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The Hardest Catch
It’s always been hard to make a living in my home state, so this article isn’t particularly surprising. It’s still depressing, though:
Fishermen on this rocky, pine-studded peninsula have felt a creeping unease in recent years, as real estate prices leapt skyward and stories circulated up and down the coast of fishing piers sold to make room for million-dollar vacation homes.Two years ago, in response to growing concerns on the coast, state officials and researchers set out to map the waterfront access of Maine’s working fishermen. What they found was more alarming than anyone expected: Along Maine’s 5,300-mile coast, only 20 miles of shoreline remain open to commercial fishermen, according to the study the Island Institute released last month.
With our move back to Maine less than two weeks away, it’s sad to realize that the only reason we can afford to go back at all is because our house is inherited. The state’s traditionally poor economy, combined with the skyrocketing property values, mean that we’d never be able to afford to buy a house on our combined salaries.
Of course, most people aren’t lucky enough to have a relative will them a house.
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