ROCKLAND, Maine — While crowds packed Rockland’s waterfront for the 76th annual Maine Lobster Festival Thursday morning, lobstermen advocates gathered a small audience in a tent and announced new efforts to support legal defenses and extend their public reach.
The Maine Lobstermen’s Association will now partner with the Maine Lobstermen’s Community Alliance advocacy group to fundraise beyond the MLA’s member dues and reach supporters beyond Maine’s borders, MLA staff said.
After a recent lengthy court fight with the federal government over new fishing regulations aimed at protecting the endangered right whale, Amber-Jean Nickel—who serves in leadership positions within both organizations—spoke with NEWS CENTER Maine about their combined goals.
"The focus is really making sure that the members are supported," Nickel said. "And they’re supported with any of the legal defense fund that we can to continue the fishery. But, outside of that, we partnered with the alliance because the Maine Lobster Community Alliance goes through and does more on a broader scale."
The alliance, she said, could help pull in artists, merchants, and other industries not directly associated with catching and serving the crustaceans, and better collect financial and vocal support.