Open Access
How to translate text using browser tools
1 January 2015 Understanding Social Resilience in the Maine Lobster Industry
Anna M. Henry, Teresa R. Johnson
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

The Maine lobster Homarus americanus fishery is considered one of the most successful fisheries in the world due in part to its unique comanagement system, the conservation ethic of the harvesters, and the ability of the industry to respond to crises and solve collective-action problems. However, recent threats raise the question whether the industry will be able to respond to future threats as successfully as it has to ones in the past or whether it is now less resilient and can no longer adequately respond to threats. Through ethnographic research and oral histories with fishermen, we examined the current level of social resilience in the lobster fishery. We concentrated on recent threats to the industry and the ways in which it has responded to them, focusing on three situations: a price drop beginning in 2008, a recovery in 2010–2011, and a second collapse of prices in 2012. In addition, we considered other environmental and regulatory concerns identified by fishermen. We found that the industry is not responding effectively to recent threats and identified factors that might explain the level of social resilience in the fishery.

© Anna M. Henry and Teresa R. Johnson
Anna M. Henry and Teresa R. Johnson "Understanding Social Resilience in the Maine Lobster Industry," Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science 7(7), 33-43, (1 January 2015). https://doi.org/10.1080/19425120.2014.984086
Received: 20 August 2013; Accepted: 29 October 2014; Published: 1 January 2015
Back to Top