Late last year I attended a training on motivational interviewing where I met someone who told me about this thing called the Spoon Theory. Originally developed by Christine Miserandino to describe the finite energy reserves of people with chronic illness, Spoon Theory has grown to resonate far beyond its original context. It can also apply to anyone whose work or lifestyle demands extraordinary energy—like commercial fishermen.
In Spoon Theory, each spoon represents a unit of energy. Everyone starts the day with a certain number of spoons, but how quickly those spoons get used up depends on the demands of the day. For commercial fishermen, the workday often drains most—if not all—of their spoons. When the physical toll of hauling gear combines with the mental load of decision-making and safety, there’s often little energy left at the end of the day for other tasks.
Commercial fishermen are the ultimate industrial athletes. Their workdays are grueling, requiring immense physical effort, mental focus, and emotional resilience. A single day might involve lifting hundreds of traps, pulling nets, sorting fish, or enduring harsh weather, all while staying alert to safety risks on an unstable surface. It’s no surprise that by the time they get back to shore, many fishermen feel utterly spent. But the challenges don’t end when the boat is back on the mooring. Increasingly, fishermen are being asked to shoulder additional responsibilities that demand more of their already limited “spoons.”
This is where the problem lies. Fisheries management increasingly requires fishermen to engage in activities beyond fishing. These include tasks such as electronic vessel trip reports (eVTRs), surveys and data collection, and attending meetings and public hearings about policy at municipal, state, and federal levels.
While these activities are important, they often feel insurmountable when a fisherman’s spoons are already depleted.
There’s a growing disconnect between the expectations placed on fishermen and the reality of their energy reserves. Asking fishermen to dedicate more time and energy to administrative tasks or advocacy efforts—without considering the toll of their primary job—often results in burnout, frustration, and disengagement. When you're running on empty, it often shows up physically through symptoms like muscle fatigue, sudden angry outbursts, difficulty concentrating, and an overall sense of exhaustion that impacts both body and mind.
Unlike a desk job where employees might have energy left for evening activities, the physical and mental exhaustion of fishing leaves little room for “extra” tasks. And unlike other professions, fishermen can’t always predict how demanding their day will be. A calm day with minimal gear tangles might cost fewer spoons, while a rough day in high seas might use them all before noon.
Another factor that drains a fisherman’s energy is the lack of opportunities to replenish it. Over the past few years, the Maine lobster industry specifically has been hit with numerous challenges, including lawsuits, high bait prices, deteriorating working waterfronts, new regulations, offshore wind development, and potential gear changes. Any one of these issues alone could threaten a fisherman’s livelihood, but together, they pose a significant risk to the entire industry. It’s akin to living with constant job insecurity. Even when the industry successfully overcomes one hurdle—as it often does—there’s always another challenge waiting just around the corner.
In this context, the phrase “An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behavior,” attributed to Viktor Frankl in Man's Search for Meaning, feels especially relevant. Fishermen operating under such relentless and extraordinary pressures often respond in ways that might seem unconventional or extreme. Yet, given the circumstances, these reactions are not only understandable but a natural response to the abnormal reality they face; they don't have any spoons left to give.
Ultimately, the challenges faced by fishermen highlight the urgent need for more compassionate and practical approaches to fisheries management and industry expectations. Acknowledging the limited energy reserves of fishermen—and the extraordinary demands of their work—is a critical first step in creating systems that genuinely support their well-being. Fishermen are vital stewards of our oceans and providers of food, yet their voices too often go unheard, and their energy too easily taken for granted. If we want to preserve the industry and support commercial fishermen, we must prioritize policies and practices that balance their physical and mental limits with the growing demands placed upon them.
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