Improving and protecting the environmental health of Casco Bay. Our people: those who live, work, and play on the Bay. Proud member of @Waterkeeper Friends of Casco Bay is a marine stewardship organization founded in 1989 to improve and protect the environmental health of Casco Bay. We are a founding member of @Waterkeeper, a global movement of more than 300 Waterkeeper groups around the world. Friends of Casco Bay works to protect the health of Casco Bay because it is a place of national, regional, and personal significance. The Bay affects our quality of life, our tax base, and the weather in our region. Valued for its rich diversity of marine life, Casco Bay was designated an Estuary of National Significance by the federal government in 1990. At the heart of Maine?s most populated region, the Bay is of immeasurable value to the 42 communities in its watershed. The Bay sustains our economy, supporting a vast array of industries: shipping, tourism, commercial fish and shellfish harvesting, and oil transport. The Bay provides abundant recreational opportunities, from wind-surfing and angling to boating and beachcombing. Our community?s identity and wellbeing are inextricably linked to the health of the Bay. For the 300,000 people that call the watershed home, Casco Bay is a source of recreation, inspiration, and economic vitality. Friends of Casco Bay fills a unique niche in Maine?s environmental and nonprofit community. We are:  Locally-focused: We are the only organization whose sole focus is protecting Casco Bay.  Science-based: The positions we take are backed up by data collected by our highly trained staff and EPA-certified volunteers.  Pragmatic: We are results-oriented, striving for measurable outcomes that protect the environment.  Collaborative: We know that protecting the Bay is a group effort, so we work closely with scientists, government officials, businesses, residents, and other partners.