The Endangered Lobstermen- new addition

The Endangered Lobstermen continues.....

My most recent addition to the series meet Kelly & Ron Hinkle of Addison, Maine.

“I have been commercial fishing since I was a young boy and have been full time lobstering since 2020.

We have spent countless hours working on gear to follow regulations to help to protect the endangered right whale.  Being ‘red listed’ caused prices to drop, meaning less money to pay for heat, food and shelter. I had to work other jobs to make up for that. The ‘red list’ also let us see how big the lobster community really is when the stores, schools, banks and other businesses stood as one to support this industry.”

-What have you done to educate people about what you do as a lobstermen?  

“I have been using social media as a voice for the lobster industry.  Using videos and photos to show how we sustainably lobster fish and have showed the rules and regulations that we follow.  Showing the world behind the scenes of what lobstering looks like.From doing work on gear to showing the world egg bearing lobsters and explaining all of the little things that most will never see or ever know about lobstering.  By doing this people from all over the world are exposed to the lobster industry, the good, the bad and the ugly.”

-Thoughts on the future of the industry?

“I have always thought the future of lobstering was never a worry.  The older I get and the more regulations there are and the low prices of the lobsters make me wonder if my son and other future generations will be able to fish and enjoy as I do myself. My worries are not with the fishermen that chase the tide but with the outside organizations that want us gone.”

-Thoughts on hopeless/on demand traps

“I don’t think the hopeless traps will be able to work without the loss of fishing gear.”

-Kelly Hinkle

2nd generation lobstermen

Addison, Maine 

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