For many on shore, the details of fishing are a mystery. Fishing takes place on the water—out of sight, and often out of mind for those left on shore. Our coastal economies are based on fishing, but those who are not part of fishing families may not know very much about what that actually means.

Penobscot East Resource Center views it as an important part of its mission to share the stories of those who fish with others who fish and with others ashore. There is much to learn from each other. We are beginning to collect these stories and make them available online. If you want to share your story, please contact us.

Dick Bridges, lifelong fisherman

Dick Bridges of Stonington has been a fisherman since he was 13 years old. He’s caught herring, lobster, scallops, shrimp and groundfish—hake, pollock, and cod. He caught most of these species within 20 miles of Stonington—one week, he caught 80,000 pounds of codfish within 45 minutes of Isle au Haut.

He has also seen nearly all these species collapse, most under pressure from over-fishing. He and many others have lost access to their traditional fisheries due to government regulations that excluded small-scale fishermen. “In the 1960s there were 40 boats groundfishing out of Stonington,” says Dick. “Now there’s only one.”

Today, Dick relies on lobster—as do most Maine fishermen. Lobster catches have more than tripled in recent years. “It’s the best lobstering I’ve ever seen in my life,” he says.

But Dick—and many fishermen and scientists—fear it is precarious to rely so heavily on one species.

Diversity provides security. “If it looked like a bad year for lobster, we geared up and went for something else,” Dick says.

As a member of the Stonington Fisheries Alliance and a supporter of the Penobscot East Resource Center, Dick is active in community-based fisheries management.

“I’ve been fighting so fishermen can do the things I’ve done to survive if something happens to the lobstering,” says Dick.