New director of UMaine Lobster Institute brings industry experience

The University of Maine has tapped a former member of the lobster industry to lead an institute that studies and supports the state’s most well-known fishery.

Chris Cash spent 14 years fishing for lobster, eight of them on her own boat. She hopes to use that background in her new role as the executive director of the UMaine Lobster Institute, to bring some fresh perspective to the center and to expand its outreach to her former colleagues in the industry.

Cash has been with the Lobster Institute since 2021, first as assistant director of communication and outreach, and then as interim director. She has also worked as an advancement officer at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Boothbay Harbor and held other roles with organizations in the midcoast.

The Lobster Institute, which is based in the village of Walpole in South Bristol, was previously led by Richard Wahle, a marine sciences professor at UMaine with a background in zoology.

“Rather than coming from specifically a research background, I come from a commercial fishing and industry background,” Cash said. “So I feel like that brings a value when I’m going out in the field and talking to fishermen, that I can certainly relate. It is something I did for a very long time.”

The Institute is now going through a restructuring process, Cash said, creating an executive committee and subgroups to oversee outreach, research, the workforce and other areas. The goal of those changes is to ensure the profitability and sustainability of the industry.

As part of her work, Cash hopes to convene more conversations with members of the fishing industry about topics including innovations in gear, with an understanding of the reluctance they may feel about it.

The Institute is currently collaborating with the National Science Foundation and other groups to study how melting Arctic ice is affecting the Gulf of Maine, and it is working on the Environmental Monitors on Lobster Traps and Large Trawlers project, which installs oceanographic sensors on commercial fishing vessels.

Cash also wants to provide more opportunities for university students to get involved with the Institute’s projects.

“If we can get more student opportunities, if we can just build a solid base in it, and expand our capacity to offer more projects and programs, especially to our students, that would be my dream come true,” Cash said.

Jules Walkup is a Report for America corps member. Additional support for this reporting is provided by BDN readers.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the types of outreach the Lobster Institute hopes to do to the fishing industry. It is only hoping to convene discussions about new types of gear. It also misstated the role it’s playing in the Environmental Monitors on Lobster Traps and Large Trawlers project. It is not leading the project.