Downeast Fisheries Trail
  • The Trail
    • Trail Sites
    • Plan Your Visit
    • Downloadable Trail Map
  • Trail Stories
    • STAND: a poetic exploration of Lubec smokehouses
    • Student stories about Downeast Fisheries
    • Spring is here, and that means fish — lots of fish
    • Lobstering Firsts
    • From Lobster Smacks to Lobster Pounds
    • The Downeast Fisheries Trail by regions
  • Fisheries Now
    • Alewives and Blueback Herring
    • American eel
    • Marine Worms
    • Oysters
    • Seaweed
  • Fisheries Then
    • Alewives and Blueback Herring
    • American eel
    • Atlantic Halibut
    • Clams
    • Cod
    • Lobster
    • Marine Worms
    • Oysters
    • Seaweed
  • Education & Resources
    • Education
    • Fisheries and Heritage projects
    • Downeast Fisheries Trail Partners
    • The Catch Literary Journal
    • About

Fisheries Now

According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, the proportion of Maine workers employed in commercial fishing industries is more than ten times the national percentage. Nowhere is this more true than in eastern Maine. Hancock and Washington counties employ more commercial fishermen and account for the majority of clams and lobsters landed in the state. Many of these same fishermen also harvest eels, alewives, smelt, crabs, herring, halibut, shrimp, scallops, urchins, worms, whelks, and seaweed. Sea farmers raise Atlantic salmon, mussels, and oysters; and fish hatcheries in the region produce endangered sea-run salmon for restoration in Maine rivers.

More information and resources on Downeast fisheries now will be added here in the coming months. In the meantime, visit the Department of Marine Resources to learn more about Maine’s commercial fisheries and aquaculture, and check out the Maine Seafood Guide.

Remember, fishing is hard, serious work. Many sites on the Downeast Fisheries Trail are located on or near working waterfronts. These waterfronts provide access to and from the water, and are valuable locations for Maine’s fishing industry and the communities it supports. Please respect workers and their space. To learn more, visit www.accessingthemainecoast.com.

Fisheries Now: Alewives and Blueback Herring
Fisheries Now: American Eel
Fisheries Now: Oysters

Trail Sites

  • Abbe Museum
  • Bad Little Falls Park
  • Bar Harbor Town Park
  • Bar Harbor Town Pier
  • Beals Heritage Center
  • Bucksport Waterfront
  • Cable Pool Park
  • Carryingplace Cove
  • Cobscook Bay Resource Center
  • Cobscook Bay State Park
  • Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery
  • Deer Isle – Stonington Historical Society
  • Downeast Institute
  • Frazer Point
  • Frenchman Bay Overlook
  • Frenchman Bay Scenic Turnout
  • Gleason Cove Park
  • Gordon’s Wharf
  • Great Harbor Maritime Museum
  • Green Lake National Fish Hatchery
  • Henry Cove
  • Islesford Historical Museum
  • Jonesport Historical Society
  • Long Cove
  • Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries (formerly Penobscot East Resource Center)
  • Maine Coast Sardine History Museum
  • McCurdy’s Smokehouse
  • Milbridge Historical Museum
  • Milbridge Town Marina
  • Morong Cove
  • Mount Desert Oceanarium
  • Naskeag Point
  • Otter Cove
  • Penobscot Marine Museum
  • Penobscot Narrows Bridge Observatory & Fort Knox
  • Peter Gray Hatchery
  • Pleasant River Hatchery
  • Prospect Harbor
  • Quoddy Head State Park
  • Roosevelt-Campobello International Park
  • Shackford Head State Park
  • Somesville Mill Pond
  • Taunton Bay Gateway
  • Tidal Falls
  • Waponahki Museum & Resource Center

Sign up for Downeast Fisheries Trail

unsubscribe from list

The Downeast Fisheries Trail consists of 45 locations from Penobscot Bay, Maine, to Passamaquoddy Bay, New Brunswick, that showcase active and historic fisheries heritage sites, such as fish hatcheries, aquaculture facilities, fishing harbors, clam flats, processing plants, historical societies, community centers, parks, and other related places. The Trail is an effort to raise awareness among residents and visitors of the importance of the region’s maritime heritage and the role of marine resources to the area’s economy. The Trail builds on these local resources to strengthen community life and the experience of visitors.

For a printed map-brochure of the Trail, please call 207.581.1435.

Download the web version of the map-brochure. (6.8 MB)

For more information about the Downeast Fisheries Trail, email or call 207.288.2944 x5834.

Downeast Fisheries Trail Brochure Map - Web Version

Downeast Fisheries Trail Brochure Map - Web Version

  • The Trail
  • Trail Stories
  • Fisheries Now
  • Fisheries Then
  • Education & Resources
CyberChimps

CyberChimps

© Downeast Fisheries Trail