The Bremen Lobster Realty Co-op hopes to remove the decaying hull of a wooden schooner, make repairs to their lobster pound and purchase new equipment with funds offered to them by a grant from the Working Waterfront Access Pilot Program.
The Bremen Co-op and Ship to Shore Lobster Co. in Owls Head received awards totaling $526,250 for the purpose of preserving commercial fishery use, according to a recent press release from Deirdre Gilbert at the Dept. of Marine Resources. Announced at a Land for Maine’s Future Board meeting Nov. 18, the funds purchased a “working waterfront covenant” on each property that will restrict any future development to maintaining fishery use.
Dan Goldenson, a real estate economist and abutting landowner to the Bremen Co-op, saw the opportunity for neighboring fishermen and wrote the grant application. Goldenson said that he started to write the grant proposal in May and was dedicated to its success for the benefit of preserving the working waterfront, a commodity that has been evaporating rapidly in Maine.
“The Working Waterfront Access Pilot Program continues to attract high quality projects that make a significant contribution to preserving Maine’s commercial fishing infrastructure,” Dept. of Marine Resources Commissioner George Lapointe said. “These are important investments in Maine’s fishing future.”
Travis Carter, a co-owner of the co-op and year-round fisherman, said the old schooner that rests in Keene Narrows is falling apart. The “Cora Cressey” was brought to rest in front of the pier at what is now the Bremen Co-op in 1938 by then owner Bernard “Bunny” Zahn. Since that time, it has continued to decay and has become an attractive nuisance for many.
Carter said that two kayakers were nearly squished last summer when a large chunk of the bow on the Cora Cressey fell. He saw the kayakers paddle beneath the bow and warned that it was probably not safe. Moments later the rotted wood fell into the water.
Headed up by Bremen resident Alan Poland, several fishermen formed the Co-op in 1995. According to Goldenson, the lobstermen bought the land (13 acres) and all that was attached to it from Charlotte Sewell. The land, which included the schooner, pier and buildings, has 685 feet of shore frontage.
Charging a battery on his boat and getting ready to haul in all of his lobster traps on a brisk November day, Carter has decided to try something else. He can’t make a living selling his lobster catch at $2 per pound. He said he will fish for scallops throughout the winter and hope the price of lobster rises in the spring.
“Not everybody is as lucky,” Carter said, adding that he wasn’t sure what other fishermen will do this winter.
A couple of fishermen have sold their share of the Co-op and tried their luck further up or down the coast, Carter said. The fishermen who remain with the Bremen Co-op want to make improvements to its existing structure using the funds from the W.W.A.P.P. The covenant protects the land for local fishermen and for an industry at risk in this stormy economy.
Carter, 30, reflected on times he and friends had chucked stones through the portholes of the old ship, which have now sunk into the decayed wood of the hull.
“We want to get rid of it,” he said.
Co-op members also want to do some dock work, according to co-owner Eugene “Bimbo” Carter.
“We don’t have the funds,” Bimbo Carter said, thankful for expected W.W.A.P.P funding. “Everybody’s got bills to pay and we don’t have the resources to do all of the work that needs to be done.”
Bimbo said that the Co-op also wants to purchase a cold water system for next summer season. The cold seawater system is a tank that would store lobster for market and functions much like the pound.
Extensive repairs also need to be made to the pound, Travis Carter said, pointing out a gaping hole in the wood slats of the fenced-in area. He thinks they should cement in the lower portion of the pound to better hold water.
The repairs made to Co-op property and preservation of land is an investment not only for the fishermen, but for surrounding towns.
“There isn’t much working waterfront left,” said Bimbo Carter. “Looking toward the future, it will be good to keep this place going.”
According to the Land for Maine’s Future Board, the two facilities in Bremen and Owl’s Head have 54 commercial fishing boats and over 100 local families rely on the working waterfront.