WORKING WATERFRONT

Maine has a rich maritime history, but less than 20 miles of the 5,000-mile coast remains as working waterfront in the state.

What is the Working Waterfront, and why is it important to us?

Maine has a rich maritime history, but less than 20 miles of the 5,000-mile coast remains as working waterfront in the state.

The East Side Waterfront Park is part of the movement afoot to revitalize the working waterfront, while protecting and preserving it for generations to come. We’re committed to ensuring that our fisherman continue to have access needed to continue Maine’s maritime traditions, and our south pier is already being utilized by our local fisherman.

What we have accomplished

  • Concrete-topped Pier

    Fishermen currently use the South pier as a convenient location to load, unload, work on traps and boats.

  • Winter Trap Storage

    Offered on the south pier and on the BBHWP property across Atlantic Avenue from the park (3,000 traps stored so far).

  • Moorings

    Four moorings are provided to working waterfront boats at deep discounts to prevailing rates.

  • Parking

    Substantial parking on BBHWP property dedicated to Working Waterfront. Without convenient parking and areas to load/unload, Boothbay Harbor will lose its commercial fishermen.

  • Tie-up & Storage

    When several “Carter’s Wharf” floats were temporarily unusable, BBHWP floats were made available. When a disabled fishermen needed temporary trap storage, BBHWP responded.

  • Harbor Cleanup

    BBHWP is providing a free staging area for the “OceansWide” effort to retrieve abandoned ghost gear in Boothbay waters. Usable traps are returned to fishermen and the rest are recycled.

Our future plans

  • 1

    Replace and significantly expand the Working Waterfront float footprint (funded).

  • 2

    Provide a boom and hoist on the south pier for convenient loading/unloading (funded).

  • 3

    Open up the north pier for winter trap storage, giving local fisherman their space.

  • 4

    Provide a dinghy dock for fishermen to access moored boats (funded).