Women in Fisheries: Alison Gauvin, Marine Patrol Officer

For Marine Patrol Officer (MPO) Alison Gauvin, every day is a good day, as long as she is outdoors and on the water. The 31-year-old Whitefield native began her career in Marine Patrol four years ago and, to hear her tell, it’s a perfect fit.

“My mother told me about Marine Patrol. I was in Boston, working as a personal trainer and I wanted to get home,” Gauvin explained. “I’ve always been athletic and I wanted to work outside.”

Gauvin's learned a lot about tides and currents since coming to the Eastport/ Lubec district. DMR photo.

Gauvin excelled in athletics during her high school years at Erskine Academy in South China. She was a four-year letter winner in softball and starred in indoor track and field and basketball. Gauvin attended Simmons College in Boston and graduated in 2017 with a degree in exercise science and nutrition. While living in Boston, she was a member of the Boston Renegades, a women’s professional football team.

women in fisheries:  Alison Gauvin, Marine Patrol Officer melissa waterman

Like many others, during the Covid pandemic Gauvin’s world grew smaller and her thoughts turned to Maine. At her mother’s urging, she applied to become an MPO. “I didn’t understand the position fully the first time I applied, and I was passed over. The second time I did a ride along [going out on the water with another MPO] out of Rockland. That gave me a much better idea of what the job is,” she said.

MPO Alison Gauvin. MLA Photo.

To become an MPO, Gauvin completed the Law Enforcement Pre-Service Course and an 18-week Basic Law Enforcement Training Program at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, as well as the nine-week Marine Patrol Field Training Program. In 2022 she was assigned to the Cobscook Bay/Lubec Marine Patrol district.

The first thing she noticed? “The tides are big. The fishing is different,” Gauvin said with a smile. Downeast fishermen move into different fisheries based on the season, from halibut in the spring and lobster in the summer to scallops and urchins in the winter months.

She initially worked closely with MPO Sargeant Russell Wright, a native of the area. Gauvin quickly learned the importance of understanding the tides, how water behaves in the intricate routes of Cobscook and Passamaquoddy Bays. She also saw that local fishermen are deeply wed to their locale. “They are very loyal to their area,” Gauvin said. “Very territorial.”

As a youngster in Whitefield, Gauvin grew up hunting and fishing. She was comfortable around firearms, a trait that was noticed within the Marine Patrol Bureau.

“I was sort of tapped and encouraged to take firearm classes. I became more active in our firearm ranges [MPOs attend at least two range days each year]. I took a class in ‘methods of instruction’ and then got accepted into the class for firearms instructor,” she said.

Not a bad day on the water for MPO Gauvin. DMR photo.

Gauvin has the habit of tenacity. While she was skilled using a hunting rifle, she was not familiar with a pistol, the firearm carried by MPOs. So she practiced, and then practiced some more. “If I am not good at something, I want to fix that,” she explained.

Being a female MPO is still rare within the Bureau. When Gauvin started in 2022, there were four women in service; today there are just two. Gauvin hasn’t felt any extra scrutiny from fishermen based on her gender. “Maybe a sideways look sometimes. But they know that I can haul traps same as them,” she laughed.

She feels that being a successful MPO is a matter of respect and rapport with fishermen. “MPOs have the trust of most fishermen. I mean, we are all in the community. They know where I live, they know the truck I drive, they see me at the grocery story,” she explained. “I think our work is really more community policing.”

In her off time, Gauvin coaches the softball team at Machias Memorial high school. She’s planning a major fishing trip in Alaska and completing studies for her captain’s license. But what she really likes to do is get on the boat and go out. “It’s so fun to go to work and to learn something new,” Gauvin said.