Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Services

Working Waterfront Mapping

In 2007, the Island Institute completed a two-year project working with 142 coastal communities to inventory and analyze Maine’s working waterfronts. Collaborating with municipal leaders, citizens, private-property owners, and fishermen, Island Institute staff mapped each coastal access point along the 5,300 mile coastline. This project represented the first time that Maine’s coast had been mapped with the explicit intention of identifying working waterfront as a land use.

Our People

Some of our talented people working in this area.

	Hope Rowan Technology Education Specialist
	Jennifer Litteral Marine & Working Waterfront Programs Officer
	Shey Conover GIS Specialist

20 Miles Remain

The report paints a sobering picture of Maine’s working waterfront. Its key finding: that only 20 miles (not 25, as has been widely reported for several years) of the state’s 5,300-mile coastline remain as working-waterfront access. Even more alarming is that more than half (55%) of those 20 miles are privately held properties where access is restricted and requires owner permission to use. These privately held access points are extremely vulnerable to sale for non-fishing-related uses.

Publications & Resources

	The Last 20 Miles
	Mapping Maine's Working Waterfront

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