TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ iiiii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ iiiiv List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................................ ivv Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 I. Purpose, Scope, and Authority of the Plan .................................................................................. 2 II. The Planning Area ....................................................................................................................... 3 III. The Planning Process ................................................................................................................. 4 IV. Goals, Objectives, and Recommendations ................................................................................ 6 Water Quality .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Public Access & Town Landings .......................................................................................................... 20 Aquaculture ....................................................................................................................................... 3231 Commercial Fishing .......................................................................................................................... 3736 Recreational Fishing ......................................................................................................................... 4746 Beaches .............................................................................................................................................. 5251 Navigation & Dredging .................................................................................................................... 6160 Recreational Boating ........................................................................................................................ 6766 Moorings & Anchorages .................................................................................................................. 7372 Culture & Tourism ............................................................................................................................ 7776 V. Administration and Regulatory Coordination ...................................................................... 8483 Appendix 1: Guidance to DEP for Chapter 91 Licensing in Provincetown Harbor ................... 9088 Appendix 2: Harbor Plan Implementation Matrix ................................................................ 111107 Appendix 3: Town Sectors .................................................................................................... 111107 Appendix 4: Updates from 2012 Harbor Plan ....................................................................... 113109 Provincetown Harbor Management Plan Update 2018 i LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Provincetown Harbor Planning Area ............................................................................................. 3 Figure 2: Bathing Beach Water Testing Sites in Provincetown Harbor. ........................................................ 8 Figure 3: Number of Provincetown Harbor Beach Closures by Year ............................................................ 9 Figure 4: Water Quality Stations Sampled by UMass Dartmouth within the Provincetown Harbor System (2007 – 2009). ............................................................................................................................................. 10 Figure 5: Public Access Points within the Harbor Planning Area ................................................................ 22 Figure 6: Potential Area to Define for Aquaculture Leases. ....................................................................... 32 Figure 7: Existing Aquaculture leases as of Fall 2017. ................................................................................ 33 Figure 8: Potential Areas of Shellfish Harvest ............................................................................................. 48 Figure 9: Recreational Shellfishing Areas in Provincetown Harbor, as Designated by the Town ............... 49 Figure 10: Recreational Shellfishing Areas in Hatches Harbor, as Designated by the Town ...................... 49 Figure 11: Locations of Dredging Projects .................................................................................................. 63 Figure 12: Data from the Northeast Recreational Boater Survey shows routes taken by a sample of transient and non‐transient boaters in 2012 .............................................................................................. 68 Figure 13: Berthing Locations in Provincetown Harbor .............................................................................. 74 Figure 14: Presumptive Historic High Water Line ....................................................................................... 85 Figure 15: Rose's Wharf and Fishermen's Wharf ...................................................................................... 100 Provincetown Harbor Management Plan Update 2018 Page ii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Public Access Amenities ................................................................................................................ 22 Table 2: A partial list of properties in the planning area with Chapter 91 Licenses that require some type(s) of public access. .............................................................................................................................. 23 Table 3: Provincetown Fisheries, Number of Active Dealers by Species Category ................................ 3938 Table 4: Provincetown Fisheries, Number of Active Harvesters by Species Category ........................... 4039 Table 5: Provincetown Fisheries Landings (ex‐vessel value) 2007‐2016 ................................................ 4140 Table 6: Provincetown Fisheries Landings (in live pounds) 2007‐2016 .................................................. 4241 Table 7: Provincetown Harbor Dredging History and Needs .................................................................. 6261 Table 8: Berthing Facilities and Associated Amenities ........................................................................... 7473 Table 9: Passenger Ferry Service to and from Provincetown ................................................................. 7877 Photo: Captain John Baldwin and the F/V Chase grounded on Long Point after the January 2015 blizzard Provincetown Harbor Management Plan Update 2018 Page iii LIST OF ACRONYMS ADA – Aquaculture Development Area GIS – Geographic Information System BIG – Boating Infrastructure Grant HMA – Hazard Mitigation Assistance CARE – Creating a Responsible Environment for HMGP – Hazard Mitigation Grant Program the Cape & Islands M.G.L. – Massachusetts General Law CMR – Code of Massachusetts Regulations MassGIS – Massachusetts Geographic CVA – Clean Vessel Act Information System CZM – (Massachusetts) Coastal Zone MGD – Million gallons a day Management MHP – Municipal Harbor Plan DEP – (Massachusetts) Department of MIS – Management Information System Environmental Protection NOAA – National Oceanic and Atmospheric DMF – (Massachusetts) Division of Marine Administration Fisheries NFIP – National Flood Insurance Program DPW – Department of Public Works O & M – Operation and Maintenance EOEEA – Executive Office of Energy and PDM – Pre‐Disaster Mitigation Environmental Affairs QPX – Quahog parasite unknown EPA – Environmental Protection Agency SAFIS – Standard Atlantic Fisheries Information FEMA – Federal Emergency Management System Agency WHOI – Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution FMA – Flood Mitigation Assistance Provincetown Harbor Management Plan Update 2018 Page iv INTRODUCTION The Town of Provincetown is uniquely defined by its natural surroundings: windswept and waterborne sand dunes, scrub pine heath, resilient cranberry bogs and glacial ponds—all surrounded by the ocean, all critical to its history as a destination and home. Perhaps none of the defining characteristics is more important than the Harbor, a water body as much a component of the Town as any terrain, permitting travel, recreation, and livelihood for more than four centuries. As environmental, political and social circumstances become more impactful to the Town, and as challenges to the natural surroundings, such as flooding and erosion, continue to increase, it is incumbent upon the Town’s citizens to recognize the value of the Harbor, manage its inputs and exponents with an eye to its future, and provide mechanisms for policy making, regulatory adjustments and sustained overall use of the Harbor, all the while preparing for inevitable environmental shifts. This Harbor Plan identifies many of the current and anticipated challenges and provides recommendations for policies, regulations, research, education, investments, and other actions to address the challenges. The Harbor Committee developed an update to the 1999 plan in 2012, which can be found here: http://www.provincetown‐ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/193on the town’s website. Much like