WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today congratulated Robin Alden of Stonington, a former Commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, on being named a “Champion of Change for Sustainable Seafood” by the White House. Robin is one of 12 people from across the country to receive the award, which recognizes local leaders who have devoted themselves to helping the United States become a global leader in sustainable seafood management. She will be formally recognized during a ceremony at the White House this coming Friday, October 7, 2016 beginning at 1:00 p.m.

            “We are tremendously proud of Robin and are grateful for her incredible, collaborative work with Maine fishermen, scientists, and regulators to implement strategies and models that will help ensure the sustainability of this important facet of our economy for decades to come,” Senators Collins and King said in a joint statement. “With threats like climate change and ocean acidification impacting Maine’s coastal waters, Robin’s work is more important and more needed than ever before. We thank her and applaud the White House for rightly naming her a Champion of Change.”

Robin Alden is the founding Executive Director of Penobscot East Resource Center, Maine’s center for coastal fisheries in Stonington, Maine. She led a path-breaking effort to bring shared management to Maine’s lobster fishery, now recognized internationally as a model for sustainable fisheries. Robin served as Commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources under then-Governor King, where she was responsible for Maine’s marine and anadromous fishery management and enforcement and aquaculture in the state. She was also the publisher and editor of both Commercial Fisheries News and Fish Farming News and a public member of the New England Fishery Management Council.

The United States fishing industry is critical to the economic health and well-being of communities across the country, supporting 1.7 million jobs and contributing nearly $200 billion to the economy in 2014. However, our marine ecosystems are under threat from multiple stressors, including climate change and ocean acidification. The need for innovation in sustainable fisheries has never been greater. Local leaders serve as the backbone of our communities, working to build resilient coasts and striving to protect the at-risk towns whose futures depend on the recovery of our fisheries. These Champions of Change are ensuring that the United States is a global leader in sustainable seafood management.

Friday’s ceremony will be livestreamed HERE.

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