It’s that time of year when we are encouraged to consider our blessings. How appropriate for a blog about scallop farming. Yes, we are all thankful for the tasty morsels we call PenBay Princess farm-raised scallops. Generations on in the future, people will be giving thanks that our bay is in good shape, that we have developed and put into practice ecologically wise procedures for enhancing our food supply.
For those who are now considering adding scallop farming to their fishing skills, there is one more aspect to consider. How supportive is your family? Marsden Brewer is quite outspoken about how much he values the time on the water with his son Bobby as his co-worker But there’s more as the photo makes clear: his lovely wife Donna and daughter Jennifer. No, in spite of their aprons, they are not his usual fishing crew yet Marsden will assure you that they are important to the success of the scallop farming venture.
Starting a new to Maine a harvesting and marketing venture is a challenge. There are many potential risks. It matters that you are not making decisions based on short term money questions. When you have a good season that does not automatically mean a vacation trip to the Caribbean, a newer, bigger, flashier car.
The news this past fall has been full of points for general public to ponder. We are being asked to consider taking better care of our planet. It is suggested that that means reigning in our profligate ways. Accumulating more stuff is not a sustainable goal.
Is there a word for patriotic when you want to apply it to our entire globe? Doing our bit for the health of our world, our bay, and our time, our children’s tomorrows; that is something we can all find satisfying. Respecting our marine heritage while innovating in a way that uses proper scale and local knowledge to give us such a wonderful addition to our dining is indeed a challenge. That we have enterprising folks of different generations figuring out how to develop scallop farming here in Penobscot Bay is certainly something for which to give thanks.
