By Alan Bartels, Research Assistant

Nantucket’s harbors, steeped in history and vital to its modern-day life, are facing a dynamic future. Throughout their legendary maritime history, these picturesque waterways have been the lifeblood of the island community. Today, they provide essential access for residents and the tens of thousands of annual visitors, nurture productive modern fishing and shell fishing industries, and supply vital services for Nantucket’s ecosystem. 

In the face of modern challenges such as erosion, rising sea-levels, and increasing populations, the Town of Nantucket and its Nantucket and Madaket Harbors Action Plan Update Committee are working with the Urban Harbors Institute (UHI) to update its 2009 Harbor Plan. 

Harbor Plans are documents that establish the community’s goals and policies to guide public and private land use along waterways and shorelines within the harbor plan boundary. These documents help the community develop strategies and identify resources needed to achieve their goals for the harbor.  

Once finalized, the plan will then be submitted for state approval by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), informing the state’s own decision making around Nantucket and Madaket harbors. 

Through the harbor planning process, the Urban Harbors Institute engaged with the community to gather diverse perspectives, interviewing Town of Nantucket officials, fishermen and shell fishing groups, local non-profit organizations, and the general public. UHI gathered public comments at multiple on-island meetings and through an online survey and web mapping tool developed by Woods Hole Group so that the updated harbor plan best reflects the issues and concerns of the Nantucket community. 

Some of the issues identified through the planning process, organized by harbor plan section, are listed below: 

  • Water quality & natural resources – water quality impairment due to stormwater, fertilizers, and septic systems, enforcement of laws and regulations, need for additional data, invasive species, need for education ​ 
  • Boating & navigation – fuel costs, conditions and locations of docks and ramps, vessel speed and safety, facilities upgrades, need for dredging​ 
  • Public access – barriers to access, Chapter 91 enforcement and opportunities, securing new access ​ 
  • Fishing – need for dredging, water quality and habitat impacts to fisheries, lack of access, data needs​ 
  • Coastal resiliency –  plans integration, nature-based solutions, historic preservation, safety, erosion​ 
  • Commercial & residential waterfront – support services for users, access points, parking, waterfront upgrades 

 UHI consolidated the community’s feedback, organizing it into goals, objectives, and recommendations. This will appear in a draft plan to be reviewed by the Harbors Action Plan Update Committee before another round of public comment later this summer. For more information about the harbor plan, contact Kim Starbuck at Kimberly.Starbuck@umb.edu.