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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 17 JA N UA R Y 1 0 , 2 0 2 2 F O C U S 2 0 2 2 E C O N O M I C O U T L O O K Overall, she says, the region culti- vates a sense of pride in collaborating on positive, stable, incremental growth. "I feel confident that we'll continue to see more of our businesses grow," she says. "And our schools are doing really well. Investments of the recent influx of federal dollars have been made very thoughtfully — by our schools, cities and counties — in ways that will help us for decades to come." F I S H L A N D I N G S Portland Fish Exchange GM sees fewer landings, tougher year B y J e s s i c a H a l l J odie York, general manager of the Portland Fish Exchange, expects fish landings to remain weak with fewer fishing vessels in the fleet in Maine and more restrictions on fishing areas. Add to that a pandemic and reduced demand from restaurants and the outlook for the fishing industry and a key component of Maine's coastal economy is grim. "ere's the pandemic, there's fewer fishermen in the fleet, manage- ment restrictions on where they can fish, they're unable to find crew. is coming year could look very much like 2021 with landings down signifi- cantly from pre-pandemic levels," says York, who started as GM in March 2021. "Right now, landings are the lowest they've ever been." Landings through the end of November were roughly 500,000 pounds, compared with pre-pandemic landings of about 2 million to 2.5 mil- lion pounds, York says. "ere's always a struggle in fishing. Landings are down in general throughout New England and what's coming through the door at the Fish Exchange," York says. e ongoing pandemic will con- tinue to weigh on the fishing commu- nity, she says. "We don't know about the pandemic and what is in store. New York shutting down again would have a huge impact on the community. It would impact demand and close a key market," York says. e Portland Fish Exchange itself is facing a review on how it can best serve its constituents. "We have to serve the needs of the current fishing community," York says. "Since the Fish Exchange began in 1986, fishing has changed dramatically." "Vessels' ability to find a crew is really challenging. e fishing fleet is an aging population. ere's not a lot of recruits. Staffing is going to be a continued struggle. It's one of the big- gest challenges." "For fishing overall, people get into it because their families were involved. e reduction in the number of boats going out means less people are passing down the tradition. It's very hard work. It's a tough lifestyle. Vessels want to take someone with experience and that's harder and harder to find," York says. H O S P I TA L I T Y HospitalityMaine workforce chief predicts banner year for COVID- battered sector B Y R E N E E C O R D E S D erek Fassett, HospitalityMaine's director of education and work- force development since September, predicts a banner year for a sector hammered by COVID. "e hospitality industry is on track to reach record performance highs," he says, noting that taxable retail sales for Maine restaurants and lodging establishments in 2021 were better than expected and that "all signs point to continued increases." While both sectors saw an improve- ment over 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, lodging businesses saw their taxable retail sales jump by 27% while eateries registered a smaller increase, of 3.5%, based on data through October. Nevertheless, Fasssett believes it will be challenging for businesses to ramp up for 2022 given the tight labor market for all industries. NEW DIMENSIONS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION - WATERVILLE, ME Let's get started! With over 30 years of commercial construction experience, the team at Bowman Constructors will help you realize those aspirations and bring your commercial construction project to life. www.bowmanconstructors.com 207.368.2405 JAN. 26 – FEB. 13 SENIOR LIVING Written by Tor Hyams & Lisa St. Lou TICKETS: 207.774.0465 PORTLANDSTAGE.ORG 25A FOREST AVE, PORTLAND, ME A play with music about people dying to live C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » Jodie York, general manager of the Portland Fish Exchange, expects fish landings to remain weak with fewer fishing vessels in the fleet in Maine and more restrictions on fishing areas. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F J O D I E Y O R K

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