ELLSWORTH – State leaders are seeking public comment on whether Maine ought to pursue bay management, a means of planning the uses of coastal regions to ensure the protection of marine ecology.

Supporters believe that bay management can help divergent interests – coastal vacation homes, aquaculture, kayaking and lobstering – peacefully coexist. Many marine business owners worry that bay management could lead to rigid marine zoning that would restrict their access to the resource. But Maine Department of Maine Resources planners respond that the state has no plan at this point beyond discussing the idea with local people.

A local bay management planning meeting, open to all, has been scheduled for 6 to 9 tonight at the Ellsworth High School Auditorium.