MLA Junior Harvester: Brevan Kenney

Brevan Kenney, 19, from Beals Island, spent his childhood on the boat. “I was on my grandfather’s (Dwight Carver) boat from the time my parents thought it would be safe to go wearing a lifejacket,” said Brevan, 19. His father, Michael, has been Carver’s sternman for many years. Dwight and Michael kept an eye on Brevan during offshore lobstering trips and by the time he was 8, he had his student license and 10 traps.

Brevan Kenney with his grandfather, Dwight Carver. D. Kenney photo.

Lobstering at such a young age is commonplace around Jonesport and Beals Island, according to Kenney. “Kids haul their own traps, that’s normal around here. It’s our way of life,” he said. “Of course, there are other opportunities here but this is the biggest one if you want to stay.”

It’s clear Kenney wants to stay. He lobstered with his father and grandfather until he was 11. Then his grandfather bought a 25-foot center console boat with an electric hauler for the grandkids to use to haul their traps. “I learned a lot on that boat. My grandfather went with me, but he let me run the boat,” Kenney recalled. When he was 14 he teamed up with his cousin, Cooper, to lobster from a 26-foot boat. The two boys fished a combined 300 traps for several years while going to high school.

“I ran the boat and he sterned. My biggest worry that first year was getting wound up in the prop and having to get towed in. But I’m very comfortable on the water now,” he said.

After three years the cousins parted. Kenney received his commercial license and began fishing with his friend, Eli, on the same vessel. Bit by bit he saved his money with the aim of purchasing a bigger boat.

Kenney graduated from Jonesport-Beals High School in 2024, where he excelled in basketball, scoring more than 1,000 points during his playing career. In the fall of that year, he bought a 36-foot H&H, paying for the boat from his savings.

“I didn’t really have a lot to spend money on,” Kenney explained. “I bought stuff for fishing or for sports sometimes. For five years I saved the majority of what I made so I could get a boat that would last a long time.”

In addition to lobstering, Kenney is attending Eastern Maine Community College where he is studying building construction. “My goal is to fish seven or eight months and during the bad months, work on houses. Anyone getting into fishing should have a steady back-up plan,” he said.

But that doesn’t mean lobstering isn’t his chosen path. “I love sports and maybe someday I might coach basketball. But when I’m not fishing, I’m usually doing something related to fishing. Work is my hobby,” Kenney said cheerfully.

“With the sustainability measures we use, lobsters are going to be here for a lot of years. We are seeing so many egged lobsters and shorts now, I think if lobstermen are allowed to stay on the ocean, the future is bright.”