Coastal and Marine Issues
University of Maine Cooperative Extension Plan of Work Issue Area Needs Assessment, 2007–2011
Compiled by Catherine Schmitt, Maine Sea Grant, from four papers addressing the individual issues areas of the Marine Extension
Team, which were prepared by Sarah Gladu (Ecosystem Health), Sherman Hoyt (Aquaculture), Dana Morse (Fisheries), and Ron
Beard (Coastal Communities)
Abstract
The marine Extension team focuses on four connected issue areas: aquaculture, fisheries, ecosystem health and
coastal communities. Healthy ecosystems support sustainable fisheries and aquaculture industries, and attract
visitors and residents to the Maine coast. Maine’s seafood industry provides 26,000 direct and indirect jobs and
brings $860 million into the state economy. Fisheries industry issues include access, management, impacts of
resource exploitation, and the status of the stocks themselves. Marine commercial and recreational aquaculture
operations cultivate shellfish—including mussels, clams, bay scallops and oysters—and finfish, primarily
Atlantic salmon. Despite the importance of the marine aquaculture industry to the coastal economy, public
opposition to all marine aquaculture and to specific locations of new farms is increasing. Traditional working
waterfronts based on marine resources infrastructure and industry are being forced to compete for waterfront
access with new water-dependent tourism businesses. Changing ownership and attitudes are decreasing public
shore access, as the overall size of the working waterfront is shrinking.
Over 40 percent of Maine’s population is clustered in Maine’s coastal towns. The growth rate of coastal areas
has direct and indirect impacts on coastal ecosystems. Ecosystem health issues include habitat conservation and
restoration, nonpoint source pollution, toxic contaminants, beach erosion, exotic species, recreational impact on
natural areas, harmful algae blooms, biodiversity and climate change. The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine
Environment has warned that if the environmental health of significant coastal ecosystems deteriorates, in time
the ecological integrity and productivity of much of the Gulf of Maine may be compromised. Market forces will
continue to allocate natural, scenic and social resources unless communities bring stakeholders together to plan
an alternative future. The marine Extension team works towards maintenance of fisheries infrastructure and
traditions, innovation and growth in the aquaculture industry, and the integrity and health of marine and coastal
environments.
The scope of this issue area
The marine Extension team focuses on four issue areas: aquaculture, fisheries, ecosystem health and coastal
communities. The scope of these issues is broad. Maine's coastal zone includes all political jurisdictions that
have land along the coast or a tidal waterway. It includes 5,300 miles of coastline (including 4,613 islands),
encompasses 136 towns, two plantations, 10 unorganized townships and one Indian reservation. The zone also
encompasses Maine's territorial waters, which extend three miles out to sea.1 The Gulf of Maine's cold marine
waters are some of the world's most productive, providing habitat for 1,600 species of bottom-dwelling
organisms, 73 species of commercially harvested fish, and 26 species of whales, porpoises and seals. The
coastal region is a diverse mixture of sand beaches, rocky shores, bays, estuaries, salt marshes, mudflats, bogs
and forests that are linked to the terrestrial environment by groundwater, streams, rivers and freshwater
marshes. In addition to sustaining marine life, intact and functioning ecosystems support important economic
industries for the state, including commercial and recreational fishing and aquaculture. Current and future issues
in the fisheries industry include access, management, impacts of resource exploitation, and the status of the
stocks themselves. Ecosystem health issues include habitat conservation and restoration, nonpoint source
pollution, toxic contaminants, beach erosion, exotic species, recreational impact on natural areas, harmful algae
blooms, biodiversity and climate change.
The current situation . . . an overview
Maine’s seafood industry provides 26,000 direct and indirect jobs and brings $860 million into the state
economy.2 Lobsters dominate the commercial fishery, with over 5,000 licenses and landings of over 50 million
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pounds worth more than $150 million.3 The state has approximately 600 groundfish permits, mostly in the
Portland area, with landings of over $23 million.4 Other important commercial fisheries include those for
softshell clams, sea worms, scallops, urchins, herring, northern shrimp and eels. The link to coastal economies
from commercial fishing is strengthened by related onshore activities, such as processing, transportation, and
equipment sales and service. An estimated 350,000 recreational anglers in 2003 caught such species as striped
bass, bluefish, winter flounder, pollock, mackerel and cod. Recreational expenditures were estimated at over
$11 million in 2003, excluding the expenses for dockage, repair, insurance, tackle, accommodations, etc.5 Other
fisheries issues include effective management, regulatory access, and the impacts of fishing on the physical
environment or living resources.
