Coastal Conversations

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel

The Maine Fisherman’s Forum is an annual event that brings together thousands of people who are connected to Maine’s fishing industry. Like so many events, the 2021 Fisherman’s Forum was cancelled due to COVID, but the stories and voices from the fishing industry persist! For this month’s episode of Coastal Conversations, our stellar team of student production assistants from College of the Atlantic sifted through the archives of 60+ interviews collected at past Maine Fishermen’s Forum.

They found some gems, including the voices of fishermen, legislators, and scientists, reflecting on ecosystem-based fisheries management, ecological knowledge gleaned from years at sea, and life in fishing communities.

Today’s show was assembled by our student production assistants who explain they wanted this show “to explore the lives of people deeply connected to the water, and weave together an image of Maine’s marine ecosystem including the ocean, the fish, and the humans that inhabit it. We want to share the tremendous amount of knowledge and experience fishermen have about the ecosystems they work within.”

Thanks to Camden Hunt, Ela Keegan and Ellie White of College of the Atlantic for your excellent radio production assistance, and Galen Koch of The First Coast for your tireless guidance.

Note: A few of the voices featured on today’s episode may sound familiar to our listeners but the show in its entirety is new.

Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum interviews were collected at the 2018 and 2019 Maine Fishermen’s Forum in Rockland Maine by volunteers, staff and students from The First Coast, Maine Sea Grant, College of the Atlantic and Island Institute. All the interviews on today’s show are part of the Voices of the Maine Fishermen’s Forum Collection which can be found on The First Coast website and at NOAA Fisheries Voices Oral History Archives.

Today’s featured voices include the following (please note that affiliations may have changed since the time of interview):

Paul Anderson, Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries, Stonington
Herbert (Herb) Carter Jr., commercial shellfish harvester, Deer Isle
Philip Conkling, co-founder and former president, Island Institute
Parker Gassett, University of Maine graduate student
Dan Harriman, fisherman who operates Maine’s last mackerel weir in Cape Elizabeth
Pat Shepard, Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries, Stonington
Angus King, United States Senator from Brunswick
Edwin McKie, lobsterman, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Dave Cousens, lobsterman, South Thomaston
Avery Waterman, lobsterman, North Haven
Marcia Beal Brazier, fisherman’s wife, Ogunquit

About the host:
Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel

In 2020, the soft-shell clam fishery was the second highest value commercial fishery in Maine, netting over $15 million in revenue, yet there is not broad awareness about what it takes to dig clams and bring them to the market.

During this event we will learn from harvesters, shellfish buyers, retailers, and others in the supply chain about shellfish markets, challenges in the fishery, and opportunities for expanding markets for soft-shell clams, quahogs (hard clams), razor clams, and other shellfish in Maine, New England, and beyond.

We explore factors affecting market price, market shifts resulting from COVID-related restaurant restrictions, and new potential opportunities to export products to the European Union.

Guests:

Jessica Joyce from Tidal Bay Consulting and Maine Shellfish Advisory Council

Joseph Porada, commercial harvester and Chair of the Frenchman’s Bay Regional Shellfish Committee

Mike Danforth, operations manager, Maine Shellfish, Shellfish Advisory Council, and Department of Marine Resources Advisory Council

Tim Sheehan, owner, Gulf of Maine, Inc. and commercial harvester

Quang Nguyen, owner, Fishermen’s Net

Boe Marsh, operator, Community Shellfish Company

Babara Scully – owner, Scully’s Sea Products and commercial harvester

Kohl Kanwit – Director of the Bureau of Public Health, Maine Department of Marine Resources and Chair, Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference

About the host:
Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel

Mainer Fishermen’s Forum Shellfish Day #2: What’s Changing on the Mudflats

Harvester insights about the status of shellfish in their community;
New shellfish survey techniques that use local ecological knowledge and mapping;
Development of a standard protocol for an ecosystem survey in the intertidal that incorporates predators;
The feasibility of using environmental DNA (e-DNA) technology to collect information.

Guests:

Bailey Bowden, Harvester and Chair of the Penobscot Shellfish Conservation Committee
Nate Orff, Harvester and Chair of the Scarborough Shellfish Conservation Commission
Joanie Mcdonald, Harvester and Shellfish Advisory Council member, George’s River
Kevin Oliver, Harvester and member of the Yarmouth Shellfish Conservation Commission
Denis Nault, Maine Department of Marine Resources
Marissa McMahan, Manomet
Sara Randall, Downeast Institute
Sarah Risley, University of Maine Darling Marine Center
Anne Hayden, Manoment

About the host:
Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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-We talk with harvesters, wardens, marine resource committee members, and residents in Gouldsboro, Harpswell, and Brunswick, about their work restoring shellfish populations and intertidal mudflats to protect the future of shellfish harvesting as a livelihood.

-Methods to grow shellfish (including upwellers and floating nurseries deployed in the water, and a new learning lab dedicated to growing shellfish) and long term plans for reseeding mudflats.

-How communities are working together for the shared goal of mudflat repatriation in the face of climate change, predation from green crabs and ribbon worms, ocean acidification and water quality issues.

Part one of a three-part Coastal Conversations series featuring portions of webinars hosted by the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in lieu of their annual in person event.

