Charting Maine’s Working Waterfront

Over the last year, the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA) worked with the Maine Coastal Program to develop a methodology for documenting the critical infrastructure that supports commercial fishing and aquaculture along Maine’s coast. The resulting report, Charting the Working Waterfront: A Matrix for Understanding Commercial Fishing and Aquaculture Access, establishes a foundation for understanding what infrastructure exists, how it is used, and why different sites matter to the people who depend on them.

Through conversations with fishermen and fieldwork in 22 coastal communities, the project documented key resources, including bait, fuel, landings, access, and gear storage. It also developed a framework for understanding the diversity of working waterfront properties, from major commercial wharves to smaller public landings and less visible sites that may be essential to individual fishermen or entire communities.

The inventory reinforces an important point: Maine’s working waterfront is not one-size-fits-all. The needs and challenges of coastal communities vary, and understanding the role each site plays is critical to identifying opportunities to sustain commercial fishing and aquaculture into the future. With that in mind, there are a few major points that the report uncovered:

Key Takeaways

• Working waterfronts are more than physical infrastructure. Wharves, piers, and boat ramps are only part of the picture. Informal access arrangements, local relationships, and shared resources also play an important role in keeping fishing businesses operating.

  
  

• Different waterfronts have different needs. A large commercial wharf, a small municipal landing, and a privately owned property used by local fishermen face different challenges and may require different approaches to protection.

  
  

• Regional context matters. Southern, Midcoast, and Downeast Maine have distinct working waterfronts and fishing communities. Understanding these differences is essential to developing locally appropriate solutions.

  
  

• Access involves more than having a place to tie up a boat. Fuel, bait, gear storage, offloading facilities, and other services all contribute to a functioning fishing operation. Losing one resource can affect access to others.

  
  

• The inventory is a starting point, not a finished product. By establishing a baseline, this work creates an opportunity for MCFA and its partners to continue refining the inventory, identifying gaps, and building a better understanding of the challenges facing Maine’s working waterfronts.

What’s next?

MCFA will continue working with partners at Maine Sea Grant, Sunrise County Economic Council, and the Maine Coastal Program to build on and refine the inventory, expand our understanding of working waterfront needs, and identify where additional information and attention are needed.

The working waterfront is constantly changing, and our understanding of it must change, too. By continuing to learn from fishermen, aquaculturists, and coastal communities, we can make this inventory a living resource that helps inform future decisions and supports the long-term viability of Maine’s working waterfront.

Together, we persevere.