It’s been a good first year for the lobstermen of North End Co-op, whose members got together to protect their access to the Sheepscot River. In September, 2002, with help from the Coastal Enterprises, Inc., Waterfront Property Loan Program, the co-op bought property on the Sheepscot River on the north end of Westport Island.
“We’re doing fine,” said Dana Faulkingham, president of the co-op. “We’re making our loan payments, even though last year, because the water stayed cold so long, was a difficult year. Catch was down a little, but our membership grew from 16 to 21.”
In May, several members were rebuilding and expanding the co-op wharf, ensuring that for the next 30 years or so, it will be strong enough to support their 15-ton Travelift, lobster boats that weigh as much as 22,000 pounds, and a bait house that will be set on a concrete slab on one arm of the wharf.
Each member expressed great satisfaction with how the cooperative venture has worked out, agreeing that the biggest advantage was having a place close to home to obtain bait and sell their lobsters. “No more going over to Boothbay for bait,” said Stott Carleton. And no more scrambling by individuals to find a buyer for their catch or arrange with the town of Wiscasset to use the town dock for pickup and loading and unloading traps. Now, appointed co-op members talk with various bait suppliers and others with lobster dealers in the area to negotiate a contract for the coming season. Last season, the Bait Lady made regular deliveries, and bait was stored in the bait house set temporarily on land near the wharf. Cozy Harbor Seafood made daily trips to pick up the catch. The co-op hired a local resident, Adam Webber, to handle bait and catch, keep records and pay members each week.
Co-op members can launch boats at the site, and if they have any problem during the season, the Travelift can pull the boat and they can work on it either outside or in a large building on the property. Several members stored their boats and gear there during the winter – the site was chock full in May, with about eight lobster boats and six sailboats (which pay fees for storage). Members plan to clear more land for additional storage.
Eventually, said Faulkingham, they also hope to have their own diesel fuel tank. For now, they will continue to negotiate the best price with a local dealer and have a fuel truck come to the dock once a week.
About a dozen fishermen have worked on the new wharf, which will more than quadruple the co-op’s dock space. Project manager Joe Robinson, who has been ordering materials, said they hoped to complete the wharf by the end of this month. The co-op, which meets monthly in the winter, has worked out a system where volunteers are compensated with bait. “It gives people an incentive to help out,” said Stott Carleton. Workers were using a boom truck loaned by a local contractor to handle the close to one-foot-diameter oak logs that serve as pilings for the new wharf. The co-op obtained the logs from a member’s father, who is clearing land for house construction.
The co-op has several other projects planned to improve and expand the facility, including the addition of more floats towards the end of the summer, and next year, further expansion of the wharf to the south.
Faulkingham said the Westport Island selectmen and planning board have been extremely supportive about helping the co-op go through permitting processes for each of their projects. “We feel fortunate we have a piece of property,” he said. “You look around and there isn’t much left. We’re thankful for what we have.”