Showing up for stakeholders
HISTORY, PLACE, STORIES
COA students on the sea with Guilia Caruso MPhil '20.
By Anara Katz ’24
There has long been tension along Maine's coastline in the struggle for economically and environmentally sustainable engagement with the ocean. Scientists aiming to conserve species in Maine's bays and lobstermen working to ensure a livelihood for future generations have often been put at odds with one another, but Navigating Change: History, Place, Stories, a three-credit "monster course" taught at College of the Atlantic in fall 2023, argued that the two positions are actually strongest together.
Continuing a series of collaborative projects over the past decade largely under the umbrella of the Fund for Maine Islands, Navigating Change brought students into fishing communities along the shores and islands of Frenchman Bay to collect stories from those voices typically underrepresented in marine policy-making, gather and plot scientific data, and sail the local tides and winds. Their occupation during the term was to center those important voices, provide back to those communities essential historical records and insight, and connect the work of science and story-telling in order to support Maine's owner-operated fisheries and a strong, diverse marine ecology.
It really was a part of history because it’s not something that’s done anymore, unfortunately. So, it’s kind of a lost art.
—Michelle Pinkham
Team-taught by computer science professor Laurie Baker, history professor Todd Little-Siebold, marine scientist Hillary Smith, waterfront director Toby Stephenson '98, and coastal community engagement program lead and researcher Galen Koch, the course explored how history, geography, audio storytelling, and data science can illuminate, document, and nurture community perspectives on the past, present, and future. By using skills from data analysis and visualization, oral history, audio storytelling, and community-based research rooted in both history and geography, students in the class aimed to cultivate community conversations about how people have used different strategies to adapt to dramatic changes in the past and present in ways that could inform their future.
"There's a lot of myths going around about fishing and a lot of prejudice… fishing is not just a way to make money, but it's also a way to build a community and to have a livelihood to be proud of, and that means being a steward of the environment," said Giulia Cardoso MPhil '20, who has been lobstering off the coast of Mount Desert Island since receiving her master’s degree from COA. "To allow the students to learn about people and places they might otherwise have inaccurate ideas about, that's the best contribution to a community that the college could make."
Beyond educating students in the deep history, resilience, and adaptation of people along the coast, the central mission of Navigating Change was to really be present in the communities facing change due to climate, policy, and the market, and to understand how being present in these communities in the way that few others have done could lead to valuable, meaningful change.
"Our long-term project is to keep showing up for communities, not to just record some oral histories and then leave,” said Little-Siebold. “Our long-term commitments to different communities is one of the core components of the projects. Where should we go? Well, the question is, Where have we gone?"
I worry a little for the future because if those [climate related] changes happened in just ten years, I can't imagine what will happen in the future... But change is inevitable, growth is optional.
—Jean Symonds
Long known as a culinary delicacy and bright-red representation of Maine’s “The way life should be” motto, Maine lobster made the news for a more negative association in 2022 when the Monterey Bay Aquarium put Maine lobster on its "red list" for the endangerment of the North Atlantic right whale. Lobster lovers were given a stark choice by the aquarium’s listing: give up the food you love, or help protect a majestic, endangered creature. However, this choice was motivated by a false dichotomy: At the time of the listing, there had not been a single right whale death or entanglement tied to Maine lobstering gear for over 20 years (although this may have changed as of 2024, when the Maine fishery seems to have been implicated in a a whale death).
The idea that marine conservation is the purview of scientists and must be handled in opposition to those making their living from the sea is pernicious and harmful. Maine lobstermen have, in fact, changed habits and switched to more species-friendly equipment many times over the years to reduce the negative environmental impact of their work. Some changes were because they were mandated by public policy, and others motivated by internal agreements with a purpose to ensure the sustainability of fishing in Maine for future generations. As Navigating Change highlighted, these fishing communities, having seen both the good and the bad effects of their work over the years, are the last ones who want to jeopardize their way of life. They are working hard to strike a balance.
"Maine lobstermen have done a lot to conserve. The whole idea about punching the tail of the female, the minimum size, the maximum size. We really, I think, have done a lot to keep the lobster available, and growing, actually, increasing. So, you know, I think they can take some pride,” said Gouldsboro resident Jean Symonds in a sound piece from a Navigating Change project by Kristin Zunino '24, Asy Xaytouthor '26, Jessica Bonilla '24, Ludwin Moran Sosa '24, and Michelle Hanselowski '24. “They put exits in their traps so that small lobsters can get out…among other things. So, they've done a lot of that policy. And, I know the biggest issue facing them right now is the right whale, and on a personal level that one's difficult for me. I want to see the species survive… I just want it to be fair to the lobstermen."
