Fishermen’s Association names building for Cushman family

The Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, a Brunswick nonprofit focused on rebuilding the fisheries of the Gulf of Maine and sustaining Maine’s fishing communities for future generations, has named its office building at 93 Pleasant St. after the Cushman family, of Port Clyde.

The naming of the building was made possible thanks to a generous donation from two longtime summer residents of Port Clyde, Ben Lipson and Dr. Jill Roth, with a matching contribution from the Port Clyde community.

The Cushman family encompasses multiple generations of Maine fishermen, including brothers and Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association board members Randy and Gerry Cushman. Both men are part of the original assembly of fishermen from the St. George peninsula who founded what was then called the Midcoast Fishermen’s Association in 2006, with the goal of improving fisheries management to better serve Maine’s community-based fishermen.

The announcement of the naming of the Pleasant Street office building was made during an event at the Ocean View Grange in Port Clyde on Aug. 8. Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association Executive Director Ben Martens presented the sign for the building to Gerry Cushman, along with other members of the family, saying, “The Cushman family has been the heart of this organization from the very beginning and we are thrilled to be able to publicly honor their contributions as leaders and stewards for Maine’s fisheries.”

“For generations, the Cushmans have been a positive force in Port Clyde and the fishing community,” Lipson and Roth said. “It is a privilege to support the naming of the Cushman Family Building as a recognition of the Cushman family’s leadership role in the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association.”

A sign honoring the Cushman family, along with photos of the Cushmans, will hang in the foyer of the building.