Harpswell, Brunswick, Freeport, Kennebunkport, Belfast, St. George, Bath and now Phippsburg. These are the towns where Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering sustainable fisheries in the Gulf of Maine and supporting Maine’s fishing businesses, has co-hosted panels to discuss the variety of issues facing Maine’s working waterfronts.

The next in the series, titled “Hidden Working Waterfronts,” will be from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, May 23, at the Maine Oyster Company’s basecamp in Phippsburg. This will be a discussion of the small working waterfronts that often go unnoticed along the coast of Maine, particularly those in Phippsburg and Georgetown, and their significance to the waterfront economy and heritage of this area.

Panelists will include those involved in shellfish harvesting, oyster farming, commercial fishing and management of coastal resources. It will be moderated by MCFA Director of Community Programs Monique Coombs, with space for questions and discussion from participants. The event is free, but registration is required. Maine Oyster Company will also have lobster lunch boxes and oysters for sale on-site. More information as well as registration is available at maine-coast-fishermens-association.networkforgood.com/events/71734-hidden-working-waterfronts-a-working-waterfront-conversation.

This panel follows on the heels of another panel recently held in Bath to address the impacts of this winter’s storms on the coast of Maine. Held at the Maine Maritime Museum on April 3, that panel discussed the future of maritime industry and the challenges that lay ahead in recovering and rebuilding the coast’s working waterfront infrastructure. Resources related to storm recovery, a synopsis of that panel as well as recordings and information about previous panels are available at mainecoastfishermen.org/working-waterfront.