A very simple photograph, made over in Port Clyde. Really not much to it, yet when I saw this I immediately thought of Benjamin Franklin's observation at the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately."

You see, this is the motto of the draggermen/fishermen of Port Clyde, who are looking at long odds as they struggle to maintain their livelihoods in the face of diverse overwhelming pressures.

These fishermen and their families realized that it was only by working collaboratively within their own fleet, as well as embracing external partnerships that they have a fighting chance. Elsewhere in Maine, New England, around salt-water America and globally, traditional fisheries have been decimated, taking with them the cultures and communities founded upon the once-great resources of the seas.

Port Clyde Fresh Catch and other organizational entities have effectively evolved to address myriad issues ranging from environmental to marketing, financial to strategic, legislative to scientific.

They started this country's first CSF (Community Supported Fishery), based on the well-established CFA (Community Supported Agriculture) movement that now flourishes around the United States. In this paradigm, consumers are introduced to their local food suppliers and proactively invest in them with the promise of fresh local fish/vegetables/meat/etc as the seasons play through.

It's simple, it's brilliant and it's working. And I say this having just returned from Newfoundland where scores of ghost town outports bear stark and tragic witness to what happens with failure to organize and manage a once-fabled resource.

Will "The Boys" over in Port Clyde be successful? Only time will tell...but these are smart, hard-working and incredibly dedicated people and by God, they are hanging together... for dear life.

Check them out at http://www.portclydefreshcatch.com

Ralston Gallery is in Rockport Village, at 23 Main Street, Rockport. Open Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. -6 p.m., or by chance or appointment. Peter and Terri live only a minute away and are more than happy to open on short notice. Phone: 230-7225; Gallery Manager, Terri Ralston.

 Peter Ralston's work has been seen in countless books and magazines, featured on network television and has been exhibited in galleries, collections and museums throughout the United Sates and abroad. In 2003, Peter received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Colby College in recognition for his photography work and for cofounding the Island Institute. Ralston Gallery opened in 2010, at the head of Rockport Harbor. Peter also offers photography workshops in coastal Maine, Newfoundland and Labrador.