East Shore District Health Department

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), US Fish and Wildlife Service and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, along with the Town of Branford and East Shore District Health Department launched the World’s First Full-Size Solar-Electric Pump-Out Boat in the fall of 2018. Seventy five percent of the boat’s cost was covered with federal money from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service with DEEP administering that portion of the funding. The money from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service came from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund. The Health District funded the remaining 25 percent of the boat’s cost by hosting a number of fundraisers, as well as receiving donations from organizations such as the Branford and Guilford community funds and from Stony Creek Brewery.

The boat was constructed by Safe Harbor Marinas/Pilot’s Point Marina in Westbrook, creating local green jobs and utilizing state-of-the-art solar/electric technology. Since its launch, the ‘Solar Shark’ has been a key part of the Shoreline Regional Pump Out Boat Program, which serves the towns of Branford, East Haven, Guilford, New Haven, and West Haven.