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L A N D I N G S
NEWS & VIEWS FROM MAINE'S LOBSTERING COMMUNITY
In January 2013, the MLCA launched Landings, a monthly newspaper which balances
its content amongst science, history, resource sustainability, economic development,
and human interest stories. Through Landings, MLCA educates the public and lobster
industry stakeholders about the unique characteristics of Maine’s lobstering traditions,
its history and heritage, ongoing research to maintain the sustainability of the resource,
and its non-harmful and non-wasteful commercial fishing practices.
Distributing more than 6,500 copies of this 24+page publication free via mail each
month to all of Maine’s commercial lobstermen, state government agency staff, elected
state officials, Congressional delegation, subscribers, marine businesses; and to the
public at various locations around the state including ferry terminals, marine supply
stores and annual educational forums.
An Island Keeps Its Lights On
By Eva Murray Matinicus Island, roughly 20 miles south-southeast of Rockland, has a population number that is hard to pin down. “How many people live on the island?” is a common question, but answering with a tongue-in-cheek, “Oh, 100, I guess — plus or minus 75,” is pretty accurate. On some mid-winter nights, an islander can count the neighbors on fingers and toes. Matinicus Island. Photos by E. Murray. Matinicus is a lobstering community, and as such, depends upon one indu
2 days ago4 min read
Maine Seacoast Mission Continues Holiday Tradition
As it has for more than 100 years, the Maine Seacoast Mission will be providing holiday gifts to children, families, the elderly and others in Downeast Maine this month. Photo courtesy of Maine Seacoast Mission. The Maine Seacoast Mission works among the islands along the eastern coast and coastal communities of Downeast Maine. It provides health services via its vessel, the Sunbeam, to is a mainstay on the islands of Matinicus, Monhegan, Isle au Haut, Frenchboro, Swan’s Isla
2 days ago2 min read
Thanks to Our Generous Community
As we gather for holidays, all of us at the Maine Lobster Community Alliance (MLCA) and our partners at the Maine Lobstermen’s Association (MLA) want to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the volunteers, donors, and supporters who make our work possible. This year offered so many reminders of the remarkable people who stand behind Maine’s lobstering communities. We are especially grateful to everyone who helped bring our first Tides and Traditions event to life in Stoningto
2 days ago2 min read
Women In Fisheries: Kathleen Reardon
Department of Marine Resources (DMR) lobster fishery biologist Kathleen Reardon thought about moving out to the Pacific Northwest after college. She had explored the northwest coast as part of her studies in the Williams College-Mystic Seaport program and was stunned by the area’s beauty. So as college came to an end, she packed her car with her few possessions and prepared to head west. But then she paused. “I realized I didn’t know anyone there and that I liked the northwes
2 days ago5 min read
Introducing MLA Associate Director Chris Payne
Chris Payne likes to travel. He just doesn’t necessarily do it as most people do. He travels with his fins or on his feet. Payne, 44, who grew up in Bedford, Mass., began taking diving lessons at age 14. He and his father studied the sport together at the local pool. “I was obsessed with it,” he recalled. As a freshman at the University of New England (UNE) in Biddeford he passed his SCUBA diving certification that fall in murky 47o Maine water. Since then he has been diving
3 days ago2 min read
MLA Junior Harvester: Adin Alley
Adin Alley, 17, of Jonesport, recalls when he first started lobstering as a young child with his father Jason. “I remember the early morning, the sunrise. All the boats going out at the same time, like a fleet,” he said. Adin Alley Adin has been lobstering “ever since I could walk,” he said, as his father and grandfather did before him. He had his own boat when he was 10, an 18-foot Libby, and now fishes his 150 traps from a 22-foot outboard. “I set at the end of school, late
3 days ago2 min read
MLA Business Member Spotlight: Smithwick & Mariners
One of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association’s (MLA) long-standing business members is Smithwick & Mariners Insurance, now a division of Brown & Brown Insurance Services, one of the largest brokerages in the world. “That, coupled with deep, local knowledge and experience in the marine segment offer our clients the best combination of service and competitive rates,” Scott Smithwick said. For more than two decades, Smithwick & Mariners (now Brown & Brown) has offered a discount bo
