Selectmen approve two additional buying permits for Stonington Fish Pier after heated public comment

The Stonington Board of Selectmen voted in November to sell two additional buying permits for the Fish Pier, a decision that divided the board and prompted vocal public objection.

The motion to sell two buying permits was made by Selectman John Robbins and seconded by Selectman John Steed; the board recorded a narrow majority in favor. Opponents in the audience said the change would worsen congestion at the pier and cited concerns raised earlier by the Harbor Committee about capacity, skiff permits and parking.

Selectman Evelyn Duncan told the board she was concerned about capacity and the operational impacts of adding buyers to a pier she described as already congested. Harbor Committee members had recommended ordinance revisions, and at least one committee member said the board was not following the committee’s advice.

Several lobster buyers and pier users addressed the board at the meeting. Boat owner and buyer Bill Damon said he works year-round and worried the extra permits would affect his employees and other local businesses that rely on predictable pier access. Resident Dick Larrabee Jr. argued the Harbor Committee’s recommendations should carry more weight in the board’s decision-making.

After the vote, a motion to stay the decision for one month to allow the Harbor Committee to propose a solution was defeated. The board left open the possibility of further review; the Selectmen said they would continue to work with the Harbor Committee on ordinance language and operational plans.

The outcome: the Selectmen approved the sale of two buying permits for the Fish Pier, and the matter remained a focal point for harbor and ordinance discussions going forward.