Penobscot Bay

Penobscot Bay. . A Rich and Productive Estuary, Just south of here, the Penobscot River widens and flows into Penobscot Bay. The mixing of fresh- water and ocean water in an area over 37 miles long and 45 miles wide makes the bay one of the largest and most productive estuaries on the East Coast., Penobscot Bay is relatively shallow and filled with hundreds of islands and thousands of acres of tidal mudflats, salt marshes, and eelgrass meadows. This provides rich feeding grounds and a nursery habitat for animals of all kinds., The bay's rich tidal waters create one of the most productive lobster habitats in all of Maine. Maine leads the nation in lobstering, which has supported Maine fishing families and communities for generations. The bay also supports a diversity of other important fishing-industry species including clams, mussels, scallops, shrimp, cod, flounder, haddock, and mackerel.