The Blue Hill Public Library and Maine Policy Review are sponsoring a panel discussion for the Maine Policy Review 2023 Issue Our Shared Ocean on Saturday, May 18 at 2PM in the library's Howard Room.

Maine Policy Review is a leading peer-reviewed journal focusing on policy analysis and research in Maine. To celebrate MPR's special issue Our Shared Ocean, authors Robin Alden, James Wilson, Bill Zoellick, and Robert Shetterly will join for a panel discussion.

Robin Alden, retired founding director of the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries, will discuss her essay, which looks back at the last 50 years of Maine fisheries to find lessons for the next 50 years. Alden believes that Maine’s fishery management is consistent with an adaptive systems approach suitable for an era of climate change.

James Wilson, emeritus professor of marine science and economics at the University of Maine, will discuss his commentary examining why depletions of local fish stocks are so persistent. He argues that by considering fish as social animals, we might successfully restore and sustain our marine fisheries.

Bill Zoellick, education research director emeritus for the Schoodic Institute, will discuss his commentary, which expands our notion of working waterfront beyond shipyards and wharves to include access to waterfront by those who reach it on foot. Drawing upon
emerging initiatives by municipalities, nonprofit organizations, regional associations, and state government, this piece outlines policies to help sustain on-foot waterfront access.

Robert Shetterly, a Maine artist whose paintings and prints are in collections all over the U.S. and Europe, will present an artist’s viewpoint on our shared ocean and describe his process for creating cover art for MPR for the past 25+ years.

Maine Policy Review publishes timely, independent, peer-reviewed analysis of public policy issues relevant to the state of Maine. The journal is published two times per year by the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at the University of Maine. It is intended for a diverse audience, including state policymakers; government, business, and nonprofit leaders; students; and general readers with a broad interest in public policy.

This program is free and open to all. For more information, please email Kayleigh Thomas at kayleigh.thomas@bhpl.net or call the library at 374-5515.