The National Working Waterfront Network (NWWN) Conference brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and community advocates to tackle the challenges facing working waterfronts across the country.
Through many panel discussions, attendees explored the pressures of development, workforce retention, climate adaptation, and policy roadblocks threatening the waterfront's future.
While each waterfront is unique, the speakers agreed that these spaces share common challenges, including regulatory hurdles, rising property values, and conflicts between economic development and cultural preservation. The panelists included Janelle Kellman, former mayor of Sausalito, California- who is running for lieutenant governor and Maine House of Representative; Morgan Rielly; and Imani Black, founding and CEO of Minorities in Aquaculture.
Kellman highlights her city’s maritime history and difficulties maintaining its working waterfront. “We have a real problem regarding what the market will allow. Inventors or fabricators cannot afford to start when hedge fund managers and landscape architects see the value in our maritime infrastructure. They want to repurpose it for high-end development.”
Rielly pointed to the diversity of working waterfronts in Maine, ranging from small-scale fishing docks to large industrial harbors. “There’s no one bill that will be able to solve all different issues, and there will be no one budget that will be able to solve those issues.” He went on to emphasize the need for tailored solutions for each individual region.
Pressures of gentrification and development
One of the biggest threats to working waterfronts is the tension between economic growth and preserving traditional maritime industries. Imani Black spoke about the loss of historic watermen’s marines in Chesapeake Bay due to the influx of non-fishing residents. “We only have one existing waterman’s marine left in my area,” Black shared. “Before, that whole space was dominated by watermen, but now we’re losing access as new people move in and change the landscape.”
Kellman followed Black by describing Sausalito’s struggle with rising property values and restrictive regulations. “We’re up against economic pressure, cultural heritage loss, and an outdated regulatory system. We need a holistic approach to make all of this work.”
Workforce crisis
Another significant talking point was the declining maritime workforce. “I don’t know who started the campaign that trades and trade schools aren’t a good thing, but we need to change that narrative drastically,” Black shared. Maritime industries offer diverse career paths beyond just fishing, but many young people aren’t aware of them.
“We need more credentialing programs, more vocational programs. Work-based learning is crucial because not everyone wants to go to college,” Kellman stressed the need for apprenticeship programs and maritime college funding.
“We have six maritime colleges in the U.S., but some of these programs are losing funding, and we need to fight for that investment.”
Climate resilience
With more frequent and severe storms, flooding, and sea level rise hitting our coasts, panelists shared the urgency of infrastructure adaptation. “We watched the last house on Smith Island collapse into the water,” Black shared. “That was the very last tip of the island. How do we keep these communities alive when they’re losing everything?” Smith Island is a collection of three district island communities in Chesapeake Bay that butts up against Tangier Sound.
Legislators have started to take action. Rielly references a new bipartisan bill that was introduced by Senator King of Maine and Senator Cassidy of Louisiana that would provide a 30 percent tax credit for disaster mitigation expenses. “Failure to secure our working waterfronts jeopardizes our long-term food and energy security. These waterfronts were key to winning World War II, and they’re just as pivotal now in addressing today’s challenges.”
Kellman also added that emphasizing job creation is one way to gain political and financial support for working waterfronts. “I had a crazy idea and went to our congressman with it- ‘What if we developed a strategic maritime alliance focused on decarbonization and workforce training?’ When I talked about jobs, his eyes lit up.”
While the challenges on diverse waterfronts are significant, the panelists remained hopeful that working waterfronts can adapt and thrive. “It comes down to storytelling,” Kellman said. “When people hear these stories about the working waterfront, they care. It’s about showing the value of these spaces and the people who depend on them.”
