Join Maine Campaign Case Statement - Flipbook - Page 36
Photos: © Phoebe Parker
OCEANS PROFILE
RANDY
CUSHMAN
Fisherman, Port Clyde, ME
My family has been fishing in the Gulf of Maine out of
Port Clyde for five generations. We’ve seen a lot of
changes during that time. Some of the most promising
changes have come during our partnership with
The Nature Conservancy.
When I first started working with TNC, a lot of boats were
going out of business, and a lot of fishing permits were
being sold out of state. I watched TNC step up to the
plate and start buying those permits, keeping access to
the groundfish fishery in the state of Maine. It’s a good
thing they did that, too, because it’s helped keep me in the
fishery. They’ve helped provide access to groundfish quota
at a reasonable price, and that keeps me and a lot of other
fishermen in business.
The other thing we’ve been working together on is video
monitoring. I’ve had a camera on my boat as part of
this program going on seven years now. At first, it was
a hard decision. My wife Mel and I talked about it a lot,
and it took me a week to decide to do it. But it’s been so
much easier for me. We need more accountability in the
fishery, but when you take a human observer, it can be
really challenging. It became clear to me that the catch
information being collected could be useful for science, too.
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JOIN MAINE | NATURE.ORG/MAINE
This year has been the warmest I’ve ever seen on the Gulf.
It blows me away. It’s like we’re down south instead of
Downeast. Amidst all that change, I think what TNC has
been doing is going to help guarantee there’s going to be
a future in the state of Maine for the next generation of
fishermen. The data we’re collecting together is painting a
fuller picture of the species that are changing every year
with rising water temperatures.
That scientific approach to understanding the effects of
climate change is good for the business of Maine fishermen,
and it’s good for the health of the fish stocks we rely on.
When it comes to sustaining the Gulf of Maine and our
way of life, I know TNC has our back.
