Challenges to the Lobster Industry: Climate Change and Community Impact: Session 2, Where do we go from here?

When: 
Wednesday, March 15, 2023 -
1:00pm to 2:00pm EDT
Where: 
Virtual Meeting
Registration Fee: 
Members: $0.00
Non-members: $0.00
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This event is for funders only.

Maine’s lobster industry and the coastal communities that depend on a strong fishery are facing an uncertain future due to climate change and the need to protect critically endangered right whales. Earning $725 million in 2021 and supporting more than 17,500 jobs, the lobster industry is an undeniable and central driver of community development and family livelihoods along our coast.

Lobstering, like Maine’s other heritage industries, faces multiple climate driven pressures. Climate change is significantly impacting right whales, from shifting migration patterns to changes in food abundance. The species is on the edge of extinction. Maine’s coastal communities are caught at the intersection of these climate-driven changes. Federal rules to protect the right whale, set to be implemented in 2029, will demand new fishing practices that will present challenges to the lobster industry, our working waterfront, and to household livelihoods. The proposed changes have already led to significant changes in the national markets for lobster.

Over the next six years, there is a unique opportunity for philanthropy, nonprofits, and Maine leadership to think creatively about supporting the lobstering fishery and the communities facing these challenges.

Please join us for a two-part series on this issue and to build a shared understanding of what is happening and how philanthropy can support economic and community transition.  

The Maine Philanthropy Center is partnering with the Island Institute on this two-part series.  

Session 1: Understanding the Issue
March 7th, 2023 | 10:30 to 11:30am
Panelists include:

  • Pat Keliher, Commissioner, Maine Department of Marine Resources
  • Erin Summers, Director of Biomonitoring & Assessment Division, Maine Department of Marine Resources
  • Susie Arnold, Senior Marine Scientist, Island Institute and Co-Chair of Maine Climate Council’s Science and Technical Subcommittee

Session 2: Where do we go from here?
March 15th, 2023 | 1:00 to 2:00pm
Panelists include:

  • Ben Martens, Executive Director, Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association
  • Yvonne Thomas, Senior Community Development Officer, Island Institute and board member of the MidCoast School of Technology
  • Andrea Perry, Program Officer, Broad Reach Fund
  • Additional speakers to be confirmed
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