Marine commercial and recreational aquaculture operations cultivate shellfish—including mussels, clams, bay
scallops and oysters—and finfish, primarily Atlantic salmon. Hatcheries and salmon farms account for most of
the value generated by aquaculture products in Maine. Salmon aquaculture peaked at $80 million in 2000 and
declined to less than $15 million in 2003.6 Disease outbreaks, limited sites suited to farming, the high risk
nature of the business, and growing public resistance to aquaculture restrict the expansion of the industry.
Meanwhile, industry employment has decreased from several thousand to several hundred workers. Maine's
shellfish growers continue to experiment with new farm sites and benefit from a strong market demand for their
product; however, farmed shellfish production still remains localized and is expanding more slowly than
expected. Despite the importance of the marine aquaculture industry to the coastal economy, public opposition
to all marine aquaculture and to specific locations of new farms is increasing.
Throughout coastal Maine, traditional working waterfronts based on marine resources infrastructure and
industry are being forced to make way for a new waterfront economy in which water-dependent businesses
(schooners, kayakers, whale watchers, etc.) compete for waterfront access with traditional industries (lobster
wharfs, boat building and other marine trades). As ownership and attitudes change, the public is losing access to
the shore, as the overall size of the working waterfront is shrinking.
Over six million people visit the coast each year. In 2001, the state’s tourism industry provided 115,000 jobs,
generating $2.5 billion in wages and raising another $8.9 billion in related sales and services. Tourism’s
contribution to Maine’s gross product, and tourism's direct employment, exceed the combined contributions of
agriculture, marine fisheries and aquaculture.7 Over 40 percent of Maine’s population is clustered in Maine’s
coastal towns, which have greater growth rates than inland regions of the state.8 A general dispersal of the
population is occurring as residents move from traditional service centers to adjacent towns within commuting
distance, increasing competition for coastal property. Sprawling commercial and residential development,
exacerbated by poorly planned tourism, is a pattern that increases air and water pollution, fragments the
landscape, and disrupts ecosystems.9 Impairment of coastal and marine ecological health, for example, by
invasive species or nonpoint source pollution, affects local wildlife, human health, culture and the economy.
The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment has warned that if the environmental health of
significant coastal ecosystems deteriorates, it is likely that in time the ecological integrity and productivity of
much of the Gulf of Maine may be compromised.10
While the ecosystem health, fisheries, and aquaculture sectors each have their own unique issues, which are
addressed in separate documents containing information not presented here, all sectors are feeling pressure from
changes in coastal communities. Market forces will continue to allocate natural, scenic and social resources
unless communities bring stakeholders together to envision and plan an alternative future. By confronting
changing land uses, attitudes and perceptions of the Maine coast, the marine Extension team works towards
maintenance of fisheries infrastructure and traditions, innovation and growth in the aquaculture industry, and
the integrity and health of marine and coastal environments.
What are the social impacts and consequences if the issue area is not addressed or
resolved?
Maine's coastal communities under pressure are faced with potential economic losses, including lowered
income or lost jobs for coastal fishing families. Fishing not only provides income for families, but also is a
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traditional way of life. Maine residents may lose the ability to harvest Gulf of Maine resources and participate
in resource management. The jobs of the emerging coastal economy are in the service sector and are often
seasonal, offering lower pay and reduced or absent health benefits. Many fear the “hollowing out” 11 of coastal
communities, in which retirees and second homeowners replace working people as the character of coastal
communities shifts from a fishing culture toward a suburban and tourism-based lifestyle. These changes can
cause local conflicts that divide communities trying to balance economic development with public resource
protection.
The integrity of Maine’s coast is threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, often as the result of
changing development patterns. Ecosystem health (including deteriorating water quality, the prevalence of
invasive species, and climate change) has a direct impact on the communities supported by both the fishing and
tourism industries. Ultimately, human health and quality of life are compromised by failure to control pollution
or monitor environmental conditions.
What changes are needed to improve the situation?
No community can completely turn aside market forces, but many communities have begun to think more
carefully about working with diverse stakeholders to frame issues, identify a shared vision of success and
examine alternative strategies to move toward that shared vision. Citizens, including owners of coastal
businesses and local government officials, can learn what other communities are doing to preserve coastal
access, shield traditional water-dependent uses from financial pressures, and broaden the scope of economic
development. Citizens also play a role in maintaining ecosystem health through monitoring, outreach and
education. Work to address issues relevant to physical access and working waterfronts needs to continue, and is
best accomplished through strategic partnerships. Industry, science, management and conservation communities
should continue to work together on fisheries, aquaculture and ecosystem health issues. Regulation,
management and use of resources—and addressing conflicts that occur—should be encouraged at the most
practical local level.