Guests :
David Wilson, Chair, Marine Resources Committee, Harpswell;
Scott Moody Jr., Vice Chair, Marine Resources Committee, Harpswell;
Dan Devereaux, Coastal Resource Manager, Brunswick;
Mike Pinkham, Shellfish Warden, Gouldsboro;
Sarah Hooper, Education Specialist, Schoodic Institute;
Bill Zoellick, Education Research Director Emeritus, Schoodic Institute.
Dr. Bridie McGreavy, Associate Professor in the Dept. of Communication and Journalism and the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine

About the host:
Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel
Production assistance from Ela Keegan

Seaweed has always been an important species in Maine’s coastal ecosystems. Maine gardeners have for generations used seaweed to enhance their soil. But in the last decade or so, seaweed is finding a new role in our coastal communities. Both wild harvested and farmed seaweed are becoming important resources for people working along Maine’s waterfronts.

In today’s episode of Coastal Conversations, we share the voices of seaweed harvesters, scientists and others whose work revolves around seaweed. Guest co-producer Ela Keegan, a student at College of the Atlantic, has scoured interviews with seaweed people and conducted a few of her own. She weaves these voices into a narrative that recounts past uses of seaweed, present opportunities for youth to get into the industry, and the impact of a 2018 court case on the right to harvest rockweed (perhaps the seaweed species best known by our listeners).

Guests and interview sources:

David Myslabodski, Seaweed Consultant, interviewed by Galen Koch at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum, 2018. Interview archived with The First Coast.

Micah Woodcock, Wild Seaweed Harvester, Atlantic Holdfast Seaweed Company. Interviewed by Galen Koch at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum, 2018. Interview archived with The First Coast.

Jessie Muhlin, Professor and Marine Biologist, Maine Maritime Academy. Interviewed by Ela Keegan, 2020. In addition, portions of Muhlin’s comments were captured in an earlier interview conducted by Springuel, some of that interview previously aired on the February 2018 episode of Coastal Conversations.

Ari Leach, Area Biologist, Department of Marine Resources. Interviewed by Ela Keegan, 2020.

Greg Tobey, General Manager, Source INC. Interviewed by Natalie Springuel in 2019.

About the host:
Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel

For our December 25, 2020 show, we are talking about Maine seafood for the holidays! Our regular Coastal Conversations host Natalie Springuel teamed up with Sea Grant colleagues Dana Morse and Heather Sadusky, to celebrate Maine seafood traditions and feature seafood recipes you might like to try this holiday season! Our guests include oyster, mussel and salmon growers, lobster fishermen, fisheries advocates, and our very own Sea Grant graphic designer (who happens to be a darn good cook). You will hear about salmon, lobster, scallops, oysters and lots of other fresh Maine seafood. And you will get a lovely dose of family on this show; something about Maine, seafood and the holidays combined inspire connection. We hope this show will unleash your own culinary creativity in the kitchen this holiday season!

Guests:
Dana Morse, Maine Sea Grant
Heather Sadusky, Maine Sea Grant
Kathy Tenga-González, Science Publications Designer, Maine Sea Grant
Wade and Claire Day, Machiasport (Wade is the Machiasport Harbormaster and a former lobsterman)
Jeff (Smokey) McKeen, Co-founder, Pemaquid Oyster Company
Afton Hupper, Maine Aquaculture Association
Marnie Reed Crowell, Deer Isle, author: Recipe ideas for farmed scallops
Andrew Lively, Cooke Aquaculture Inc.
John Cotton, Co-owner, Icehouse oysters
Monique Coombs, Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association
Fiona De Koning, Acadia Aquafarm
Butterfield family (Sue, Karen, Karla and Danielle), Butterfield Shellfish Co.

About the host:
Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel

Introducing a new major lobster research program, the American Lobster Initiative, that seeks to answer important questions about lobster biology and ecology.
How do changes occurring in the marine environment, such as the warming Gulf of Maine, affect lobster reproduction and population?
How do environmental changes affect larval transport, predation, and settlement?
The importance of the lobster industry to our coastal economy is well known. How does this type of research help us plan for the future?

Guests:
Alex Ascher, a PhD student in Marine Biology at the University of Maine
Andrew Goode, a PhD candidate in Oceanography at the University of Maine
Ben Gutzler, a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve
Amalia Harrington, a Marine Extension Associate with Maine Sea Grant, and Regional Lobster Extension Coordinator

About the host:
Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel

Tell us about your work related to Maine’s geological, cultural, and natural-resource based heritage.
How are people in Maine’s coastal communities documenting, celebrating and protecting Maine’s heritage?
Two initiatives are under way to give the Downeast region special designations as a) a Natural Heritage Area and b) a Coastal Geopark. What are these initiatives all about, how can they contribute to community and economic development and how can people get involved?
What is the value of digging deep into the story of Maine’s people and places? How do these stories differ from the narratives often shared in the tourism brochures?

Guests:
Crystal Hitchings, Sunrise County Economic Council Program Director, Community Infrastructure and Promotion and DownEast Acadia Regional Tourism

Sahra Gibson, steering committee for Coastal Maine Geopark

Galen Koch, radio producer and writer with The First Coast, and co-founder of Maine Sound and Story.

About the host:
Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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