According to the Island Institute, there’s about 3,500 miles of Maine coast. That coast includes hundreds of small harbors, many of them located at the end of lengthy peninsulas jutting into the Gulf of Maine. It takes a long time to visit these communities, particularly during the summer months when it seems visitors from the four corners of the earth are traveling the highways and local roads in search of Vacationland.
All photos courtesy of Maine Lobstermen's Association
This summer Maine Lobstermen’s Association Membership Director Sunshine Mechtenberg set out to check in with lobstermen throughout the state to let them know what the organization is up to. She stopped by the Tenants Harbor Fisherman’s Co-op, North End Lobster Co-op, Vinalhaven Fishermen’s Co-op, South Bristol Fisherman’s Co-op, Interstate Lobster, as well as the Beals-Jonesport Co-op, Stonington Lobster Co-op, Friendship Co-op, Ash Cove Lobster, Henry Allen’s Seafood, Glen’s Lobsters, Angie’s Lobster Wharf, Erica’s on Basin Point, Simmons Lobster Wharf, and the Spruce Head Fishermen’s Co-op. “I’m genuinely impressed by each of the wharves I’ve visited. Their operations run so smoothly, and they’ve been incredibly welcoming, allowing me to spend time there and talk with members and non-members alike,” she said.
Sunshine found lobstermen in every harbor concerned about the season, the possibility of changes to the minimum legal size for lobsters, and the looming presence of offshore wind farms in the Gulf. She also found many lobstermen who were proud to say they were MLA members and had been for years. After all, the MLA has been looking out for Maine lobstermen for 70 years now.
Her travels aren’t over yet. Look for Sunshine on the docks this fall wearing a brilliant MLA yellow T-shirt. You can’t miss her!
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