Safe Intertidal Access in Downeast Maine
The Challenge
There is an urgent, widely-identified need for securing public shoreline access particularly, for intertidal harvesters of clams and worms. As demand increases for waterfront properties across the coast of Maine along with property values, intertidal access and working waterfronts are the target of growing development pressures. In particular, loss of safe access can occur when a locally owned property which has traditionally offered access (often by a handshake deal) is sold to new owners. The Maine shellfish fishery is consistently one of Maine’s most valuable fisheries, with over half of Maine’s total harvesters residing in Hancock and Washington Counties. Safe and direct access to the shoreline is an essential part of the important resource and economic opportunity it provides for the region. These fisheries require direct access to the shore and are important sources of income for people in the region. In 2022, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources the total shellfish landings in Hancock and Washington Counties were valued at over $6.9 million. There are many organizations and groups in Maine that are working to address this issue at the local level, regional level, and state-wide.
Conservation tools, like access easements or fee purchase of these access sites, have been used by land trusts partnering with their local communities and landowners to preserve intertidal access. Land trusts can also help with spreading awareness around the inherent value of Maine’s working waterfront and its importance to the local economy as well as the history and culture of coastal communities.
Downeast Conservation Network works to convene individuals and organizations to address regional challenges. In order to be more effective and more responsive to community needs, intertidal access stakeholder and conservation organizations and other groups need further guidance and information about how these tools and others can be a part of creative solutions to this problem.
What are DCN Partners Doing?
In response to the rapidly decreasing public or harvester accessibility of coastal waters, Downeast Conservation Network and other community partners will regularly convene land trusts, land managers, municipalities, clammers, wormers, recreational harvesters to discuss how land conservation tools can be used to help with intertidal access issues.
Desired Outcomes
- Build a network of people interested in shore access solutions.
- Have a clearer idea of what can land trusts and land managers do to secure access and help our local economy
- Reduce the ‘temperature’ of potential conflict among groups with diverse perspectives about coastal use
- Innovate and implement solutions that can work for a broad range of stakeholders and provide economic benefits to our communities
- Identify pilot projects areas where we can work together on interventions and solutions
To join the Intertidal Access Group
[email protected]
email Erin Witham at
Resources and Information:
Working Waterfront Inventory Report & Template and press release about the report, Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association 2023
Please reach out if you have additional information or resources to add to the list above.