What type of programmatic or corrective action is indicated or could be taken to
produce the desired results?
Successful efforts have been those that bring together diverse stakeholders in a collaborative environment where
the marine Extension team is viewed as a neutral purveyor of unbiased information. The marine Extension team
should continue to foster local, creative and inclusive projects and programs, provide technical assistance, and
apply traditional technology-transfer Extension activities. Community development approaches involving local
residents in addressing change have been shown to work. The array of possible responses includes community
forums, tourism planning, bay management, and citizen monitoring and education programs.
With the intensive multiple uses of the coast, Maine’s citizens and community decision makers need qualityassured data and information in order to fully assess the impact of human activity on the coastal environment
and promote sustainable ecosystem health. Evaluating the impacts of human activities over time requires the
long-term monitoring of ecological change, assessment of community composition and structure, and
identification and removal of pollution sources. Trained volunteers engaged in monitoring programs provide
quality-assured data to their communities and state and federal agencies, data which are used for educational
purposes and management decisions. As a result of this involvement, citizens have a heightened awareness of
local issues and can facilitate the local, voluntary adoption of best management practices. Regional approaches
to land use and community planning can maintain the balance of development, traditional coastal uses and
conservation that is necessary for a healthy and vibrant Maine coast.
Who else is addressing this issue in Maine?
Almost every marine Extension team project and program is conducted in partnership with other federal, state,
regional and local entities, too numerous to list here.
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Peer Reviewers:
Paul Anderson, director, Maine Sea Grant
Doug Babkirk, Extension program administrator
Chris Bartlett, marine Extension associate, Cooperative Extension and Maine Sea Grant
Jim Connors, Maine State Planning Office
Chris Davis, Darling Marine Center; owner, Pemaquid Oyster Company
Deirdre Gilbert, Maine Department of Marine Resources
Tracy Hart, marine Extension associate, Maine Sea Grant
Bernie McAlice, Professor Emeritus, the University of Maine
Jim McCleave, the University of Maine School of Marine Sciences, Maine Sea Grant
John Rebar, Extension program administrator
David Schmanska, harbormaster, St. George
John Sowles, Maine Department of Marine Resources
Natalie Springuel, coastal community development Extension associate, Maine Sea Grant
Esperanza Stancioff, Extension educator, Cooperative Extension and Maine Sea Grant
Susan White, Maine Sea Grant
Kristen Whiting-Grant, marine Extension associate, Cooperative Extension and Maine Sea Grant
Citations and References
1
Maine Coast Program, About MCP, http://www.state.me.us/mcp/about_mcp.html (accessed July 2004).
2
Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Commercial Fisheries and Mariculture Revenues for Northeast States, 1999 (July 5, 2000),
www.nefsc.nmfs.gov/press_releases/news00.16.html (accessed August 2004).
3
Maine Department of Marine Resources, Statistics Division, Commercial Fisheries Landings,
http://www.maine.gov/dmr.commercialfishing/2002landingsbyvalue.htm (accessed August 2004).
4
J. Sowles and C. Smith, Maine Department of Marine Resources, personal communication, July 2004.
5
"The Marine Recreational Fishing Statistics Survey," Recreational Saltwater Fishing Newsletter 9 (Spring 2004): 4-6.
6
J. Wilson, "Maine and the Atlantic Salmon," University of Maine College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture White
Papers, and National Marine Fisheries Service, www.nefsc.noaa.gov/press_release/news03.13.html (accessed August 2004).
7
Down East Resource Conservation and Development, Down East Sustainable Tourism Initiative Strategic Plan, 2004,
http://www.downeastrcd.com/VRC.htm (accessed August 2004).
8
Maine Coastal Program, Maine Coastal Plan 2001,
http://www.state.me.us/mcp/downloads/309_reports/309_assessment_april01.pdf (accessed August 2004).
9
Beth Della Valle, Population Growth and the Environment in Maine (at An Evening Forum on Population, Environment and Growth
in New England at the University of New Hampshire, October 23, 2003 Maine Coastal Program),
http://www.state.me.us/spo/landuse/resources/natres.php (accessed July 27, 2004).
10
"Gulf of Maine Conference Summary," (Unpublished, Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, 1996).
11
John Ryan, Mount Desert Island Housing Trust Action Plan, (February, 2004).
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