Workshop participants inspect a shell midden in the Damariscotta area

Island Journal

More Than a Pile of Shells

More Than a Pile of Shells A new understanding of Maine’s shell middens BY CATHERINE SCHMITT “These oyster beds were so productive that it gave a supply to all that wished for the period of many times 70 years, so that the shells of this food fish was piled… SEE MORE

Island Journal

Arctic Observations

Arctic Observations By Peter Ralston Last summer, photographer and Island Institute co-founder Peter Ralston boarded a friend’s yacht just above the Arctic Circle on the west coast of Greenland to explore that area, as well as the heart of the high Canadian Arctic archipelago. It was the trip of a… SEE MORE

man pushing luggage through ankle-deep water

Island Journal

Along the American Archipelago, Signs Are Everywhere

Along the American Archipelago, Signs Are Everywhere Rising seas, warming waters impacting islands in Alaska, the Carolinas, the Chesapeake By PHILIP CONKLING When Maine islanders meet islanders from other American coastlines, you might notice a bit of deference in the air. Maine’s 15 year-round island communities have standing around the… SEE MORE

Island Journal

Aquaculture’s Next Wave

Aquaculture’s Next Wave Mussels, oysters, and kelp emerging along Maine’s southern coast. By Nancy Griffin Casco Bay, dotted with hundreds of islands and stretching over 25 miles from Cape Elizabeth to Cape Small, is seeing an upswing in what could prove to be a new economic engine for the area—shellfish… SEE MORE

windmills in the distance behind a body of water

Island Journal

Song of the Samsingers

Landing on Samsø Island, part of Denmark, we were greeted by a kind of rock star. “Hello! My name is Søren,” exclaimed the man. “I am the lead singer of the Samsingers,” he smiled, echoing a local pun (the residents of the island are known as “Samsingers”). Søren Hermansen was… SEE MORE

oysters on a bed of ice with a menu board in background

Island Journal

An Oyster Story

An Oyster Story The source of that slurpy, salty goodness is the ‘taste of place’ BY CATHERINE SCHMITT At three in the afternoon on a Friday in January, all the seats are full at Eventide Oyster Company in Portland. Outside, the temperatures are plummeting, but inside the sun shines through… SEE MORE

An artist's rendering of the three proposed wind turbines off Block Island

Island Journal

The Cable Is the Key

Block Island, 13 miles south of the Rhode Island coast, is a postcard of beaches, quaint shops, and wild conservation land. With a year-round population of 1,000 residents and a summer population that can reach 10,000, it follows the seasonal ebb and flow of many New England islands. The place… SEE MORE