From our friends in Massachusetts Fwd: Improved Public Access Fishing Site in MA

[Stephen DiCerbo]

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October 2015
Recreational Permit Fees Used to Bolster Fishing Access in Newburyport Earlier this month, state and local officials, recreational anglers and other project supporters gathered for a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the completion of significant improvements to the recreational fishing pier and boat ramp at Cashman Park in Newburyport. Reconstruction of the sport fishing pier included a 21-foot, L-shaped extension, structural repairs, completely new decking and handrails, and measures to make the entire pier compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. To make launching and retrieval of boats easier and more efficient, the boat ramp received new boarding floats on each side that are six feet wide and 132 feet long. The project greatly enhances the Cashman Park facility, one of the most popular saltwater recreational access sites in the Commonwealth. State officials acknowledged the role that recreational saltwater anglers played in the project through their purchase of a Massachusetts recreational saltwater fishing permit. The Division of Marine Fisheries contributed $209,000 from the sale of these permits for the pier renovation. By law, all fees collected from the sale of these permits must be used to improve Massachusetts’ recreational fisheries, with at least one-third going to public access enhancements. The Division worked closely with the Office of Fishing and Boating Access to implement the pier improvements. Cashman Park is situated along the Merrimack River (map). Anglers using the pier may catch popular fish including striped bass and winter flounder. The availability of marine species to anglers at the site was an important factor to the Marine Recreational Fisheries Development Panel, a citizen advisory board, endorsing the Division’s plan to improve the pier at Cashman Park. After financing two piers on the Commonwealth’s South Shore & Islands with recreational permit fees, the Panel also sought an opportunity to improve fishing access on our North Shore. We invite you to come and enjoy the newly improved Cashman Park!

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Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries 251 Causeway Street, Suite 400, Boston, MA, 02114