The Harpswell Select Board has approved the addition of a referendum question to the upcoming June 10 ballot that would amend the town’s Harbor and Waterfront Ordinance to allow it to classify certain local waters as legacy fishing areas.
At its meeting on Thursday, April 10, the Select Board approved the ballot measure unanimously and recommended voters approve it. Town Harbormaster Paul Plummer said the idea to add a designation for legacy fishing came from Harpswell’s Aquaculture Working Group.
In its current form, the ordinance contains four possible designations for Harpswell waters: low-intensity use, multipurpose use, high-intensity boating, and commercial and recreational harbors. If voters approve the proposed amendment, legacy fishing would be added as a fifth category.
Plummer said the working group has already done a thorough job identifying areas that would be reclassified as legacy fishing. If voters approve, a map that accompanies the ordinance would be updated to reflect the newly designated areas. Voters will have a chance to view the proposed map at an upcoming public hearing.
In an email, Plummer said he’s not aware of any other municipalities that have a legacy fishing designation like the one Harpswell is proposing. He said the goal of the new designation would be to help reduce potential conflicts with other uses, including aquaculture leases.
“While aquaculture played a role in getting this project going, I would say the group was looking at all issues in Harpswell waters and finding ways to help guide the future,” Plummer said. “Ultimately, the goal is to mitigate conflicts between working waterfront users early on in any process.”
Plummer said the working group also has updated Harpswell’s map of local waters to reflect recent usage changes from low-impact to multipurpose in some areas.
Along with the proposed new designation, he said, the changes would offer town officials more accurate information when reviewing aquaculture lease applications, wharf proposals, mooring requests, “and anything else that affects the shared waters of Harpswell.”
“When the map was first created in 2011, the marine economy hadn’t fully recovered from the 2008 recession,” Plummer said. “While commercial fishing remained, recreational boating was significantly lower than what it is today.”
The Select Board has scheduled a public hearing for 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 3, at Harpswell Community school to discuss three June 10 referendum questions: the Mitchell Field administration building’s demolition, a $6 million municipal fire and rescue station, and the proposed Harbor and Waterfront Ordinance amendment.
