A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats

The other morning on my walk down Commercial Street here in Portland, I was watching the lobster boats unload at the wharf. Diesels were rumbling and seagulls circling, hoping for a morning snack. A busy working harbor before much of the city is awake.A school bus rolled past me with kids’ faces pressed to the windows. A few of them looked out at the fishing boats like it was a totally new sight – and for some – it was.Some of the kids live no more than a few minutes from the harbor. But odds are that many of them have never been on a boat. Never been on the water. Not because they didn't want to, but because they never had the opportunity. Meanwhile, the fishing industry that built this state is in danger of aging out. Including the lobster industry .Last fall, in 2025, Maine lost Virginia “Ginny” Oliver, better known as the lobster lady. She was 101 years young. Ginny had started hauling traps when she was just eight years old. The New Times even did an article on her long career, along with Public Radio and countless magazines and newspapers. She was still lobstering up until the day she passed.Today's episode is all about an organization here in Portland that is trying to close the gap – between young people who have never considered a career on the water – and those who have spent their whole lives fishing. It’s an innovative initiative called Lift All Boats. I’ll be talking with Ben Coniff and Miranda Shin, two people who are actively introducing high school kids, ages 15-18 into the fishing industry through a lobster fishing mentorship program. The goal is to get more young people started on their way to obtaining a very-hard-to-get lobstering license.