Maine Sea Grant and NOAA Fisheries collaborated to document and showcase the local knowledge of fishermen and women who harvest of alewives, blueback herring, and American eels in Downeast Maine. The fisherman's first hand observations and intimate relationship with these species over the years can inform efforts to restore these fish populations.

It might seem incongruous to talk of traffic disputes and costly collisions in an area as vast as the waters off the Pacific coast. But that’s the situation that afflicted the coast’s tribal and commercial crab fishers and its tug-and-barge and shipping operators for decades as they shared the same sealanes.

Peter Nguyen works very closely with Vietnamese-speaking fishermen to offer them technical assistance, such as providing information about new regulations and proposed legislation. Peter, a former commercial shrimper, has been with the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Outreach Program since 2006. He works at Mississippi State University’s Coastal Research Center in Biloxi and works on fishing gear research, seafood marketing and other outreach efforts.

Torie Baker is the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program agent for the Prince William Sound region and is based in Cordova. As a MAP agent, she works with fishermen in marine safety training, business assistance and collaborative applied research. She is also a 20-year commercial salmon harvester in Prince William Sound, Copper River and Bristol Bay, and has worked extensively in Copper River salmon marketing initiatives. She holds a master's degree in adult education from the University of Alaska Anchorage.

It is Safe Boating Week! Whether it’s fresh, salty, or somewhere in between, the allure of water attracts people for fun in the sun and summertime memories.  Sea Grant programs are working hard to manage the delicate balance between the nation’s diverse boating needs and the protection of its coastal resources.