November 6, 2023 — U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has introduced legislation that would create a new grant program that would help the commercial fishing sector gain or preserve access to “working waterfront” areas.
“In Maine, our fisheries are one of our state’s most important resources and are vital to our economy,” Collins said in remarks on the Senate floor. “A report of Maine’s seafood sector as a whole, which included downstream contributors, found that in 2019, the sector contributed more than USD 3.2 billion [EUR 3 billion] to Maine’s economy. Although the fishing industry is a significant economic contributor both nationwide and in Maine, it is losing access to the working waterfronts that are vital to the industry’s survival.”