When part of the Eastport Breakwater collapsed in the early morning hours of Dec. 4, three boats and a truck were destroyed and one person was injured. The calamity came at the start of a busy scallop-fishing season, and so the inner basin was full of draggers. Since then, fishermen have had to find alternatives to berthing and loading and unloading.
Playing it day-by-day according to wind and weather, the fishermen are moving their boats around in order to fish their limited scallop and urchin days. Some are tied up to the fish pier equipped with a attenuator float brought back into commission, others are on moorings at Broad Cove. Some have moved to the Edmunds boat ramp, miles up in Cobscook Bay. The uncertainty of weather is paired with that of the season, which DMR could close at any time. “When the season does end, most will pull their boats and park them in the yard,” according to Butch Harris.