WHEREAS, Maine's relationship with the ocean has always been dynamic, shaped by changing communities, resources, markets, and conditions; and

WHEREAS, from the earliest Indigenous traditions of fishing, harvesting, and boatbuilding, to the shipyards that continue to connect Maine to the world, our people have long adapted to changing circumstances and found new ways to work on and with the sea; and
 

WHEREAS, many of the practices we recognize today as Maine traditions were once innovations themselves, developed by generations of Maine people who embraced new techniques, technologies, and ideas to pursue new opportunities while respecting the natural limits of the Gulf of Maine; and
 

WHEREAS, Maine's fishermen, sea farmers, boatbuilders, engineers, entrepreneurs, scientists, researchers, and inventors continue this tradition of ingenuity, mastering traditional craftsmanship, innovating new marine technologies and practices, and advancing ocean science, climate adaptation, and blue biotechnology; and
 

WHEREAS, as the Gulf of Maine experiences rapid change, the tenacity, expertise, and spirit of innovation that have long defined Maine's working waterfronts are more important than ever as we adapt to new conditions and pursue new opportunities; and
 

WHEREAS, the future of Maine's blue economy depends on continued investment in the people, research, businesses, and working waterfronts that have always transformed necessity into innovation, and innovation into the Maine we know today;
 

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Janet T. Mills, Governor of the State of Maine, do hereby proclaim the week of September 28-October 2, 2026 as
 

Maine Blue Economy Week 
 

and I encourage all Maine people to recognize and celebrate the ingenuity, expertise, and entrepreneurial spirit that has sustained our connection to the ocean and will help shape the future of Maine's blue economy.

In testimony whereof, I have caused

the Great Seal of the State to be

hereunto affixed GIVEN under my

hand at Augusta this twenty second day of

September Two Thousand Twenty-Six