“Weather drove the boats in again—just in time for the second Fishing Plus session!” I cheerfully remarked to my husband last week, explaining how Island Institute and our partners at the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs (MCE) want this new business accelerator program to fit the life rhythms of those who work on the water. I knew that some of the fishermen in the program had come straight from a day at sea to join our in-person kick-off and online class on goals and budgeting for their new business ventures. My husband, ever the realist, quipped back: “Oh yeah, because fishing is only hauling? It’s not like there’s gear to fix, landings to report, moorings to service…”
He’s right, of course. Life on the water never really stops. And that’s exactly why Island Institute’s Fishing Plus program was intentionally designed to meet fishing families where they are and bring them together with a peer network to help turn their entrepreneurial ideas into action without asking them to step away from the demanding pace of their livelihoods.
At the program’s kickoff earlier this month, Island Institute President Kim Hamilton welcomed the participants by sharing the organization’s mission: to boldly navigate climate and economic change with island and coastal communities to expand opportunities and deliver solutions. She noted, “Our job is to listen first, then co-design solutions that fit the realities of fishing life. We provide tools, mentorship, and capital access, but the leadership comes from the people who know the tides, the markets, and the risks best, ensuring that those most affected have the tools they need to prosper in the marine economy, and that the generations that come after can succeed.” Her words captured what makes Fishing Plus special—this is about expanding opportunity, yes, but also about co-creating solutions with the people who know this work best.
This is about expanding opportunity, yes, but also about co-creating solutions with the people who know this work best.
Through our Future of Fishing initiative, funded by a congressionally directed spending award from the U.S. Small Business Administration, Island Institute is working with fishing families and community partners to develop practical tools that strengthen small businesses, diversify household income, and help ensure Maine’s working waterfronts continue to thrive for generations. Fishing Plus is a cornerstone of that effort. This eight-session accelerator supports a cohort of lobstermen, crew members, and their families to build or grow side and second businesses. It was built after months of listening sessions in island and coastal communities, where we heard a consistent message: families need business support that fits the fishing calendar, improves access to financing, and amplifies real-world examples of what successful diversification can look like.
For these fishing families, diversification isn’t about abandoning tradition; it’s about building resilience—finding creative ways to stay connected to the water while adapting to a changing world.
We’re grateful to MCE for partnering with us to bring this program to life. Modeled in part after MCE’s successful Top Gun program, which serves growth-oriented startups across the state, Fishing Plus adapts that model to working waterfront realities, offering flexible scheduling, hands-on mentoring, and business fundamentals tailored to fishing households. Laurie Johnson, the program manager from MCE, reflected after the first session that we were already seeing one of our key goals come to life: the creation of a peer network of innovators. Participants lingered after class to swap stories and advice; they began helping one another troubleshoot business ideas and share expertise. “People who work on the water are the most innovative people I’ve met in my life,” Laurie said. “When you’re miles out on the ocean and your boat or gear breaks, no one’s going to save you––you have to problem solve and get back to work.”
This fall’s inaugural Fishing Plus cohort includes representatives from 13 island and coastal communities up and down the Maine coast. They reflect the diversity and ingenuity that define our waterfronts—from early-stage entrepreneurs, like a kelp farmer preparing for their first permit, to established small businesses seeking to expand, like a family-run seafood restaurant figuring out how to stay profitable in the winter months.
What unites them is a shared commitment to keeping their livelihoods viable for the next generation. For these fishing families, diversification isn’t about abandoning tradition; it’s about building resilience—finding creative ways to stay connected to the water while adapting to a changing world. With programs like Fishing Plus, Island Institute is proud to help Maine’s coastal communities chart their own course toward a strong, diverse, and resilient future.
