William Kirk
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.
William Kirk, born in 1947, is a lifelong resident of Rockland, Maine. He is the first member of his family to work in the fishing industry, having entered the lobstering fishery independently in 1967 to supplement his income from working at a clothing factory in town. Despite the significant increase in the cost of bait and other operating costs over the years, Kirk continues to actively lobster, selling his lobsters locally throughout his career. He has two sons, one of whom works with him in the lobstering business while the other works for a fishing company. Kirk has also served on the local harbor committee, where he felt that the views of lobstermen were not fully represented in the decision-making process.
Scope and Content Note
This interview with William Kirk provides a detailed account of his life and experiences as a lobsterman in Rockland, Maine. Kirk discusses his entry into the fishing industry in 1967, the changes he has observed in the industry over the years, and his views on the local infrastructure and its impact on fishermen. He also shares his thoughts on the local community, including the decrease in crime, the loss of production jobs, and the potential impact of changing weather patterns on the town's future. Kirk also discusses his family, including his two sons who are also involved in the fishing industry, and his views on whether his potential grandchildren might also enter the industry. He provides his perspective on the fluctuating state of the fishery and the impact of foreign fishing on local herring populations. The interview also delves into Kirk's experiences growing up in Rockland, describing it as a working community with a strong economy, largely due to the presence of five processing plants, a clothing company, a bathrobe company, and a poultry factory. Kirk also shares his views on property taxes and the affordability of property for fishermen in Rockland. Finally, Kirk provides some background information about his family, including his grandparents' origins from Machias and Madison, Maine.
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