Robin Alden’s work may be specific to Maine, but she knows it has the opportunity to impact the planet. Her love of fishing and her passion for the industry led her to create the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries in 2003. She retired from the organization this year. The nonprofit works to secure the future of fishing by implementing innovative, sustainable programs. “Commercial fishing requires respect for the environment to succeed,” Alden says. “Done right, fishing is an excellent economic activity and feeds the world.” Alden believes small community fisheries have the ability to create lasting change in the industry, because the people involved understand what needs to be done to preserve fishing. She has worked for decades to connect fishermen with decision makers in the scientific and policy communities. In 1976 she cofounded the Maine Fishermen’s Forum, which brings together fishermen, scientists, and government officials. She also served in former governor Angus King’s cabinet, where she led the development of changes to Maine’s lobstering laws. Now that she’s retired, Alden plans to draw on her 45 years of experience to continue making fishing more sustainable, so it can be practiced by generations to come. “Fishing is an interesting business, because its long-term success requires both restraint and excellent environmental practices, and it uses a natural resource in a changing environment,” she says. “It is, in many ways, a metaphor for the human challenge of living from and caring for this planet.”