3 days ago2 min read
MLA Junior Harvester: Tommy Werner
Most eleven-year-old boys lead a full life. There’s going to school, homework, chores around the house, hockey practice in the winter, and of course, hanging out with friends. For Tommy Werner of Cape Elizabeth, his busy schedule includes tending his ten lobster traps on Peaks Island with his father, Thom Werner. Tommy Werner. Tommy learned to lobster from Thom, a Cape Elizabeth lobsterman who owns and operates the Island Lobster Co. restaurant with his wife, Peaks Island nat
Nov 62 min read
MLA Business Member Spotlight: Hews Company
Hews Company, LLC has been in business for a long time. “It will be our 100th year in 2027,” said Katy Hews, director of marketing for the family-owned business. The company is a distributor of truck-mounted equipment throughout New England and manufacturer of custom truck bodies, with facilities in South Portland and Bow, New Hampshire. Hews custom truck bodies are used throughout the Maine coast. Hews Co. photo. It all started when Roland C. Hews traveled from Aroostook Cou
Nov 62 min read
Lobster Roll Remix Raises Funds for MLCA
Friends of Maine’s lobster fishery came together on National Lobster Day (September 25) for an incredible evening at the Lobster Roll Remix to benefit the Maine Lobster Community Alliance (MLCA). Hosted by the Maine Lobster Marketing Collaborative at Southern Maine Community College in South Portland, this event brought together visionary chefs who gave the iconic Maine lobster roll a global flavor twist — from Thai to Indian, Sichuan to Sicilian — and delighted guests with b
Nov 61 min read
Women in the Fisheries: Carli Stewart
Carli Stewart, 28, is a new mother, a fisherman’s daughter and a fisherman’s fiancé. She works as a content specialist at National Fisherman magazine, a position that she clearly enjoys. “I get to tell people’s stories,” she said enthusiastically. More specifically, she tells the stories of the lives of fishermen and their communities, from Alaska to Maryland, with the insight that comes from being part of a fishing community herself. Stewart grew up on Casco Bay’s Long Isla
Nov 52 min read
From The Archives: MLA Member Profile: Bob Williams, Stonington
Written by Nancy Griffin First published in the July 2014 issue of Landings Bob Williams has lived in Stonington for all but four days...
Oct 73 min read
From the Archive: MLA Membership Is a Tradition In One Family
By Shelley Wigglesworth First published in Landings, March, 2016. In their home port of Beals Island two young MLA members, both up and...
Oct 23 min read
Introducing Bold Coast Seafood
The famous Stinson Seafood sardine cannery in Prospect Harbor lives again. In mid-September a trio of lobster industry veterans — Curt...
Sep 263 min read
Women in Fisheries: Jenni Steele
The first word someone is likely to use to describe Jenni Steele is “energetic.” Steele, 59, owns and operates Island Fishing Gear and...
Sep 263 min read
MLA Junior Harvester Tommy Dube
Tommy Dube, 11, likes to fish, though it’s sometimes hard to get him to admit it. But his actions speak louder than words. Dube has gone...
Sep 262 min read
MLA Business Member Spotlight: Vallation Outerwear
Vallation Outerwear, a family business based in Washington state, has made a splash since its founding in 2020. In part that is due to...
Sep 262 min read
Maine Musicians Fire Up MLCA Fundraiser
The third annual Music, Masts and Lobster Traps took place on a clear and breezy day at the Boothbay Railway Village Museum on August 24....
Aug 281 min read
Women In Fisheries: Chris Cash
When Christina “Chris” Cash, 53, first saw the advertisement in 2021 for a position at the Lobster Institute at the University of Maine she thought to herself, “This is it.” Three years later, after serving as assistant director of communication and outreach and later as interim director, Cash became the Institute’s third executive director in 2024. Chris on the boat. Cash grew up far from the coast, in the small western Maine town of Bridgton. Her family, however, had deep r
Aug 284 min read
MLA Junior Harvester: Harrison Billings
You start young in the Maine lobster fishery. Harrison Billings. Photo by Brian Billings. MLA board member Brian Billings’ son Harrison...
Aug 281 min read
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