The wood and cement slab wharf, which extends a 19th century granite pier, belongs to the Port Clyde Fishermen’s Co-op, one of the first cooperative ventures by lobstermen in the state. It’s now one of the few places still landing ground fish, through a partnership with Midcoast Fishermen’s Co-op, formerly Port Clyde Draggermen’s Co-op. In a joint venture, the co-op is uniting ground fishermen and lobstermen, who together catch upwards of 2 million pounds of seafood per year. The 90-foot by 30-foot pier, built by Prock Marine, was dedicated Sept. 13 with music, fish chowder and a prayer for continuing traditional fishing in a village once known as Herring Gut. Fin fishermen and lobstermen share the wharf and other co-op facilities, which now include more docking, new hydraulic rigs for loading and unloading, and a bigger bait shed. The state’s Working Waterfront fund provided $250,000, and more money came from the Island Institute of Rockland, and artist Jamie Wyeth, who has a home on Southern Island in nearby Tenants Harbor. Prock, the Rockland contractor, discounted its price to support the project. The pier deal includes a guarantee that the property will forever be available for commercial fishing. That’s an important distinction, said Doug Anderson, board member and former president of the Port Clyde Fishermen’s Co-op. “The big plus to it is, I have two grandchildren that are lobstering and selling to the co-op. Now we have assurance that my grandchildren, they continue to pursue this livelihood, there is going to be a facility in Port Clyde that nobody can put them off it.” “We’re looking to the future. We’ve seen too many properties displaced,” he said, referring to coastal land taken out of commercial fishing, mostly for private homes. Anderson said his grandchildren are 16 and 13. His father, also named Doug, still hauls traps at 91. “There’s four generations still fishing,” he said. This year the Midcoast co-op came up with its own brand, Fresh Catch, and successfully tried a three-month, fish-of-the-week program that delivers fresh fish from the boat directly to local customers, in the same way some people sign up for a fresh fruits and vegetables through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Now, there’s a new acronym, CSF, or Community Supported Fisheries. It’s starting small but may grow, supporters said. Port Clyde Fresh Catch also sells direct to area restaurants. |
