The Town of Marshfield has three harbors, the North River, the South River, and the main harbor, Green Harbor at Brant Rock. Until recently the harbormaster’s was a seasonal position and he worked with a couple of assistants. Today the harbormaster is full-time, a sergeant on the police force, and is overseen by the police chief who is "captain of the port." The harbor budget is separate from the police budget. The budget is a line item budget and must be approved by Town Meeting annually. The budget is approximately $150,000 per year, however this does not include the Harbormaster’s salary, as that is a line item in the police budget. There are no plans at present to establish an enterprise fund for the department because the Town feels the number of vessels in Marshfield is too small to support an enterprise-funding base. The Town recently received a $12,000 grant from the State to install a pump-out station at the wharf for marine sanitation devices. The Harbormaster has a police background and no marine experience. Panelists suggested that the Commonwealth develop an appropriate professional standard for harbormasters, pointing out that they have a lot of power, including the right to carry a gun.

The Town has applied to the Seaport Council for a grant to build a new Harbormaster’s office to replace the present temporary trailer office and to make necessary repairs and improvements at the wharf. The Town Wharf was rebuilt several years ago, however the height of the North Pier, which is the commercial fishing section, was increased because of concerns about a "hundred year flood."

Unfortunately, the new height imposed a hardship on the commercial fishing community, since it is now difficult to load and unload gear, bait, supplies and catches. The fishermen expect some portion of the grant funds to be used to restore the pier to its former working height and/or provide a means to load and unload the vessels. Funds have been allocated but have not been appropriated at this time.

Green Harbor faces the east. The ocean bottom in the area around the harbor is sandy. The harbor frequently silts up during winter storms, which presents a major difficulty as the channel and mooring area is, at times, not useable at low tide for some of the vessels. Presently the Federal Government funds an annual dredging project which keeps the harbor navigable, however rumors are that the federal funding may not be available to continue ongoing dredging projects. The Harbormaster indicated that the Town fears it may soon become liable for future dredging costs.

Vessels

The bulk of the commercial fishing fleet are inshore lobster boats, some of which fish for tuna during the season. Some vessels gillnet for groundfish during the winter in addition to lobstering. Also, there are twelve draggers and several dedicated tuna boats in the fleet. According to a technical report from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, there are 75 lobster vessel permits citing Marshfield as homeport.5 Landings of lobster in Marshfield in 2000 weighed 4 Panelists from Plymouth noted that the commercial fishermen in their harbor successfully obtained a hiring requirement for their harbormaster to have experience as a marine professional.

1,207,369 pounds. The average price was $3.65 per pound, so the value of the catch was at least $4,406,896.85. Marshfield ranked fourth in the Commonwealth in lobster landings in 2000. Tuna landings in the mid-90’s ranked second.

Mooring

There are approximately 75 to 80 commercial fishing vessels in the harbor on moorings during the warmer months. The Town charges $4.00 per foot per year for moorings, and the fishermen are charged $35.00 per year for space to keep a dinghy at a designated float. In the past, Marshfield Commercial Fishermen’s Association owned skiff floats, but the town replaced them, not without controversy. The number of moorings is a limiting factor on potential fleet expansion. Currently, there is a 20- to 30-year wait for moorings. In fact, knowledgeable residents put their newborns on the waiting list.

Some towns have two lists, one for commercial vessels, the other for recreational. In 1991, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the planning board, selectmen, town counsel and the industry designating certain rights to the fishermen, including a statement that the number of moorings for commercial vessels would not decrease. There are two marinas situated in Green Harbor, Taylor Marine and Green Harbor Marina. During the winter months most of the fleet docks at the Taylor Marina, which is adjacent to the Town Wharf.

Association

Seventy fishermen belong to the Marshfield Commercial Fishermen’s Association (MCFM). The association owns and maintains a winch (crane) that is located at the wharf; however, the winch is unsuitable for fishermen who operate without a crew. The association serves as liaison with Town officials on local issues that affect commercial fishing interests, a  particularly important role since there is no longer a waterways advisory committee or a fishing industry advisory committee to the town’s selectmen. The association has also taken positions on state and federal fishing proposals in the past and has become a member of the MFP.

Maintenance

Taylor Marine allows fishermen to do their own work, or to hire outside help, for vessel repairs and maintenance. Green Harbor Marine’s policy is to charge an additional $10.00 per hour surcharge for work done by outside vendors; so most fishermen prefer to use the Taylor Marine services. Haul-outs are generally provided by hydraulic trailer at the Town ramp. The boats are then trucked to a local boat yard, or to the fisherman’s property. The Marshfield Town Charter allows fishermen to store gear and boats on their personal property.

Gear and supplies

Fishing gear supplies are purchased from New England Industrial & Marine in Brant Rock, Jesse’s Marine in Plymouth and RNR Marine Supply in Hingham.

Fuel is delivered by truck to the Town Wharf, and is also available at Taylor Marine.

Ice

There is no ice facility in Green Harbor. The fishermen agree that it would be "nice to have" ice available, however the needs are not great enough to sustain an ice facility. An ice facility in Scituate or Plymouth may be more feasible.

Bait

Bait is delivered by truck.

Market

The lobster catch is sold to Pacific Trade of Quincy, and Ocean Star of South Boston. Both dealers station refrigerated trucks at the wharf in the afternoon during the lobster season. Catches are also sold to Green Harbor Lobster Pound (seasonal), Brant Rock Fish Market and Fourth Cliff Lobster Company, the local dealers. Tuna buyers are on call and will pick up catches by truck as the fish are landed. There is also a tuna buying station at Green Harbor Marina. Groundfish are sometimes picked up by truck, however, fishermen also deliver the catches to processors in their own trucks. There are no local groundfish processors in Green Harbor.

Parking

Parking is a major issue. The Coast Guard has identified the boat ramp as one of the busiest on the East Coast, probably due to the easy access to Stellwagen Bank. When the pier was renovated and paved, parking spaces were identified that included a large number of spots for trailers. Fishermen would use the trailer spots, parking two trucks in each. This has been disallowed and some fishermen receive parking tickets if they use a trailer-designated space. With only 30 spots, parking is inadequate for single vehicles. Although vessel owners can obtain a special permit, crewmembers no longer have access to parking.

Infrastructure Essentials for a Satellite Fishing Port

Fishermen noted that of the three "infrastructure essentials" for a sustainable fishing community that they had control of in the past, two have been lost. Whereas they once had skiff floats, moorings and parking, only moorings are left. (Town now charges individuals for the skiff tie-up spots). The other losses that Marshfield has faced due to regulatory change occurred 10 years ago with some of the first major closures. Traditionally, they dragged for three or four months, lobstered or tuna fished the rest of the time, but the closures constrained their ability to qualify for days-at-sea. Flexibility is what has kept many of the small boat harbors viable, but to a large extent has  been lost. The fears of the Harbormaster concerning the possible end of federally funded dredging of the harbor and channels are shared by the fishermen, as it is considered absolutely essential. It was hoped that should the federal government decide to discontinue the practice, perhaps the MFP could assist the Town in identifying potential sources of funding for needed ongoing dredging projects. Marinas are beneficiaries of commercial fleet when it comes to dredging. The inner harbor has not been dredged for over 20 years. It was supposed to be dredged when Scituate was dredged, but it hadn’t fulfilled permit requirements at the time.

Gentrification and property taxes are major concerns for Marshfield’s fishing industry.

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