To gain insight and inspiration that Maine might use to develop its aquaculture curriculum and facilities, a group of six Maine educators took a road trip to Connecticut in January to visit three aquaculture high schools.
Category: Blog
Learning aquaculture firsthand in Casco Bay
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Blog.
It’s “Industry Day” for our aquaculture business development group, and the plan is simple: bring together a group of twenty prospective aquaculturists from up and down the coast for a single day to tour as many aquaculture farms and meet as many industry members as possible.
Communities matter in offshore wind development
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Blog.
Like moths to a flame, the press was all over the start of construction on the Block Island Wind Farm last July. After a decade-plus of starts and lawsuit-induced stops, America’s first offshore wind project was finally being built. The stories covered the prerequisite details: size of the project, cost, technology being used, and of course the politics behind it. Absent from most discussions, however, were voices from the project’s host community, Block Island.
Commercial Currents: Island farms find success through networks
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Blog.
The Island Institute’s Economic Development staff welcome you to this series of blog posts, a resource for island and coastal small businesses. To easily find future posts, go to the blog home page and select “economic development” from the drop down menu to filter blog posts by this topic, or go to islandinstitute.org/blog/economic.
From a 23-year-old: what is it like to live at Vinalhaven Eldercare?
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Blog.
Maddey Gates is the eldercare Island Fellow. She has lived and worked on eldercare initatives on Chebeague, North Haven, Swan’s Island, and now Vinalhaven during her fellowship.
Close your eyes. When I say “eldercare,” what comes to your mind? What do you see, smell, and feel when I say “seniors,” “elders,” “nursing home,” or “residential care”?
Can growing sugar kelp locally reduce ocean acidification in Maine’s waters?
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Blog.
The Island Institute is partnering with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and Ocean Approved, the country’s first company to grow kelp for food, on an exciting new project with potentially big implications. As it grows, the kelp on Ocean Approved’s rafts in Casco Bay may capture enough CO2 to reduce the acidity of surrounding water and make shellfish grow better. The instruments measuring ocean chemistry were put in and outside of the farm a couple of weeks ago, and the first reading of CO2 levels is very promising.
Climate of Change films: behind the scenes
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Blog.
2012 was a big moment in the Maine lobster industry, with an overabundance of lobster and a price crash in response. We started filming in 2013 and, at that point, we noticed that there was a lot more communication starting to happen between fishermen and scientists about changes they were seeing out on the water. The idea was to start capturing some of that, using the Climate of Change Workshop that the Island Institute hosted that summer as a jumping off point.
Commercial Currents: Addressing high energy costs
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Blog.
In order to save money, Maine’s island and remote coastal businesses seek energy efficiency. Potts Harbor Lobster of Harpswell gets 44% of their energy from solar panels.
What islands can teach the world about how to tackle climate change
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Blog.
Islands are often the first to feel negative effects of climate change. But we can also look to islands to find inspiration for lowering emissions on a community scale.
Fisherman and farmer, too? The aquaculture cohort weighs their options
Posted by Neil Arnold & filed under Blog.
Who wants to grow mussels, kelp, or oysters in Maine’s waters?
Quite a few people, it turns out. On December 10th, 20 members of the Island Institute’s Aquaculture Business Development Program (or Cohort) met for the first time in Rockland to learn about growing kelp, oysters, or mussels. Over the next six months, the group will get support in starting small-scale aquaculture businesses. The goal? Add diversified income options and start reducing the coast’s reliance on lobster.
