Darling Marine Center: Research reveals diverse community benefits of small-scale fisheries

Marine fisheries provide many benefits to coastal communities, including food, employment, and a sense of community and individual identity.

University of Maine researchers Heather Leslie and Kara Pellowe are studying the diverse benefits provided by small-scale fisheries in partnership with harvesters and other local experts in multiple regions, including Maine and Mexico. Heather is director of the Darling Marine Center and a Mitchell Center faculty fellow.

In Maine, the researchers are gathering information through a series of surveys led by UMaine graduate students Sarah Risley and Melissa Britsch, in collaboration with the shellfish committees of the towns of Damariscotta, Newcastle and Bremen. The team provided an update on their midcoast Maine work at the Damariscotta Board of Selectmen meeting on Wednesday, December 16.

Read the full news release here.