It could be a while before Maine’s commercial fishing industry really sees the extent of the damage caused by the recent storms and flooding.
Restoration efforts are underway now along the coast.
The Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association is stepping in to help.
They’ve established the “Working Waterfront Support Fund.”
They’re encouraging Mainers to make a contribution to help in the reconstruction of the working waterfront.
Ben Martens, Executive Director of the MCFA, says fishermen are resilient and they’re determined to build back their businesses.
“If we want to have a fishing season then we need a bandaid,” he said. “We need to build a bridge so right now we’re in the bridge building phase and I think that a lot of fishermen are trying to scrape together enough to get out on the water in the spring, or now. We have a lot of fishermen who make their money in the winter, right? So, how do we build that bridge now to when there is the opportunity to take a step back and think about building resilient infrastructure that is ready for these high tides. We can do both. We need to do both and that is the charge right now is building that bridge.”