Summers are always so busy. Just a couple weeks ago I was running errands shortly after the Fourth of July. I walked into Walmart and the employees were putting away the pool supplies and summer things to start stocking back-to-school supplies and fall decor. How can it be that summer’s calendar has just begun but we are already on the downhill side of summer and slipping towards fall? I recall some old-timers saying once the Fourth hits summer’s half over. And this year it sure feels that way.
Kennebunk lobsterman Chris Welch hard at work. MLMC photo.
Today was another day of up at four and out the door headed for the boat for a day on the water, chasing lobsters six days a week or squeezing in a few days fishing for pogeys. Whatever it is, the routine is just the same: Go, go, go! Come in and sell your catch. Then make sure things are together for tomorrow. Rush off to pick up the kids from summer camp. Then rush back home for dinner and bedtime stories. Rinse and repeat! Who has time for much else?
Summer isn’t really much different from the rest of the year. So much goes on in our daily life it’s very hard to keep track of all the different challenges and struggles we face as lobstermen from one thing or another. Whales, wind turbines, and price seem to be the everyday normal worries for Maine lobstermen. Even as a Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) board member, I often struggle to keep track of everything that I need to know about week in and week out.
How does your average lobsterman stay informed about the important stuff? That’s why I chose to join the MLA in the first place because the MLA lets me know what’s going on when I don’t have time to find out on my own.
When there is a meeting anywhere that lobstermen need to be at, the MLA shows up. But you know who else is there? The other industry groups like the Maine Lobster Union (MLU) and the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association (NEFSA). These three organizations want to make sure that fishermen are heard, though they approach that goal in different ways. So shouldn’t you belong to at least one? Heck, join two, it’s a cheap investment at the end of the day.
It’s important that all fishermen take part in a group that fights for them daily when they don’t have the time or the energy to be at that important meeting or know exactly how to battle the challenges coming our way week after week.
Some fishermen say “Well, it’s too expensive.” I would argue those guys probably spend more on cigarettes and energy drinks in a week than it costs to be a member of any of these organizations. Others might say “Why join if it’s going to benefit me whether I’m a member or not?” I suppose that’s true, however it’s good to be a part of something larger than yourself. It’s rewarding when rulings go your way. It’s sure helpful to have accurate information about offshore wind turbines or herring regulations or whatever the current issue is. Plus, there’s strength in numbers. Being divided has never gotten any group very far in the past.
That’s why I am proud to tell people that I am a member of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association. When I don’t have time to be there, they do!
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