“Working waterfront is often described as something that provides access to the water such as wharves or piers and is utilized for both recreation as well as commercial activities including aquaculture. It also pertains to marinas, boatyards, and other marine-related businesses that are reliant on waterfront for business activity. “
The State of Maine’s Working Waterfront (Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association 2020)
- Maine Coastal Fishermen’s Association
- Island Institute
- National Working Waterfronts Network
- The State of Maine’s Working Waterfront (2020. Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association)
- Resources for Preserving Commercial Fishing Access (Britsch, M. 2022. Maine Coastal Program, Maine Department of Marine Resources)
- Preserving the Working Waterfront: Examples of Comprehensive Plans and Shoreland Zoning Standards from Maine Towns (2013. Hancock County Planning Commission)
- The Critical nature of Maine’s Working Waterfronts and Access to the Shore: An Analysis of Maine’s Working Waterfront (2021. Island Institute)
Suttlebutt: Useful Tips for Living in our Working Waterfront Community (Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association)
Data & Mapping
Infrastructure Inventory Assessments as a Tool to Support Resilient Fishing Communities Webinar (2022. National Working Waterfront Network, Urban Harbors Institute at UMass Boston): The National Working Waterfront Network hosted a webinar featuring panelists from ME, MA, and LA who described how inventorying commercial fisheries infrastructure can be used to drive investments, clarify the value of working waterfronts, and assess impacts of coastal storms. The discussion highlights the important role that infrastructure plays in sustaining commercial fishing activity and identifies several tips and resources for those interested in conducting their own inventories.
The Last 20 Miles: Mapping Maine’s Working Waterfront (2006. Island Institute): An analysis of rapidly declining areas of public waterfront access on the Maine Coast. Mapping Maine’s Working Waterfront was a collaborative project led by the Island Institute to bring together community members, nonprofit, state, and federal organizations to form the Working Waterfront Mapping Group. The group has met their goal to address the lack of geographic information available to support working-waterfront policy and planning at state and local levels.
Paths and Piers: A Study of Commercial Fishing Access in Downeast Maine Coastal Communities (2003. Sunrise County Economic Council, Maine Coastal Program): This study is an attempt to establish a baseline of data on waterfront access that will be used to track changes in access in the years ahead. This study replicates the statewide study of 25 communities but only focused on 23 Downeast coastal communities. It includes the towns of Winter Harbor and Gouldsboro in Hancock County.
Preserving Coastal Fishing Access: A Study of Working Waterfronts in 25 Maine Communities (2002. Coastal Enterprises, Inc., Maine Coastal Program): This study was a result of a Maine State Legislative Task Force convened in 2001 to evaluate the nature of the threat to commercial fishing access along the Maine Coast.
Tools
Working Waterfront Inventory Report & Template: A Tool for Municipal Planning and Preservation of Working Waterfront) 2023. Maine Coastal Fishermen’s Association): The purpose of this project is to provide a template for town planning, as well as a process to identify policies and prioritize funding for projects that preserve a resilient working waterfront. The report includes information about why a municipality should complete an inventory, a checklist of how to prepare before starting the inventory, and instructions on how to fill out the inventory tables.
Sustainable Working Waterfronts Toolkit (2013): The Sustainable Working Waterfronts Toolkit is a web-based information portal that contains a wealth of information about the historical and current use of waterfront space, the economic value of working waterfronts, and legal, policy, and financing tools that can be used to preserve, enhance, and protect these valuable areas. The toolkit also features case studies of successful working waterfront initiatives from communities around the country.
Funding and Protection Programs
Working Waterfront Access Protection Program (WWAPP) through Land for Maine’s Future
Through a competitive application process matching funds are available to assist commercial fisheries businesses, co-ops, municipalities, and other interested parties in securing strategically significant working waterfront properties to protect vital resources that support commercial fisheries.
Current Use Valuation of Certain Working Waterfront Land law Maine Revenue Services
- Working waterfront land used predominantly (more than 90%) as working waterfront land is eligible for a reduction of 20% from estimated market value;
- Working waterfront land used primarily (more than 50%) as working waterfront land is eligible for a reduction of 10% from estimated market value;
- Working waterfront land that is permanently protected from a change in use through deeded restrictions is eligible for a reduction of 50% (if used predominantly as working waterfront) or 40% (if primarily used as working waterfront)