In 2003, a group of community members and fishermen founded Penobscot East Resource Center as an outgrowth of the Stonington Fisheries Alliance (SFA). It had become clear to members of the alliance that volunteer community groups such as the SFA need support and nurture in order to sustain themselves over time. Penobscot East was founded to be a resource to groups such as that, providing access to knowledge, contacts, and the ability to get things done.

A community forum on fishing draws a large crowd to the Deer Isle Congregational Church.

Since then, Penobscot East has become involved in many projects, including the Downeast Groundfish Initiative and the Zone C Lobster Hatchery. We have facilitated community conversations about the role of fishing and the importance of sustainable management. We now have a full-time community coordinator, who works to help groups involved in area management. In 2005, Ted Ames, Penobscot East’s vice-chair, was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. We continue to expand our capacity to facilitate the work of community-based resource management.