The Net Result: Our Evolving Fisheries
2016 History Conference
Saturday, November 5, 2016
8:00 a.m. registration 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. conference
Postponed to a date to be determined
University of Maine Hutchinson Center
80 Belmont Ave., Belfast, Maine

This year’s History Conference delves into statement: Human innovation and technology have proven to be too successful for the health of our fisheries and out local ecosystem.  Our line-up of scientists, historians, journalists, activists, consumers and fishermen will answer the question: How did this happen and what do we do now?

Regulating the Evolution: Marine Policy
Patrick Shepard, Fisheries Policy Associate at Penobscot East Resource Center

Fisheries policy and conservation have not always been synonymous in our history. Patrick Shepard walks us through the major turning points in the groundfish regulations and brings us the current crossroad in policy as we plot the future of this historically important fishery.

Consuming the Evolution: A Food Historian’s Guide to Seafood
Nancy Harmon Jenkins, Food Historian and Writer

The seafood, we as humans consume, has evolved over time based on the availability of the resource locally and through Trans-Oceanic trading webs, as well as the latest culinary trends. Food historian Nancy Harmon Jenkins charts the rise and fall of salt fish, sardine on crackers and other seafood favorites from the past, discusses current seafood consumption and predicts future seafood culinary trends.

Sustainably Fishing the Evolution: The Marine Affairs’ Perspective
Peter Neill, Director of World Ocean Observatory

Peter Neill has been advocating for the health and sustainability of our oceans through numerous means of communication. He will discuss the evolution of the scientist-fishery harvester conversation and initiatives by each to address sustainability issues and meet conservation objectives imposed by regulatory bodies.

Sustainably Fishing the Evolution: The Fisherman’s Perspective
Glen Libby, Manager of Port Clyde Fresh Catch and co-author of Caught: time, place, fish.

As a fisherman, Mr. Libby has seen how the technological revolution has impacted how and where fishermen fish over a period of several decades. Not all of these advances were good from a sustainable fisheries perspective but we are now learning how to use technology to enhance the recovery of our groundfish fishery here in Maine.

Documenting the Evolution: National Fisherman
David Jackson, former publisher of National Fisherman

National Fisherman has been the periodical of record for the fishing industry for over 65 years, providing context for today’s hot button issues in the industry. Former publisher Dave Jackson, using photographs from the periodical’s pages, will explore how National Fisherman documented the technological evolution in the fisheries and the resulting ecological and social effects.