The crowd at the Samoset Resort March 5 to 7 maintained a steadfast “put your head down and get to work” mentality, as folks gathered to talk about the issues in their respective fisheries and scope out the new equipment that they won’t be able to afford this year.

“All I see are expenses,” said Tremont lobsterman Wayne Rich, who attended the annual seminar.

“Rethinking the Lobster Business from Trap to Plate” drew a huge crowd as many gathered to discuss marketing, business and management strategies to ensure the long-term sustainability of Maine’s lobster fishery, and to increase profitability within the industry.

The seminar “Fisheries Economic Survival 101” brought together representatives from the Finance Authority of Maine, the Small Business Administration, Coastal Enterprises, Eastern Maine Development Corporation, Machias Savings Bank and accounting firm Macdonald Page and Company LLC to help fishermen stabilize their business and help make it more profitable.

Options were presented to enable fishermen to get the most bang for their buck out of their product by utilizing unique marketing approaches. Glen Libby, Claire Bissell, and Laura Kramar (Midcoast Fishermen’s Cooperative, Port Clyde Fresh Catch) discussed their experiences with direct-to-consumer marketing and other innovative marketing methods including local community-supported fisheries for shrimp and groundfish.

Other topics such as equipment, maintenance, and energy, and what fishermen can do to limit expenses, filled out the rest of this financially oriented seminar.

There were also seminars on the economic side of the fisheries like “Fishing as a Small Business Enterprise” and “New Ways to Make a Living on the Water: Cod Farming as a Working Waterfront Future.”

The Clam Day seminar focused on the Maine shellfish industry. Dr. Kevin Athearn from the University of Maine at Machias (UMM) talked about the economic disruption of flood and red tide closures on the Maine shellfish industries. Dr. Brian Beal from UMM covered municipal clam lease efforts in Washington County and the Edmunds/Trescott Clam Farming Project. Denis-Marc Nault addressed the staff reductions of staff biologists at the Department of Marine Resources (DMR).

Coverage of topics such as herring management, thriving on smaller catch, halibut fishery management, quota-based management and environmental change rounded out the intense weekend of seminars, which also included

“New Face of a Changing Working Waterfront.”

As access to waterfront areas becomes more limited due to rising waterfront property values, environmental concerns, and the competitive prices of foreign imports drives prices down, Maine’s working waterfronts need to find alternative methods of maintaining their access.

As seen in the tone of meetings at the forum, the overall can-do attitude of fishermen is strained in the face of dealing with regulatory, financial, and environmental pressures.