From Waldo Village Soup A friendly approachLocals who rely on Penobscot Bay forge partnership. By Tanya Mitchell | Oct 12, 2012
SEARSPORT — On
a chilly and overcast afternoon Thursday, Oct. 4, residents and
businesspeople of the Penobscot Bay region met on the Sears Island
causeway to introduce a newly formed alliance aimed at cleaning up the
local waterway.
Ron Huber, executive director of Penobscot Baywatch, joined forces with people like Sheila Dassatt of
Belfast, who heads the Downeast Lobstermen's Association and fishes on
the bay with her husband, Mike, and Searsport Shores Campground
co-owners Astrig Tanguay to form the fledgling Friends of Penobscot Bay.
"There are thing happening here that affect the other end of the bay, and vice versa," said Huber during the press conference.
Photo: Sheila Dassatt of
Belfast, second from left, head of the Downeast Lobstermen's
Association, speaks during a press conference at the Sears Island
causeway Thursday, Oct. 4. Photo by Tanya Mitchell
Huber
said the idea behind forming FOPB was to unify individuals and
businesses who all depend on the bay to thrive so those parties may act
collectively toward working with area businesses and industry to improve
the health of the bay.
In
a prepared statement provided to the media Thursday, Tanguay said her
campground depends on the tourism industry, which she said is directly
linked to the bay.
"Anecdotally,
I know that our guests come to Searsport and the region because of the
bay — a chance to kayak, hike, sail, pick mussels and eat lobster," she
stated. "The state's research backs this up with numbers: The primary
purpose of overnight leisure trips is outdoor recreation."
Tanguay
went on to say the top four trip activities among Maine visitors are
enjoying ocean views, resting and relaxing, outdoor activities
(including fishing, sailing, kayaking and hiking) and shopping.
"When
those of us who [live] here rely on the bay for sustenance, we must ask
why our wild mussel beds and fin fish are at historically low levels,"
she said. "If we accept that we are all dependent on clean water, let's
deal with the petroleum spills, waste dumps and tainted sediments in and
around Pen Bay while they may still be manageable."
Dassatt,
whose family has deep lobster-fishing roots in the region, said she and
other lobster fishermen are working with the University of Maine in an
effort to learn more about the shell disease that she said now appears
in about one out of every 10 lobsters caught here. The study, said
Dassatt, is aimed at learning whether the meat of those affected
lobsters is safe to eat, and also to see if water pollution may be
adversely impacting the bait used to capture Maine's best-known
shellfish.
"Even
for the fishermen who are handling the water, we're seeing things that
we haven't seen before this year," she said. "Fishermen with open cuts
come up with things that aren't healthy."
Specifically, she said, fishermen are developing blistering rashes and skin infections after being exposed to the bay water.
Huber
said he hopes that by forming FOPB, all involved will have more
resources to accomplish their bay-related goals, and in the end, all
Maine residents will be better off.
"We want clean water so that people keep coming here," said Huber.
"Someone has to speak for the bay, not just one town or another town."
“Seaweed Scene 2013”, on August 29th, 2013, from 9:00-4:00, at the University of Maine’s Hutchinson Center at 80 Belmont Avenue (Route 3) in Belfast, Maine. 
10:00-12:00: Research Update Presentations 
