RESPECT FOR THE MAINE COAST ENVIRONMENT




MAINE is unique. Its beautiful coast is relatively unsettled, untraveled, and unspoiled. Its waters sparkle. The air is clean. This environment, however, is fragile, and what is carelessly destroyed in an hour may never grow back. Here are some basic guidelines to help preserve this wonderful coast:Leave only your footprints. Adhere to the fundamental wilderness ethic—take out what you brought in, leave only footprints.
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Trash. Nothing should go over the side unless it has come from the ocean—especially not cans, oil, styrofoam, or plastic bags. Don’t leave your boat’s garbage on islands, even if you find receptacles. It only adds to the problem of island trash disposal. Save it for the mainland.
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Dispose of engine oil or oily bilge water properly. We strongly recommend oil-absorbent pads or sponges in the bilge. Beverage bottles in Maine are returnable, and while it is difficult to sort trash onboard, they don’t take up any more space if they are in a separate bag to be returned. If you bring enough of them, it almost feels like you are being paid to drink.
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Human waste. Federal law prohibits the discharge of untreated sewage within 3 miles of the coast, but in practice, overboard discharge is still common. Yacht sewage pollutes the surrounding waters by decreasing the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water available for marine organisms as well as by carrying pathogens that may affect the health of marine food sources and, ultimately, the health of humans. 2006 will be the first year when all of Casco Bay is a no-discharge zone, meaning that even treated sewerage is not allowed to go overboard. More no-discharge zones are planned for subsequent years. Please be diligent in managing your onboard waste.
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Technically, all cruising boats with heads should have holding tanks or treatment systems, and they should be used anywhere within 3 miles of the coast. In the past, however, finding a pump-out station, or one that worked, was a major challenge. You no longer have that excuse. Recent legislation has mandated pump-out stations at marine facilities of a certain size, and the number of stations has more than quadrupled. They are listed in the facilities tables and noted in individual harbor descriptions.
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Nobody likes being forced to provide services, however, particularly of the smelly kind. Please be patient and respectful of the marine facilities you use. Call ahead, and try to buy your fuel or make other purchases at the same time.

Fires. To report a fire in an emergency, call 1-888-900-FIRE.

Fires are dangerous, particularly in July and August, and particularly on islands. This has prompted the requirement that you have a permit for any fire and the extreme reluctance of the Maine Forest Service to issue them for island locations. To request a permit, you must call or write the Forest Service and then physically pick it up at a MFS office—nearly an impossibility for cruisers with no land transportation.

In the event that you manage to clear these hurdles and plan on having a fire, use extreme care. If the weather has been dry for a long time, don’t build fires at all. NOAA weather broadcasts often contain fire-danger information. Build fires only below the high water mark, the farther down the beach the better. Use driftwood, not deadwood from ashore, and certainly not live limbs. Also, know that the wood from old lobster traps may be treated with preservative and shouldn’t be used for cooking fires. When done, make sure your fire is thoroughly doused and scattered.

Permits may be obtained by contacting the Maine State Forest Service at one of the following offices:

Southern Region Headquarters, Augusta
207-287-2275, 800-750-9777

Saco District Headquarters, Gray
207-657-3552

Damariscotta District Headquarters, Jefferson
207-549-7081, 207-549-3802

Central Region Headquarters, Old Town
207-827-6191

Machias River District Headquarters, Jonesboro
207-434-2621

Narraguagus River District Hdqtrs, Cherryfield
207-546-2346

Wildlife. More than 400 coastal islands are used for nesting by colonies of seabirds and water birds in the spring and summer. During this time, from April 1 to mid to late August, nesting islands owned by the state or federal government are closed to visitors. Avoid disturbing any nesting birds, especially in sanctuaries and important nesting sites. If the parents are driven away, the eggs or young may be abandoned or exposed to predators.
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Seals love to bask on remote halftide ledges. Their uneasy actions will indicate when you are getting too close. Pupping season is in May and June. Often pups are left alone on the shore while their mothers are off feeding. Please do not disturb them. If you think you have discovered a stranded seal or any other marine mammal in distress, including whales, please report it to either Northeast Marine Animal Lifeline at 207-851-6625 if it is south of Rockland or to Allied Whale at 207-288-5644 if it is to the north.
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Fishing. Adhere to all fishing laws, particularly the size and bag limits on striped bass. Click here for regulations, contacts, and tips.
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Foraging. Wild foods are abundant on the coast. Islands are covered with blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries, as well as other more exotic foods such as mushrooms and edible plants. The shores are rich with clams, mussels, periwinkles, sea urchins, and even seaweed. Be sure to properly identify your food, particularly mushrooms, before you eat it.

Never take shellfish from areas affected by red tide, which can led to paralytic shellfish poisoning in humans. PSP is caused by blooms of dinoflagelates, microscopic planktonic organisms, which can contain toxic compounds. Clams, mussels, oysters, and other filter-feeding shellfish can accumulate dangerously high concentrations of the toxin in their tissues in areas where these dinoflagellate have bloomed. Affected shellfish are not harmned by the toxin, and it doesn't change theirlook, taste, or smell. Cooking does not remove the toxin from the shellfish, and when ingested by humans, the toxin quickly affects the central nervous system. Symptoms generally appear within 30 minutes of ingestion. They can begin with tingling in the lips, face, neck and extremities and then progress to headache, dizziness, nausea, vertigo, muscular paralysis, and respiratory failure.

If you have any of these symptoms after eating shellfish, don't waste time in calling 911.The Maine coast is monitored for red tide. Before you pick mussels or dig for clams, call the Red Tide Hotline at 1-800-232-4733 to determine which areas are unsafe.Be aware that many coastal cottages are still “grandfathered” to allow “overboard” waste systems, which usually consist of little more than a long pipe to the water. If you see a pipe running from a cottage over the rocks and down to the sea, choose a different area to pick your mussels.

Camping. Most landowners discourage camping on their land. Do not camp without prior permission. The major fear is fire, which can ruin an island or a headland for generations.
More detailed camping information.
"Leave No Trace" environmental guidelines

Pets. If you sail with a dog or cat, remember that the need to take your pet ashore is not permission to do so, particularly on private islands or those with sensitive nesting habitat. Once ashore, keep you pet on a tight leash.

The threat pets pose is summarized well in the Maine Island Trail Guidebook. "On small Islands, especially, wildlife is vulnerable to harassment by pets, and a dog or cat can wipe out a bird's production for an entire year in just a few joyous seconds."In addition to many caring individuals, the Maine coast is protected by many environmental advocacy groups.
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