Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries

What Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries does

Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries (MCCF) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2003 and headquartered at 13 Atlantic Avenue in Stonington, Maine — the state's highest lobster landings port. MCCF's mission is to build sustainable fisheries and productive marine ecosystems while supporting resilient fishing communities in Downeast Maine. It serves four primary stakeholder groups: commercial fishermen and harvesters (lobstermen, groundfish, scallop, and shellfish operators); high school students in nine regional eastern Maine schools; the general public visiting its Discovery Wharf interpretive center; and institutional partners including NOAA Fisheries and the Maine Department of Marine Resources. Programs are organized under four pillars — Sustainable Fisheries, Resilient Communities, Maritime Stewards, and Lifelong Learning.

MCCF's core offerings combine research, education, community outreach, and direct service delivery. Discovery Wharf is a seasonal (May–October) interpretive center and Maine Marine Museum featuring touch tanks and virtual reality experiences of lobster boat and river ecosystems. The Eastern Maine Skippers Program delivers maritime education through nine regional high school partners. Healthy Harvesters (launched 2025) provides personalized health coaching and healthcare navigation to lobstermen, crew, and diggers in Stonington and Deer Isle. Educational content is amplified through the "Ask Leroy!" YouTube video series (27+ episodes featuring Captain Leroy Weed) and the Lunch and Learn webinar series. Research capabilities center on the Eastern Maine Coastal Current Collaborative (EM3C), a five-year cooperative project with NOAA Fisheries and Maine DMR supporting ecosystem-based fisheries management. Underlying technology is community-driven rather than platform-based — built on collaborative co-management frameworks, in-person programming, and digital content distribution rather than proprietary software.

MCCF operates as a charitable nonprofit funded primarily through tax-deductible donations, recurring monthly giving, planned giving and legacy gifts, business sponsorships, and grant funding. It does not charge for most services. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and led by Executive Director Alexa Dayton, Ph.D, Chief Scientist Carla Guenther, Ph.D, and Administrative Director Bobbi Billings, with founders Robin Alden and Ted Ames having established the institution's research and policy legacy.

Name

Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries

Legal name

Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries

Website

https://coastalfisheries.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries is a Stonington, Maine-based nonprofit that builds sustainable fisheries and resilient fishing communities in Downeast Maine through research, education, and direct community programs serving fishermen, students, and the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Conservation and Sustainable Fisheries Services

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marine Conservation & Citizen-Science Experiences (reef monitoring, turtle walks) (THAAAIAH)

Keywords

• Sustainable fisheries management
• Marine conservation research
• Coastal community programs
• Fishery co-management
• Maritime education

Headquarters

HQ city

Stonington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible gifts from individual donors supporting program work in collaborative research, management, and education.
2. Monthly Giving Program: Recurring monthly donations providing steady support, with the organization seeking 10 new recurring monthly donors in 2025.
3. Planned Giving and Legacy Gifts: Structured gifts in estate plans providing tax and income incentives while ensuring longevity of MCCF's work.
4. Business Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorships providing recognition and exposure in publications, at events, and at MCCF headquarters.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries is a nonprofit organization that delivers community-driven sustainable fisheries management, ecosystem-based research, and maritime education programs in Downeast Maine. Its work spans four programmatic pillars — Sustainable Fisheries, Resilient Communities, Maritime Stewards, and Lifelong Learning — operationalized through named programs including the Discovery Wharf interpretive center, the Healthy Harvesters health and wellness program, the Eastern Maine Skippers Program, the Lunch and Learn webinar series, the Ask Leroy! video series, and the EM3C research collaborative with NOAA and Maine DMR.

Product overview

Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries (MCCF) is a nonprofit organization operating as a unified program portfolio focused on building sustainable fisheries and supporting coastal communities in Downeast Maine. The organization functions as a single integrated entity rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core offerings include: Discovery Wharf (interactive marine education center and museum), the Healthy Harvesters health and wellness program, the Eastern Maine Skippers Program (maritime education for high school students), the Lunch and Learn webinar series, the Ask Leroy! video series, and research initiatives like the Eastern Maine Coastal Current Collaborative. These programs are organized under four strategic pillars: Sustainable Fisheries, Resilient Communities, Maritime Stewards, and Lifelong Learning. All programs share the common mission of supporting fishing communities, advancing ecosystem-based fisheries management, and promoting intergenerational knowledge transfer in Maine's coastal communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Discovery Wharf: On-site interpretive center and Maine Marine Museum located at 13 Atlantic Avenue in Stonington harbor, offering interactive learning experiences about local fisheries and the Gulf of Maine marine ecosystem.
• Lunch and Learn
• Ask Leroy!
• Healthy Harvesters
• Eastern Maine Skippers Program
• Eastern Maine Coastal Current Collaborative (EM3C)

Products and services

• Discovery Wharf An interpretive center and Maine Marine Museum located in Stonington harbor, offering interactive educational experiences including hands-on touch tanks, first-hand stories from Captain Leroy Weed, and virtual reality experiences of being on a lobster boat or in a river filled with migrating alewives. Open May through October, it serves thousands of visitors annually from across the USA and beyond.
• Healthy Harvesters A community-driven health and wellness program dedicated to improving the well-being of lobstermen, crew, and diggers in Stonington and Deer-Isle, offering personalized health coaching, health screenings, financial and counseling referrals, and assistance navigating the healthcare system.
• Eastern Maine Skippers Program A maritime education program empowering the next generation of maritime stewards by providing education access to explore and create marine opportunities in coastal communities, delivered in partnership with nine regional eastern Maine high schools.
• Lunch and Learn Series An annual webinar series led by MCCF staff and industry experts covering hot topics and happenings in Maine's commercial fishing industry, offered virtually year-round with interactive Q&A sessions.
• Ask Leroy! A video series featuring Captain Leroy Weed of Stonington, Maine, who after 50 years as a fisherman answers questions about commercial fishing with downeast humor, available on the MCCF website and YouTube channel.
• Sustainable Fisheries Program A program applying ecosystem approaches to advance co-management and protect owner-operator fisheries in Maine, enabling stewardship of sustainable fisheries and supporting diversified fishing opportunities in Downeast Maine across lobster, sea scallops, river herring, groundfish, and shellfish.
• Resilient Communities Program

