Category: In the news

Kelp, green and nutritious, could be Maine’s ticket into a multibillion-dollar global aquaculture industry.
The state’s nascent seaweed business is thriving, experts say, and that puts Maine in a front-row seat as the U.S. market for homegrown sea veggies grows. It could also help provide an alternative source of income for lobster fishermen subject to the constant challenges of fluctuating prices, changing ocean temperatures and unpredictable catches…

Rebecca’s focus is on the regional ocean planning process currently underway in the Northeast. She and the Island Institute have worked tirelessly to lend voice to Maine’s many island communities – which are sizable drivers of the state’s economy – to ensure their needs are heard and incorporated into the region’s first Northeast Regional Ocean Plan.

This Tuesday in Portland, the Island Institute will screen “A Climate of Change,” four short films it produced about fisheries and the road ahead for Maine fisheries as our seas warm and rise. We called the filmmaker, Scott Sell, to talk about the project, which led him to the Gulf Coast of Florida as well as Alaska. While we were talking, we found out about that time he fell in love on Frenchboro.

Susie Arnold, Marine scientist at Island Institute and Nichole Price, Senior research scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences respond to a Bangor Daily News editorial to clarify an important point about the capacity of seaweed to capture and store carbon, which can reduce ocean acidity. 

“But kelp farmers are doing a brisk business and the nascent industry holds the promise of filling the economic holes left by these collapsing fisheries. At Ocean Approved’s four-acre sugar kelp farm off the coast of Falmouth, Arnold installs a specially-designed pH and CO2 sensor. ‘As these beautiful deep green fronds mature to 14 to 20 feet, we expect CO2 and pH levels to drop, essentially creating a micro-climate of ocean healing while producing a healthy and profitable crop,’ explains Arnold.

Ever wonder what the Island Institute in Rockland, Maine does besides publishing the Working Waterfront and running Archipelago shop of island crafts?  The answer is lots more than you think.
Our guest on the Wednesday, December 16, 2015 The Chris Wolf show will be Rob Snyder, Executive Director of the Island Institute.

“Waters is an Island Institute Island Fellow working over a 12-month period with the Eastport Arts Center (EAC) on a number of projects, including the upcoming holiday market and Festival of Trees. However, her primary project is working on a Makers Place proposal in collaboration with the Tides Institute & Museum of Art and the Peavy Memorial Library.”

The Island Institute released a report Wednesday outlining the lack of broadband Internet access on Maine islands, options for solutions and the economic benefits of improved service.
The goal of the report from the Rockland nonprofit was to provide the island communities with information to help them make decisions about pursuing or funding any expansion of services.

PORTLAND, Maine — As two Maine islands have charted a course for getting faster Internet, a study released Wednesday sets out the options for the other 14 to follow suit.
The Island Institute-funded study suggests Maine’s islands could benefit by collaborating on the buildout of their own high-speed data connections, if they decide to follow in the footsteps of Islesboro, which is developing plans to build its own fiber-optic network.

PORTLAND, Maine — While broadband speed in Maine may be slow, broadband on Maine’s year-round islands is even slower, which is having a significant negative effect on their economies. That’s according to a new report released today by the Island Institute which indicates that almost all of Maine’s islands have substandard broadband service.
The report estimates that full access to broadband speeds on Maine islands would increase GDP in those communities by $90 million over ten years and lead to the creation of 170 coastal jobs by 2028.