Lobstermen ask that launch not be 

used for recreation

By David Harry

Staff Writer

About a half  dozen Cape Elizabeth lobsterman asked town and state officials to clarify rules that govern commercial and recreational boat use at Kettle Cove.

“This is not about denying access to the water, most of us own jet skis, too,” said Davis Harriman, a semi-retired lobsterman who has moored his boat in the cove along Crescent Beach.

Harriman and his brother, Dan Harriman, joined Town Manager Michael McGovern, Public Works Director Robert Nalley, Police Chief Neil Williams and Kettle Cove State Park Manager John Polackwich Monday night for the open ended discussion about commercial activities in the area.

“Where are we going?” Dan Harriman asked the officials, and noted recreational boaters may be inadvertently making it more difficult for lobstermen and fishermen to get their catch to market in Portland.

At issue is a boat launch near the Kettle Cove State Park parking lot traditionally used by fishermen and lobstermen to launch and land skiffs into what is called Boat Cove. Attendees estimated between eight and 10 watermen moor boats in the cove.

The area is becoming a favorite of recreational boaters who launch canoes and kayaks, said Davis Harriman, and some may not realize how getting a lobster catch to market is a time-sensitive proposition.

Lobsterman Ernie Tweedie agreed, but said he still prefers a friendly approach to clear the launch area if he is trying to bring in his catch.

Kettle Cove and adjoining Crescent Beach are state parks, and Polackwich said a policy change last summer allows recreational boaters to use the launch commercial fishermen favor.

The change came after an anonymous complaint to Maine Department of Conservation officials by someone told they could not use the boat launch designated for commercial use.

“It is a shame things changed because of one phone call,” Tweedie said. 

Polackwich said he would ask again to bar recreational users from the commercial launch area, but said it was a situation that can be remedied amicably with a bit of understanding as to how quickly a lobster catch needs to make it to market.

Davis Harriman agreed, but said minutes count from the time a crate is unloaded to a skiff, brought to shore and loaded into a truck. A recreational boater who is unloading a vehicle before setting off can bdamaging to a catch bound for market.

“Lobsters can literally die in 15 to 20 minutes,” he said. “You have to get up the ramp immediately and hope the Casco Bay Bridge is not open.”

The boat ramp near Kettle Cove Road drew attention because it washes away in the winter and is pitched so steeply it is hard for some vehicles to use. The base of the ramp can become clogged with seaweed after strong storms, another reason Polackwich said recreational boaters prefer the commercial use boat ramp.

McGovern and Polackwich also said they would see if the Maine Department of Marine Resources could devote more time to tracking the owners of  “ghost gear” – abandoned lobster traps now stacked to the side of the commercial boat launch at Kettle Cove. More frequent retrieval or removal of the traps would leave more working room, attendees said.

In other news, McGovern said the town may be eligible for mitigation funds to shore up the sea wall on Kettle Cove Road.

Chuck Redman, who lives near  the state parks, said the wall is collapsing in certain areas and was uncertain who is responsible for its maintenance. 

Nalley said about half the sea wall was repaired at least 35 years ago and McGovern said the federal money could become available because the town has become part of a countywide hazard mitigation plan. No estimates have been made the cost of repairing the sea wall, which is about five feet high.

Staff Writer David Harry can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 219.