Articles
FISHERY FAILURE: The Tragedy of Mistrust in Groundfish Management
It sounds like a definition of insanity: attempting to rebuild fish stocks by doing the same thing over and over again, while stocks continue to decline. On Sept. 27, the New England Fisheries Management Council voted to pursue Amendment 16 in order to correct a management system that people generally agree is broken. While the
In the Hopper
The following bills with implications for the preservation of Maine’s working waterfronts are under consideration by the Maine Legislature: * Working Waterfront Access Bond: Reps. Leila Percy and John Piotti co-sponsored L.D. 299, a bond that would provide $15 million to working waterfront communities and $15 million to farming communities to invest in their future
Support grows for working waterfronts
Eight out of ten Mainers support the creation of a public investment program that would preserve critical access points, piers and wharves in Maine’s Working Waterfront communities. Maine’s Working Waterfront Coalition submitted questions to the Maine Survey, conducted annually by Maine based Market Decisions, to continue a line of questioning begun last year to gauge
Island-resident trustees oppose property tax cap
Four Island Institute trustees who are year-round island residents have expressed the view that the proposed tax cap on this fall’s referendum ballot poses a direct threat to key island institutions, such as schools and libraries, that make up the fabric of a sustainable year round island community. The reasons behind the opposition vary from
Up and down Maine’s coast, working waterfronts continue to disappear
Working waterfront access continues to disappear in communities up and down the coast. The last private pier used for fishing access in Bar Harbor has been sold to a property developer. In East Boothbay, lobstermen were unsuccessful in purchasing a wharf to secure their access. A number of privately owned fishing access points in St.
Failure in Bar – Harbor: the missing ingredient was equity
The last privately owned fishing dock was sold out of its traditional fishing use in Bar Harbor this summer despite the best attempts of a group of local fishermen. The property, known as Fishermen’s Wharf, has been providing access to fishermen for at least the past 47 years. During this time various owners/fishermen had allowed
More islands qualify for lodging fund
The Island Institute is expanding its Island Lodging Fund to include year-round islanders on the Cranberries, Frenchboro, Swan’s and Isle au Haut. The fund will provide a $40 reimbursement for a total of 55 room nights per month to year-round island residents who have special needs that require a night’s stay on the mainland, such
Working Waterfronts: The Land Trust Solution
Jeff Donnell and Mark Sewall, two lobstermen whose families have been fishing from York Harbor for generations, recently purchased a dock near historic Sewall’s Bridge on the York River. Much can be learned from this experience that could benefit other communities struggling with preserving access to the sea. The purchase of York Working Waterfront is
Governor to Speak at Access Forum
Maine Gov. John Baldacci will give the keynote speech at a Dec. 17 forum at the Darling Marine Center in Walpole designed to explore solutions to the state’s shrinking access to its working waterfronts. “Working Waterfront Access: A Forum on Challenges and Solutions” will enable communities, fishermen, planners, citizens, water dependent industries and others to
In St. George, it’s plentiful and scarce at the same time
With over 120 miles of coastline, you might think that finding access to the water in St. George would be easy. Residents of the area who work for a living fishing, farming shellfish, digging clams, or who need to find parking for the public dock or the Monhegan ferry, know how difficult it is to