Interview with Ted Ames of the Stonington Fishermen's Alliance and Penobscot East Resource Center - Click here to listen.

Scientist and lobsterman Ted Ames received accolades for his pioneering research combining local fishermen's knowledge with scientific data to examine Atlantic cod spawning behavior, habitat, and fishing patterns in the Gulf of Maine. A recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship in 2005, Ames has spoken and written about the connections between restoring sea-run fish - river herring in particular - and restoring inshore groundfish stocks along Maine's coast. In this interview with Community Outreach Coordinator Cheryl Daigle, Ames talks in depth about how the Penobscot River Restoration Project will benefit the Gulf of Maine ecosystem and communities along the river and bay.

More from Ted Ames: Bangor Daily News guest editorial "Penobscot Dam Removal will bring Big Benefits" Read complete article

More on Ted Ames research can be found on the Penobscot East Resource Center website: http://www.penobscoteast.org.

"Once Maine reopens its largest river and reestablishes its sea-run stocks, sportsmen throughout the country will flock to the area. Sustainable runs of Atlantic salmon, shad and stripers in the Penobscot would spin off benefits to every town bordering the river ... But the key to this opportunity lies in the fact that river towns and cities would not be the only ones to benefit from a revitalized river. Reopening the Penobscot River will restore three different types of fisheries - each with accompanying economic benefits. The first, of course, is restoring the river fisheries; the other two are in the marine world, and would help revitalize the state's fabled coastal fisheries." ~ Ted Ames

(Photo courtesy of Penobscot East Resource Center, www.penobscoteast.org)