fishing will continue to be a core part of the economy, but other activities such as ocean management, monitoring, genomic sequencing, offshore wind, aquaculture, and ocean-related investments may also play a role in shaping the future of the port.
Balf mentions two specific projects he is involved in that give him hope for the future. One project focuses on developing a cost-effective ocean-monitoring tool that can be placed in lobster traps, allowing lobstermen to collect valuable data about pH, temperature, and depth. The collected information can contribute to fisheries data and the understanding of marine ecosystems. The other project involves the Gloucester Permit Bank, a nonprofit organization that has acquired permits to subsidize the Gloucester fishing fleet. Balf and others are working on a strategic plan to leverage the assets of the permit bank and attract investment in the fishing industry. They aim to showcase the potential of underutilized fish stocks, such as pollack, redfish, and haddock, and explore opportunities for designing a modern fishing boat suitable for the 21st century.
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