Jennifer Brewer
Penobscot East Resource Center
PO Box 27
Stonington, ME 04681
207.367.2708
brewerj@ecu.edu

Traditional fishery management approaches have failed to sustain a diverse fishing industry in eastern Maine. New approaches are attempting to increase participation of fishing communities in management, by enhancing local leadership and knowledge. The Penobscot East Resource Center developed the Community Fisheries Action Roundtable (C-FAR) to build capacity for community-based fisheries management and stewardship in eastern Maine.

After two years of the program, Penobscot East believe the program has been transformative, but no systematic evaluation has been conducted. As they enter the third year of the program, staff are hoping to identify ways to improve the program and provide funding support. Brewer is using qualitative communication research techniques to assess the strengths and limitations of the C-FAR program. The assessment will permit a comparison of C-FAR with similar programs around the nation and the world, as well as develop indicators of success in building capacity for local participation in fisheries management.

Two-year project
Total: $4,000