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• NOAA FisheriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEM3C is a five-year cooperative research and development project between MCCF, NOAA Fisheries, and Maine Department of Marine Resources to develop a research framework supporting ecosystem-based fisheries management in the Eastern Maine Coastal Current and its associated watersheds.
• Maine Department of Marine ResourcescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners in EM3C collaborative project focused on ecosystem-based fisheries management, with DMR's mission to conserve and develop marine resources, conduct scientific research, and promote Maine coastal fishing industries.
• Eastern Maine Coastal Current Collaborative (EM3C)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-partner initiative bringing together MCCF, NOAA Fisheries, and Maine DMR for five-year research project on ecosystem-based fisheries management supporting coastal community resiliency.
• Downeast Fisheries PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal alliance focused on restoring ecological diversity and ensuring sustainability of eastern Gulf of Maine fisheries and communities.
• Community Fisheries NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal alliance contributing to shared strength in restoring ecological diversity and ensuring sustainability of eastern Gulf of Maine fisheries and communities.
• Fish Locally CollaborativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal alliance contributing to shared strength in restoring ecological diversity and ensuring sustainability of eastern Gulf of Maine fisheries and communities.
• Nine Regional High SchoolsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with nine regional high schools in the acclaimed Eastern Maine Skippers Program for collaborative maritime education.
• Northeast Center for Occupational Health and SafetyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Healthy Harvesters program, providing health assessments for diggers, lobstermen, and crew in Maine, and developing resources like Boat Hacks for Better Backs and PFD use initiatives.
• Town of StoningtonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner collaborating on community health initiatives through the Healthy Harvesters program.
• Maine Connectivity Organization - Connectivity HubsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Healthy Harvesters program connecting fishermen to resources and services.
• OpiateFree Island PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal community partnership supporting fishermen's health and wellness through the Healthy Harvesters program.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gulf of Maine Research Institute: Portland, Maine-based nonprofit advancing ocean stewardship through science, education, and community partnerships in the Gulf of Maine. Closely comparable in combining marine research, K-12/educator programming, and fisheries ecosystem focus, though it operates at larger scale and broader geographic remit than MCCF.
• Island Institute: Rockland, Maine-based nonprofit working on coastal community resilience and sustainable marine economies in Maine. Directly comparable to MCCF in mission (sustainable fisheries + coastal community resilience), regional focus, and small-staff nonprofit structure; differs in broader island/coastal scope vs. MCCF's Downeast fishing emphasis.
• Penobscot East Resource Center: Maine-based nonprofit focused on the Eastern Gulf of Maine scallop fishery and community-based fisheries management. Directly comparable in fisheries co-management focus, Stonington-area geography, ecosystem-based management approach, and small-staff nonprofit operations.
• Downeast Institute (formerly Beals Island Regional Shellfish Hatchery): Maine-based nonprofit shellfish research and aquaculture organization serving coastal Downeast fishing communities. Comparable in Maine coastal research mission, downeast geography, and nonprofit structure; differs in aquaculture vs. wild-fisheries emphasis.
• Maine Coast Fishermen's Association: Maine-based association advancing sustainable Maine fisheries through advocacy, co-management, and direct fishery support (including a fishermen-led seafood market). Comparable in fisheries advocacy, co-management focus, and small nonprofit operations; differs in being more advocacy/market-oriented vs. MCCF's research-education emphasis.

Broad incumbents

• Coastal Enterprises Inc. (CEI): Maine's largest community development financial institution focused on coastal and rural economic development, including fisheries/aquaculture financing. Comparable in serving coastal Maine fishing economy communities; differs in being primarily a CDFI/financing organization rather than a marine conservation/research nonprofit.
• Environmental Defense Fund – Oceans Program: National NGO with a major oceans/fisheries sustainability program advocating for ecosystem-based fisheries management across U.S. waters. Comparable in promoting science-based co-management approaches; differs in national advocacy scale and policy orientation vs. MCCF's hyper-local community focus.
• The Nature Conservancy – Maine Chapter: Large international conservation organization with significant Maine coastal and marine program work. Comparable in marine conservation mission in Maine; differs enormously in scale, global brand, and broader habitat (not fishery-specific) focus.

Regional players

• Schoodic Institute: Acadia-region Maine nonprofit focused on coastal ecosystem research, education, and citizen science. Comparable in marine education, citizen-science programming, and Downeast Maine focus area; differs in stronger Acadia/academic affiliation and less fisheries-community emphasis.

Others

• NOAA Fisheries – Greater Atlantic Region: Federal agency managing U.S. marine fisheries in the Greater Atlantic, including Gulf of Maine species. Not a peer competitor but a key partner/funder via EM3C — directly relevant as the regulatory/scientific counterpart MCCF collaborates with on co-management.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mccfisheries
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-XfCCHZlDHMfxClTwAqjag
• Facebookfacebook.com/mainecenterforcoastalfisheries
• Instagraminstagram.com/coastalfisheries
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coastalfisheries

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries