Downeast Initiative

COOPERATIVE CONSERVATION CASE STUDY

Downeast Initiative

Co-management of marine resources for better conservation and stewardship.

Location: Northeastern/Mid-Atlantic

Project Summary: This pilot project, in collaboration with fisheries in other parts of the Gulf of Maine, can serve as a model for developing sustainable, resilient co-management of marine resources.

Resource Challenge

Coastal communities are increasingly pressured by the loss of access to ocean fisheries and the decline of the working waterfront. A diverse fleet of family operated, small and mid-sized boats is being displaced by larger, more specialized boats. Shoreline real estate is being purchased for second homes, converting year round working waterfronts to seasonal leisure economies. These processes reflect a decline in the integrity of both biological and human communities. They threaten to end a several hundred year fishing tradition, and the viability of year round resource based communities along the coast. To address these issues we propose an ecosystem based pilot project, with shared responsibility for coastal marine resources. The goal of this project is to provide economic stability and more effective stewardship of marine resources. The objective is to re-scale fisheries management to make it more compatible with ecological and economic realities.

Examples of Key Partners

University of Maine, Community organizations and resource centers in Eastern Maine.

Maine Seacoast Mission, Penobscot East Resource Center, Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, Stonington Fisheries Allience, Saltwater Network, Maine Department of Marine Resouces.

Results and Accomplishments

Though formed a year ago we have engaged communities along the coast and over 30 research scientists in the project. We are currently developing a pilot project for fisheries management that we hope will serve as a model for other efforts. Our project area contains a significant portion of eastern Maine

Innovation/Highlight

Key Innovation or highlight (25 words): Collaborative resource managment through rescaling approaches to fisheries management and liking fishermen and science-based knowledge systems.

Project Contact

Dr. James Wilson
Professor, School of Marine Sciences
University of Maine

,
207-581-4368
jwilson@maine.edu

Rev. Ted Hoskins

Maine Seacoast Mission

Hoskins4@earthlink.net

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