So, on the last day of 2011, our little Kelp and Mussel Team was to be found on the shores of Lamoine State Park, with the wind blowing about a steady 15-25, and a light rain, headed out to the mussel rafts to set out another 300+ feet of kelp lines. Today, it was Carter Newell (Pemaquid Mussel Farm), Tollef Olson (Ocean Approved), Shep Erhardt (Maine Coast Sea Vegetables), Ron Hinkle (independent seaweed harvester), Sarah Redmond (Maine Sea Grant) and yours truly. Oh, and Polar, Sarah's dog - he stayed in her car, but played an important role later on.
We bounced around on the rafts, and fortunately, it was cool but not cold, probably 34 deg F; so much so that no gloves were needed, though we were all pretty bundled up otherwise. The winter has been so warm that the water was still pretty toasty too, and that didn't hurt. Anyway, we got our lines set out, bounced around a bunch on the raft and in the boat, and we all stayed more or less dry. During the whole time, there was a steady stream of discussion: about the project, about the mussel and seaweed industries, different strains of kelp and the conditions under which they grow, boats, markets, etc etc etc.
It was this discussion that was so intriguing. Tollef and Shep are to some degree in competition, as they both are looking to source kelp for their businesses. Ron was skeptical of several aspects of the project, although he's hoping for success, and interested in following the project as it moves along. Carter had at different points helped Tollef with mussel culture information, and then been a competitor when they were both in the mussel business, and now into a different relationship, since Tollef sold his mussel business and focused on seaweed, and has a lot of knowledge on seaweed to offer all the rest of us. With all that background, there we were, ducking under the rain, excited to be testing this new approach, and happy as the proverbial clams to talk shop with one another.
This isn't new either; talking shop is what it's all about, whether it's oyster farmers from the US and Canada, or fishermen from East and West Coasts, or potato farmers in The County and their Idaho counterparts. The competitive environment always exists, but at the heart, there's almost always more to be found in common; people enthusiastic about their work, and facing a lot of the same problems in keeping their businesses alive and kicking. The walls between are surprisingly fragile when both parties are trying to figure out something like having predators steal your crop, and the give-and-take that results is usually very productive. Plus, it's fun.
Which brings us back to the dog.
In the photo below, Polar is obviously suspecting some trickery from the tennis ball on the ground, and remains at strict attention, to ensure that nothing gets by him, thank you very much. In the background however, are Sarah and Ron (foreground) and Tollef and Shep. They're talking. It's getting late, we're all headed off to our New Year's fun, many of us have a long drive ahead, and we're wet and getting cold, but it's still too interesting to leave off, and so the talk continued.
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| Tech Transfer, and Canine Attentiveness in Lamoine, Maine, Dec 31, 2011 |
Looking forward to the next round...
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