Brunswick clammers victorious on 2 issues

BRUNSWICK – Airboats, which are called the only new tool clam diggers have gained in a century, can now be run on Sundays on the remote flats of this coastal town.

And the other half of a double victory for clammers allows them to dig clams on Sundays, erasing a prohibition that had been imposed as a conservation measure. Clammers licensed in Brunswick were allowed to work on Sundays only in June, July and August.

The 6-0 vote Monday night by the Town Council is expected to help clam diggers recover from a summer harvest that was limited by red tide closures and heavy rainfall.

Some residents had opposed the Sunday use of airboats, saying they are too noisy. Airboats are used to give clammers access to hard-to-reach areas of the mud flats.

“Everyone knows that Maine is a working coastline and they knew that when they moved here,” said Nikki Lund, whose clam digger husband, Ken, owns an airboat.

While allowing the use of airboats on Sundays, councilors urged clammers to cut back on noise. They also rejected the idea of noise restrictions, saying they would be unenforceable.

Town Marine Resources Warden Daniel Devereux said Maine’s commercial shellfish industry is not just a part-time job any more.

“Fishermen are using advanced equipment [airboats] to increase yields and make the job more efficient,” Devereux said. He called airboats “the only new tool [diggers] have had in a century.”

Mud flat closures caused by red tide and heavy rains forced Brunswick’s 74 shellfish harvesters to miss nearly four months of work earlier this year, according to Steve Walker, Brunswick’s natural resources planner.

To compensate for lost work days, diggers worked longer hours. Those with airboats were more likely to disturb residents, Walker said. Five local clammers use airboats.