Fishing Access Program Re-opens
J.O. Brown & Son Inc. on North Haven is one of the latest projects to receive funding from the program. This past summer, J.O. Brown celebrated their 125 year in business since 1888. Both 4th and 5th generation family members Kim Alexander and her son Adam Alexander assembled their application to the WWAPP program and are currently in the midst of a major wharf renovation. CEI photo
The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR), working with the Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) program is pleased to announce that the Maine Working Waterfront Access Protection Program (WWAPP) is once again accepting applications. “The program has been focused on closing existing projects, but we are happy to again be offering this opportunity to the fishing industry” said DMR Commissioner Pat Keliher. “I know that the WWAPP plays a vital role in preserving and sustaining Maine’s commercial fishing activities, and I am excited to see what new projects are proposed.”
The program offers funds to help purchase development rights in order to preserve and protect key properties on the coast that provide access to and support for commercial fisheries activities. When a project receives funding, the property’s development rights are extinguished through the sale of a “working waterfront covenant”, a legally binding deed restriction held by the Department of Marine Resources. The covenant protects all current and future fisheries related uses of the land by prohibiting all conflicting non-fisheries activities (i.e. condos, marinas, restaurants). The property owner retains all other rights of ownership; that is, they are free to sell, lease, or collateralize, make their own business decisions, and enforce trespass violations. If and when the property owner chooses to sell the property, the State has a “right of first refusal” to assure that the land will be valued at its working waterfront value and thus remain affordable to those who would purchase it with the intent to continue commercial fishing activities.
The DMR has contracted with Wiscasset based CEI (Coastal Enterprises) to administer and implement the program. “We are working with fishermen, businesses and communities to identify currently threatened or potentially threatened waterfront properties that provide critical services to the fishing industry” said Hugh Cowperthwaite of CEI.
Established by the Maine legislature in 2005, the program has protected twenty-four (24) waterfront properties that span the coast and have a combined fair market value of $20.6 million on the open real estate market. They comprise 42 upland acres and 7,200 linear feet of shorefront on the Maine coast. Annual landings of about $48 million at these sites benefit nearly 1,200 fishing families. Successful past applicants include: fishing co-ops, private buying stations and a few municipal wharves and public trust parcels.
Historic J.O. Brown & Son Inc. on North Haven is one of the latest projects to receive funding from the program. This past summer, J.O. Brown celebrated their 125 year in business since 1888. Both 4th and 5th generation family members Kim Alexander and her son Adam Alexander assembled their application to the WWAPP program and are currently in the midst of a major wharf renovation. “We saw the program as an opportunity to strengthen and enhance our facility for everyone. In the spring we will be able to better serve the fishing community and islanders for years to come. It’s very satisfying to know we are protecting this property forever.”
A deadline of May 6, 2014 has been set for the next round of applications. If monies remain unallocated after the May deadline, a second deadline has been set for September 9, 2014. For more information or to receive a complete application packet please visit CEI’s website and find the Working Waterfront Access Protection Program link at http://www.ceimaine.org/