FishAbility’s mission as part of the Maine AgrAbility Program is to work with fishermen whose productivity has been impacted by chronic illness or injury. They offer resources, information, and practical solutions to help fishermen work safely and productively. FishAbility supports fishermen, lobstermen, oyster farmers, people working in aquaculture, and family members of fishing businesses who experience barriers to employment such as aging, injury, or chronic illness.
The Maine Coast Fishermen's Association, FishAbility staff, and OryxWorx have partnered together to help share stretches, Yoga poses, and information about better physical health for fishermen.
Who's got your back?
Over the next year, we will be sharing exercises and stretches that can be done using gear that is laying around the boat or dooryard and can be done quickly while hanging out in the wheelhouse and on the deck. These movements will all be specific to the needs of fishermen keeping in mind overuse injuries and repetitive motions that are rather common in the business of fishing.
You can see the first post that features Warrior One on the AgrAbility blog HERE.
Here's the team that has your back:
🏃♀️ Brie Weisman is an Occupation Therapist and part of the AgrAbility program. (She's also writing a monthly column in Commercial Fisheries News!)
🥕 Lani Carlson, Maine AgrAbility Coordinator
🦞 Toni Small is a Yoga Instructor and owns Oryx WorX. She lives in Port Clyde with her husband John Cotton, a commercial fisherman.
🐟 And MCFA's Monique Coombs, a soon-to-be NASM certified personal trainer.
Industrial Athlete
An industrial athlete is someone who makes a living using mental and physical talents to perform jobs that require skill, strength, flexibility, coordination, and endurance—just like an athlete. Fishermen are industrial athletes, though, many fishermen may not think of themselves this way. It is an important term because it helps convey that it is incredibly important for fishermen to consider their mental and physical health so that they can perform better, prevent injury, and stay safe on the water.
You can learn more about fishermen as industrial athletes by listening to the first two episodes of the Fishing Forward podcast HERE.
Lab0r Movement's Mission is to help decrease workplace injuries, lost wages, and lost production through seminars, consultations, and ongoing training in body mechanics and movement patterns in the work environment. To improve the lives of those whose labor our communities depend on through in-person and remote training and education where the work is done: in the field, on the boat, in the brewery, in the kitchen, on the production floor, and beyond.
You can find more about MCFA's Fishermen Wellness program HERE.
