F R O M   T H E   C R O W E ’ S   N E S T

Much More Than That



The Maine Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport this spring proved for the 44th time to be interesting, different, valuable and more than ever essential. The event brings together a diverse group that ranges from fishermen to scientists, regulators, the Coast Guard and NGOs. The Forum is an extraordinary mix of information, business and friendship.

The atmosphere generally is like a reunion in the seminars, meetings and trade show. People have always enjoyed getting together. In the information age we live in, getting the reunion and information in the same package – that alone is a draw.

Information is a currency in the 21st century. For the fishing industry it might never have been more important to know how, when and what is changing and how that change might affect fishing. With all the costs of fishing higher than ever, information is that much more valuable.

Seminars at the Forum are often presented by experts who have studied a subject for decades. In some cases their data enables them to see trends and project likely outcomes — future information. Ocean acidity and rising ocean temperatures have been two examples.

It was the need for information that led the Maine Lobstermen’s Association to legal representation regarding the lawsuit against the federal government over right whale entanglements. The lawsuit claims the government was not acting to protect endangered whales. Poised to act based on information only from the claimants, the lobster industry needed legal guidance to have their information presented and a strategy in making their case.

More than the weather and water temperatures are changing in the New England fishing industry. Fishermen have evolved ways of settling issues and disputes among themselves. But as more individuals and organizations that are not fishing get involved in the marine resource, the more likely it is that tradition will be passed over for the legal process to settle disputes.

The Fishermen’s Forum is not a law school, but it offers an opportunity get valuable information, engage in a process that tosses relevant ideas around and welcomes input. It is a place where those unfamiliar with the process can learn to participate in it, use it and be empowered by it.

Similar to a town meeting, its scope makes it much more than that.