Voters in Bar Harbor, Maine, the island seaport that’s become a popular cruise destination, have imposed limits on cruise ships even more stringent than their town council negotiated with the cruise industry just two months ago.
The ‘citizens initiative’ on Tuesday’s ballot passed by a 58-42% margin and limits the number of cruise passengers and crew who can come ashore to 1,000 a day. The limits set in the previous agreement were between 30,000 and 65,000 visitors a month, depending on season, with April and November blacked out and daily limits set between 3,500 and 3,800 passengers.
Both the original agreement and the now-passed ballot initiative exempt cruise stops that had already been scheduled prior to March 2022, when the initiative was submitted for the ballot. Also exempt are U.S.-flagged ships that carry fewer than 200 passengers.
Bar Harbor, with a population of 5,000, is the principal town on Mount Desert Island and the entryway for Acadia National Park.
