The business of fishing is holy in Gloucester, and the heart of the industry sits at the mouth of the Atlantic in Cape Ann. Here, where nearly everyone has either lost a relative at sea or known someone who perished there, officials took steps about 25 years ago to keep Gloucester Harbor as a working port, designating the area for maritime use while excluding the construction of condos and marinas.
So over the last decade, even as the fishing industry nearly collapsed after tough regulations were implemented to rebuild stocks like cod, flounder, and haddock, the harbor has retained its gritty look. But with nearly half of the harbor front underutilized and numerous piers rotted or falling into the ocean, the city is looking not to abandon its working harbor approach, but to update it for the 21st century.
Its plan: to bring a new generation of Atlantic-oriented business into town – an ocean technology cluster, if you will – to bring in a new flow of revenue.
The city could certainly use the money, more than $200 million of it to rebuild schools and roads and repair its water and sewer system. As things now stand, less than 1 percent of the city’s tax base – around $750,000 – comes from harborfront property taxes. And while federal and city officials say fishing stocks will return in a few years, Gloucester lost 21 fishing boats last year and its once-proud fleet of hundreds of vessels is now down to 75.
Read the complete article from The Boston Globe