Chris Mooney is a freelance writer and the author of two books, 
Once upon a time I was a grad student in the School of Marine Sciences at UMaine.
We were a small, tight-knit co-hort of eight ladies and two fellows... including lobsterman Curt Brown. A bright, charming, and silly guy, Curt was always fun to catch a Red Sox game with at the Seadog and the one to help me get home when my car was buried under three feet of snow. So naturally, I was thrilled to see 'Captain Curt' on CBS Sunday morning with Catch A Piece Of Maine--a terrific community based fishery model that directly supports lobstermen and the working waterfront of Maine:
Catch a Piece of Maine was created, with the help of family, friends, and fellow lobstermen, in part as a response to the financial realities of the lobstering industry and as a means to introduce you to our traditions, trade and the sea. Through Catch a Piece of Maine we have toppled the barriers between lobsterman and consumer, allowing those who love to eat the freshest most delicious lobster a chance to get to know the dedicated lobsterman who harvests their dinner. Bringing the consumer closer to the dock allows us to sell direct so that we as lobsterman earn a premium and effectively preserve the traditional working waterfront.
Customers from around the country can purchase a Maine lobster trap including all the lobsters it catches for an entire year. A private lobsterman will fish your trap all season and send videos, letters, and more seafood than you'll know what to do with. You can even follow along the journey at the lobstermen blog... Check it out and ask for Captain Curt!
Education & Careers
Comments
That is in all honesty a really awesome idea. Most of my RSS is devoted to Scienceblogs, but now I've got a Lobsterman blog too!
Posted by: Reginald | September 16, 2008 8:04 AM
I watched the piece on Sunday Morning, and I am very impressed with the hard work and initiative by Curt and everyone concerned.
Catch A Piece Of Maine is a fantastic concept, and well worth our attention and appetite.
Good luck to all.
Posted by: Linda | September 16, 2008 10:26 AM
Maybe you can get Curt and the rest of the Maine lobster industry to do more to protec critically endangered right whales. Maine has fought whale conservation for years, and now they're at it again. In contrast, Massachusetts lobstermen are doing the right thing. See http://blogfishx.blogspot.com/2008/04/side-of-whale-with-your-lobster.html and http://masslobster.org/pdf/pr-7-2-08.pdf for more info.
Posted by: Mark Powell | September 16, 2008 6:18 PM
Sheril
These guys are great--they gave a presentation at last year's Maine Fishermen's Forum. You might also want to see what the Midcoast Fishermen's Association is doing with their Port Clyde Fresh Catch http://www.portclydefreshcatch.com/
This group is supplying a community-supported fishery program.
Catherine
Posted by: Catherine Schmitt | September 19, 2008 10:43 AM