In The News | August 2025

New head of Maine Coastal Program

Dr. Jocelyn Runnebaum is the new director of the Maine Coastal Program in the Department of Marine Resources. The Maine Coastal Program is scheduled to move from DMR to the new Maine Office of Community Affairs (MOCA) in the fall. MOCA was established by the legislature in 2024 to engage with municipalities, tribal governments and regional councils to provide coordinated and efficient planning, technical assistance and financial support to better plan for challenges, pursue solutions and create stronger, more resilient communities.

Runnebaum previously worked for The Nature Conservancy’s Oceans and Coast program as the organization’s Marine Program Manager. Runnebaum chaired NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Resource Advisory Committee and is currently serving on the New England Fisheries Management Council’s Climate and Ecosystem Steering Committee. Before joining The Nature Conservancy, Runnebaum worked for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as a fisheries biologist and fished commercially for salmon in Alaska.

Dr. Jocelyn Runnebaum. DMR Photo.

Maine seafood businesses changing hands

Bristol Seafood, a Portland seafood wholesaler, is being sold in August to Mark Foods, one of the nation’s leading seafood importers. Mark Foods will acquire Bristol Seafood’s facilities on the Portland Fishing Pier and its 100 employees. Bristol CEO Peter Handy said the move has been in the works for several years and could allow the company to expand its footprint in Maine and hire more workers in the future. In addition, Maine’s oldest lobster processing company filed for bankruptcy in July. Cozy Harbor Seafood had been in business since 1980. A lawyer representing the company said in an email that the company initiated this process to “continue operating while it restructures its liabilities and pursues a court-supervised sale to a new owner.”

Stonington Co-op receives Working Waterfront covenant

The Stonington Lobster Co-op added a preservation covenant to one of its wharves through the state’s Working Waterfront Access Protection Program. It plans to use the resulting state funds to help repair past storm damage. The cooperative already updated one wharf and infrastructure through the state’s working waterfront protection program several years ago; that wharf was able to survive the powerful back-to-back storms in January 2024. The waterfront protection program gives matching funds to fishing businesses, aquaculture operations and other groups protecting their working access. In exchange, the state places a covenant on the site permanently limiting any future development there that doesn’t support fishing or aquaculture.

Young Fishermen’s Development Program up for reauthorization

A bipartisan coalition of Congressional representatives is pushing for reauthorization of the Young Fishermen’s Development Program. The program is due to expire after the federal 2026 budget year. The original Young Fishermen’s Development Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump during his first term in 2021. Challenges for young people attempting to enter the nation’s many fisheries are considerable, from high costs to extremely limited waterfront and fishery resource access. The Young Fishermen’s Development Program provides a framework to help foster a new generation of fishermen through enabling fishermen’s organizations to pilot and deliver successful training and apprenticeship programs.