Giving communities the tools and resources to improve their own lives, maintain strong communities, and adapt to shared ocean uses - all while preserving community goals and heritage.
Explore our work
Ecosystem
Approaches
Ecosystem Approaches
A cold water underwater river flows southward along Nova Scotia’s coastline into the Gulf of Maine, creating a counter clockwise current that transports rich nutrients throughout the basin and gives rise to the diversity and richness of species within this unique ecosystem. The eastern Gulf of Maine coastal current region extends from the western edge of Penobscot Bay to the Canadian border, and includes all upland watersheds in between. This region maintained a remarkable coastal resilience and sustainable fisheries, through ecosystem approaches on the ground – for generations.
But all is not well. Rising sea level, ocean acidification, ocean hotspots, all threaten shellfish and crustaceans; changes in species suitable habitat pave the way for the arrival of invasive species; altered water quality and salinity as well as changes in oxygen levels, threaten to spur diseases, such as lobster shell disease. Coastal communities are at the forefront of observing these threats and bear the consequences of a warming Gulf of Maine.
Lobster boats moored up, seen through sea smoke, Stonington, ME.
Working
Waterfronts
Deer Isle Causeway
The communities and municipal leaders of the Towns of Stonington and Deer Isle have identified a critical need to support long term community resilience and comprehensive planning of coastal connectivity through preservation of working waterfronts, wharf infrastructure and transportation corridors. The vital island-to-land connectivity provided by the Deer Isle Causeway has economic implications to the entire community and State of Maine tourism and fisheries industries. Through the course of recent scoping efforts to assess Causeway upgrades, questions of environmental impact on surrounding fisheries emerged as we evaluate options for adaptation that preserve the integrity of our community and ecosystems.
Motivated by the question of how fisheries such as scallops, clams, and other sensitive fisheries species could be impacted by the alternatives considered for Causeway improvements, MCCF worked with partners to generate new data and model the flow patterns.
The Deer Isle Causeway connects one of Maine’s most remote island communities and working waterfronts to the mainland.