Wayne Davis
Voices from the Working Waterfront Oral History Project
Working waterfronts are inherently entwined with the social and cultural aspects of their host communities; they are integral to how community members define themselves and set themselves apart from others. This project captures and preserves oral histories highlighting the importance of working waterfronts to the nation’s fisheries, economy, and coastal communities.
Shelley Chance
Biographical Note:
Wayne Davis is a commercial lobsterman from Tremont, Maine.
Scope and Content Note::
Wayne Davis was interviewed to capture his family’s experience using the Maine Working Waterfront Access Protection Plan (WWAPP) to secure the Davis wharf’s future as a commercial fishing pier in perpetuity. Mr. Davis describes the important history of the Davis wharf to that region of Mount Desert Island and how, in the late 2000’s, the effects of the lobster price collapse due to the recession triggered extreme pressure on the family to sell. Mr. Davis describes how his family undertook the laborious process of first understanding the legal jargon surrounding a covenant, and then applying for WWAPP funding. In a part of the coast where most working waterfronts have been converted to noncompatible uses, Mr. Davis shares the deep gratitude his family and the community feel as a result of this public funding helping ensure that the wharf will remain a working waterfront into the future.
Please Note: The oral histories in this collection are protected by copyright and have been created for educational, research and personal use as described by the Fair Use Doctrine in the U.S. Copyright law. Please reach out Voices@noaa.gov to let us know how these interviews are being used in your research, project, exhibit, etc. The Voices staff can help provide other useful resources related to your inquiry.
The NOAA mission is to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts, to share that knowledge and information with others, and to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. The Voices Oral History Archives offers public access to a wide range of accounts, including historical materials that are products of their particular times, and may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes.
Voices Oral History Archives does not verify the accuracy of materials submitted to us. The opinions expressed in the interviews are those of the interviewee only. The interviews here have been made available to the public only after the interviewer has confirmed that they have obtained consent.