Storm Response — Fifield Lobster Co
Fifield Lobster Co, a working waterfront business in Stonington, is run by brother-sister duo Travis and Christina Fifield. They provide services for many as 40 lobster boats, selling bait and fuel, buying lobster and crab, and providing shoreside infrastructure for those fishermen.
The January 10 storm impacted Fifield Lobster Co by lifting up the dock and pulling the pilings out of place. The storm was a setback, and the dock will need significant repairs, and Island Institute has helped with their recovery efforts on several fronts:
- The Fifields signed up for Island Institute’s series of webinars that kept waterfront businesses informed about resources.
- Island Institute awarded them a $5,000 grant for their recovery efforts.
- Island Institute staff visited Fifield Lobster Co to survey the damage.
“The grant came at such a good time. Things were still up in the air, and we were still figuring things out. Having that support was a real uplifting feeling.”
– Christina Fifield, Office Manager at Fifield Lobster Co
Fifield Lobster Co was started in 1940 by Travis’s and Christina’s great-great grandfather who built the wharf, and has been operated by Fifields ever since. They serve fishermen year round, employ dock workers, and in the summer, Fifield point holds regular lobster bakes. Throughout generations, Fifield Lobster Co has been an asset to the Stonington lobster fleet and to the community.
On January 10, the major storm surge event left the Fifields struggling to find support. Shortly after the recovery began, Island Institute contacted working waterfront businesses including Fifield Lobster Co with an invitation to sign up for a webinar in which waterfront businesses could hear from Maine Department of Marine Resources, Department of Economic and Community Development, and Maine Emergency Management Agency. This webinar informed business owners about the next steps they needed to take, how they could report storm damage, and what resources were available.
Days later, Fifield Lobster Co applied for a Business Resilience Grant, part of a special post-storm expansion of the program. Island Institute awarded them $5,000 to put towards a downpayment on the barge they have hired to do the piling repairs.
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