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Patrick Keliher is a former commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources.
As Maine’s longest-serving commissioner of Maine’s Department of Marine Resources, I know what is at stake for fishing families, waterfront businesses, and coastal towns. Today, those communities are under pressure from every direction. In this race for governor, those realities are not side issues. They are central to Maine’s future.
That is why I support Hannah Pingree for governor. I am convinced no candidate understands the connection between healthy fisheries, working waterfronts, aquaculture, and the long-term strength of Maine’s economy. She does not treat the coast as a backdrop for campaign rhetoric. She understands it as a working landscape that must be protected if Maine is going to remain Maine.
Hannah’s understanding is rooted in experience. She grew up on North Haven and represented coastal towns and islands in the Legislature. I saw her leadership firsthand when we worked together. She listens carefully, learns the details, and keeps her focus on practical solutions instead of slogans.
Consider the lobster industry. Its challenges are far from settled. The current federal moratorium on right whale-related restrictions runs through 2028, but the regulatory fight is not over.
I believe Hannah understands that Maine needs science-based policy grounded in real conditions on the water, not assumptions that ignore how fishermen actually work. She knows conservation matters, but she also knows durable policy must account for the survival of the communities expected to live under it.
Just as important, Hannah has consistently defended working waterfronts, because once a dock is lost, it rarely comes back. That is not theory; it is the lived reality of coastal Maine. After the winter storms of 2024, Hannah led the efforts to fund repairs to waterfront infrastructure helping raise federal, state and private funds in excess of $70 million. Those numbers should end any illusion that resilience is optional.
Maine needs a governor who understands that rebuilding stronger is now part of governing responsibly. After all, if we lose access to the shore, we do not just lose infrastructure. We lose jobs.
She also understands that aquaculture can strengthen, not weaken, Maine’s marine economy. Aquaculture offers a way to diversify income, create more year-round work, and keep people on the water when traditional fisheries face new strain. That kind of adaptation is not a retreat from Maine’s heritage. It is how we preserve it.
What has always impressed me most about Hannah is her instinct to listen before she decides. When regulations shift, waters warm, or markets change, she will start with the people who will feel the consequences first. That matters. Good policy is not made by parachuting into a crisis with talking points. It is made by understanding how decisions land on fishermen, wharf owners, and working families.
I think Mainers are tired of noise, division, and leaders who confuse “disruption” with results. We need steadiness from someone who can work across party lines to solve real problems. Hannah knows how government works, and more importantly, she knows how to make it work for the people who depend on it.
A governor learning on the job is not an option. We need a leader who already understands the people, the science, the economy, and the stakes. In my view, Hannah Pingree is that leader. She has earned my support, and I believe she is the right choice for Maine’s fisheries, working waterfronts, and coastal communities.