Working toward that goal, Baker and Smith collaborated with the students in Navigating Change to further research projects dedicated to bringing nuanced voice and representation of community stakeholders to policymakers.
Smith's research project, “Gendered dimensions of climate change impacts, adaptive capacity, and resilience in Maine’s coastal fisheries” will use recorded interviews from women along Maine's working waterfront to bring their voices directly to policymakers on the Maine Climate Council.
I was again out of my comfort zone. But, sometimes when you believe in something, you just take a deep breath and dive in.
—Rebecca “Becky” O’Keefe
"By working with the council's equity subcommittee, we will leverage upcoming policy windows as the state's climate action plan is revised in 2024 with a focus on equity,” Smith outlined. “Understanding the impacts of climate change on women's fisheries activities, their adaptation strategies, and innovations can enhance resilience for all… and ensure a more equitable fishing economy for the future.”
Fishing in Maine is often seen as a man's world, but there are many women working in the marine industry in aquaculture, fish processing, lobstering, clamming, and also many women involved in the fishing industry, even if they are not going out on the water. That's why it is crucial for their perspectives to be heard, although gender dynamics often lead to their voices being underrepresented.
One final project in the class, dedicated specifically to Smith's research, saw students interview six women from Gouldsboro harbor. The Goldsboro village of Prospect Harbor was once home to the Stinson sardine factory, the last of its kind in the US. Stinson’s closing in 2010 left a big impact on the people in the community, specifically women, who comprised most of the workers there. The group was able to capture the trajectory of the factory and these women's lives through time and looking forward. In addition to contributing to Smith's research, their audio pieces will be added to Koch’s ongoing Maine oral history work, published on Maine Sound + Story (MS+S), a digital archive.
"As the years have gone on, I'm more aware how important it is for women to know that they can in fact be involved in any aspect of this industry now," said Jean Symonds, an interviewee and the first woman on the board of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association.
Baker's research will also use students' oral history collections, along with MS+S public archives and other collected data, to create a bird's-eye view of changes along the Downeast coast in response to climate change. Utilizing her background in data visualization, Baker aims to use complex and layered digital experiences to synthesize important information while still maintaining nuance. The project is still in its early stages, and so it is yet to be determined how the results will be raised to policymakers, but Baker is confident that it can be leveraged to bring positive change to these coastal communities.
"There's a lot of really rich information and knowledge from people’s lived experiences that often gets overlooked; it's hard to incorporate oral histories into policy decisions because they’re hard to quantify, but new techniques in data science like text analysis can help with that. We hope to create something that's queryable, shareable, and an open resource," Baker said. "By synthesizing and categorizing interviews based on key characteristics like place, industry, and topic, we hope to make it easier for policymakers to hear from stakeholders and learn from their experiences in meaningful ways."
The project also has potential to help people learn from each other and make changes on their own accord, Baker said.
"I also hope that this project helps to make connections between communities so that people can put their heads together, especially if folks have found a solution that's helping them navigate the changes facing their community. For example, climate change is already here, but to varying degrees and in different ways. A fishery in Massachusetts or Rhode Island may have experienced changes that Jonesport or Lubec may experience in 10-15 years… learning from the past and learning what’s worked in other communities can help people prepare and navigate the changes ahead of them," she added.
These research projects emphasize the importance of sticking together, and lifting up one another's voices. Looking through the lens of human ecology, marine policies—even with intentions to protect endangered species of our oceans—should be considered unacceptable unless they also consider their human impact. Navigating Change reminds us that this is too often left behind. Caring about the ocean means caring about its stakeholders, and caring about its stakeholders, especially in the case of Maine lobstermen, means caring about the ocean as well.
The Fund for Maine Islands
Since its launch in 2015, the Fund for Maine Islands has addressed four areas of critical concern for Gulf of Maine residents, including food systems, energy, education, and climate change adaptation. The fund, a collaborative effort between COA and the Island Institute, was jump started by a $2 million grant from the Partridge Institute, and has since secured funding from a number of other sources. Navigating Change is just the latest in a series of projects and courses to be supported by the fund.
One of the early Fund for Maine Islands projects involved a trip by COA students and faculty, Island Institute staff, and five mid-coast island residents to Samsø Energy Academy in Denmark to learn about energy sustainability. This trip subsequently inspired the founding of A Climate To Thrive, a Mount Desert Island-based and resident-led organization with a goal to help MDI reach energy independence by 2030 through decentralized, local, renewable energy solutions. Little-Siebold’s 2018 class, Mapping the Ocean's Stories, which involved oral history collection similar to that done as part of the Navigating Change course, has led to a more permanent project of the same name led by Natalie Springuel '91 of Maine Sea Grant in collaboration with The First Coast, COA, and the Island Institute.
