[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 76 (Thursday, May 8, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E871]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING GERRY CUSHMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. THOMAS H. ALLEN

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 8, 2008

  Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, it is my distinct pleasure to recognize the 
hard work and achievements of Gerry Cushman, a fisherman from Maine who 
recently won the prestigious Golden V--Notch award from the Maine 
Lobstermen's Association, an association of more than 1,200 lobstermen 
from Eastport to Kittery. This award recognizes a fisherman who has 
gone above and beyond the call of duty to help preserve the lobster 
industry. Gerry won this award not just for his effort to protect and 
preserve the lobster industry but for his steadfast dedication to the 
entire Maine commercial fishing industry.
  Gerry Cushman serves on the Board of Directors of the Maine 
Lobstermen's Association, is a member of the Zone D Lobster Council, 
and sits on the State's Lobster Advisory Council. He also works with 
the Port Clyde Fishermen's Co-op and the Port Clyde Draggermen's Co-op: 
a joint working group to preserve the fishing community of Port Clyde.
  Gerry has championed the lobster industry both on the water and on 
the dock. He helped to secure a $340,000 grant from the Land for 
Maine's Future Fund to facilitate building and expanding a fishing pier 
in Port Clyde for lobstermen and groundfishermen as well as two bait 
companies. The grant is part of a larger initiative to protect working 
waterfront spaces along Maine's coast. Working waterfronts are rapidly 
disappearing in the State of Maine and these resources are crucial to 
preserve both fisheries and communities.
  I have had the privilege of meeting Gerry and seeing first hand his 
dedication to ensuring that future generations of Maine fishermen will 
have both lobsters to harvest, and a place to land their catch. I 
admire Gerry and the men and women who work tirelessly to make certain 
that the fishing industry and the communities they support are 
preserved for future generations. I echo Gerry's words that ``what we 
leave for the next generation is important.'' Small fishing communities 
across the country are beginning to take a leading role in the 
management of the fishery resources on which they all depend, and Gerry 
Cushman is one of the leaders in this effort. I would like to once 
again thank Gerry for his hard work and I wish him the best in all his 
future endeavors.

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