Collaborative Fisheries Research with a Priority on Conservation

In mid-August, the Island Institute, the Midcoast Fisherman's Association (MFA) and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) collaboratively conducted two weeks of research at sea on fishing gear that was designed to meet conservation goals. This research was conducted to assess the MFA's recent marketing efforts and its assertion that its members fish with more sustainable and conservational measures than those mandated by federal law. The data that will be produced by scientists at GMRI will be peer-reviewed and validated by the New England Fishery Management Council.

This project is also intended to foster a dialogue at the fisheries-management level for specific fishing-gear areas and community-based management, two strategies that could speed the recovery of the fish stocks along our coast. As the project continues during the next two years, it could have serious federal fisheries-management implications.  At the very least, it will assure Port Clyde Fresh Catch customers that they have selected fish caught in a sustainable and conservation-minded manner. For more information about area- or community-based management, please read Sharing the Ocean by Michael Crocker.