Maine Coast Fishermens Association

THE COASTAL ACCESS COHORT WILL SUPPORT EIGHT COASTAL COMMUNITIES IN MAINE AS THEY COMPLETE WORKING WATERFRONT INVENTORIES AND BEGIN TO INCORPORATE RESULTS INTO MUNICIPAL PLANNING. THIS WORK WILL HELP COMMUNITIES IDENTIFY CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE UPON WHICH MAINES COMMERCIAL WILD CAPTURE FISHERIES, INTERTIDAL HARVESTING, AND AQUACULTURE DEPEND. TOWNS GAIN A BETTER SENSE FOR HOW DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES AND CLIMATE CHANGE INCREASE VULNERABILITIES OF SCARCE WORKING WATERFRONT RESOURCES AND STRATEGIES TO PRIORITIZE INTERVENTIONS TO SUSTAIN COASTAL ACCESS FOR DIVERSE SEAFOOD BUSINESSES. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS ACROSS MUNICIPALITIES WILL ALLOW FOR SUSTAINED PEER-TO-PEER LEARNING, SHARING OF EXPERIENCES, AND CONNECTIONS TO INDUSTRY, LEADING ACADEMIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS, AND PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERS. METRICS WILL BE CO-DEVELOPED WITH COHORT MEMBERS TO HELP PRIORITIZE ASSETS AND UNDERSTAND TRADEOFFS GIVEN FINITE RESOURCES. A FUTURE OF MAINES WORKING WATERFRONT COLLOQUIUM WILL BE HOSTED TO EXTEND LEARNING BEYOND THE INITIAL COHORT.

THE MAINE COAST FISHERMENS ASSOCIATION (MFCA) PROPOSES TO CREATE THREE MICRO-LEARNING VIDEOS THAT HELP YOUNG FISHERMEN LEARN ABOUT PHYSICAL HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH, AND CAREER RESILIENCE. THESE THEMES ARE OFTEN MISSING TECHNICAL SKILL-BUILDING AND OPERATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMS. VIDEOS WILL BE FILMED IN MAINE, WHICH, DUE TO THE UNIQUE LOBSTER APPRENTICESHIP MODEL, HAS ONE OF THE LARGEST POPULATIONS OF YOUNG FISHERMEN IN THE NATION, BUT ALSO DESIGNED TO BE BROADLY APPLICABLE. VIDEOS WILL BE INTENTIONALLY BRIEF (5-10 MINUTES) AND FEATURE RELATABLE ON-SCREEN PERSONALITIES AND DIGESTIBLE MESSAGING TO RAISE CONSCIOUSNESS THAT EACH THEME IS ONE THAT YOUNG FISHERMEN NEED TO THINK ABOUT AS PART OF THEIR CAREER PLANNING BUT WITHOUT RESORTING TO LENGTHY LECTURES. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO CREATE A COMPLEMENTARY ONLINE KNOWLEDGE HUB DESIGNED TO SUPPORT YOUNG FISHERMEN TO PURSUE A MIX OF SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING TO ANSWER QUESTIONS THAT MAY EMERGE AS THEY WATCH THE VIDEOS, AS WELL AS POINT THEM TO TRUSTED EXPERTS AND TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR DEEPER LEARNING. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL CURATE AN INITIAL MIX OF BEST-IN-CLASS RESOURCES, AS WELL AS EXPERIMENT WITH OPTIONS TO ALLOW YOUNG FISHERMEN TO CONTINUE TO ADD TO THE KNOWLEDGE HUB WITH QUESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON THEIR OWN PATHWAYS AND LEARNING EXPERIENCES. MCFA EXPECTS TO ACHIEVE TWO IMPORTANT OUTCOMES. FIRST, YOUNG FISHERMEN IN MAINE WILL GAIN A MORE COMPREHENSIVE VIEW OF CAREER PREPARATION THAN AFFORDED BY TECHNICAL TRAINING PROGRAMS. SECOND, CURRENT AND EMERGING TRAINING PROGRAMS, LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY WILL HAVE A MODULAR RESOURCE THEY CAN INCORPORATE TO ADDRESS THEMES OF PHYSICAL HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH AND, CAREER RESILIENCE. PROJECT PARTNERS INCLUDE THE NORTHEAST OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH CENTER, KNACK FACTORY, AND NAMI-MAINE.