The Law That's Saving American Fisheries - Ocean Conservancy

Glen Libby, who fishes out of Port Clyde, took this approach: “It was either make this work or quit,
and I’m too stubborn to quit.”
Raviya Ismail/EARTHJustice
Glen Libby
Port Clyde: The little port that could—and still can
Decades after the collapse of New England’s top fish
populations, including cod and flounder, only a
few communities continue the region’s rich fishing
tradition. The tiny enclave of Port Clyde in Maine is one of
them, and Glen Libby is a reason. “It was either make this
work or quit, and I’m too stubborn to quit,” he says. Libby
has been fishing for groundfish and shrimp out of Port
Clyde for almost 40 years. His father fished there before
him, and his brother Gary and son Justin have followed the
family tradition.
Libby’s humility aside, credit Port Clyde’s survival to more
than stubbornness. Libby and his peers have learned to
deal with hardship, creating opportunities amid a legacy of
beaten-down fish stocks.
A former member of the New England Fishery
Management Council, Libby helped found the Maine
Coast Fishermen’s Association, which has rallied the
tenacious few remaining draggers in Port Clyde and other
small ports to find ways of adapting. Inventive and determined,
fishermen in this port are using the tools afforded
them under the Magnuson-Stevens Act to earn a sustainable
living, including:
Trimming operating costs with fuel-saving practices,
and honing their fishing methods to target available fish
stocks while avoiding depleted ones.
Taking advantage of less-hectic fishing schedules under
New England’s recently developed “sectors” system.
Embracing risk-management techniques from other
industries by creating a bycatch risk pool. (A net full of
fish the fishermen have no quota to catch, known as a
“catastrophic tow,” could bring hefty costs or even shut
them down.)
Cultivating customers who pay more for the fish. One
early marketing innovation was allowing consumers to
buy seafood by subscription via community-supported
The Law That’s Saving American Fisheries: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 25