January 5, 2016 — I have been privileged to help design and instruct a “public policy in the commercial fishing industry” course for high school students, along with teacher Steven Schaefer, at The New School, here in Kennebunk.

When Schaefer first approached me about working with him, he wanted the students to hear from real people working in the industry and to learn from the men and women who know the ocean intimately, as only those who navigate it and rely on it to earn their living can. He wanted the students to learn about the side of fishing that you do not see in picturesque summer tourist photos in quaint harbors.

You know the stuff people don’t want to talk about as much – like rough days and close calls at sea, days without catches when you still have to pay for fuel and your boat mate’s wages. The ever rising cost of boat and gear maintenance, upkeep, insurance. The frustration of being told that the days you have to make your living have been cut back or the prices being paid for the fish you harvest have dropped – even though the cost of bait to catch those fish has skyrocketed.

The important role that the fishing industry plays in the economy and infrastructure of a community is seldom realized until fishermen are forced NOT to work because of cutbacks, rules and regulations – and when this happens, we all pay the price. Bait dealers don’t sell bait, fish markets and processing plant employees lose work, seafood truckers and transporters lose out, and seafood prices go up. Fuel companies lose money, marine mechanics lose work, boat mates don’t have work, lobster trap mill workers and marine supply stores cut back – it is a trickle down effect. Even people like me who write about the commercial fishing industry feel the impact. If the fishermen don’t work, I don’t work either.

Read the full story at SeacoastOnline