Working Waterfront

The Maine coast goes electric

Sandy Oliver should be getting paid the big bucks by Tesla’s marketing team. Describing how she snuggles up to her smartphone to gaze lovingly at the app for her Powerwall—Tesla’s in-home backup battery system—Sandy builds a visceral connection for the otherwise esoteric and dull topic of energy resilience. “When the… SEE MORE

A view of Eagle Lake in Acadia National Park. PHOTO: COURTESY FRIENDS OF ACADIA

Working Waterfront

National park tourism in Maine injects $770 million

A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that visitors to national parks in Maine spent $490 million in 2021. The total of 4.1 million visits supported 7,070 jobs and had a cumulative economic output of $770 million. “National parks are a vital part of our nation’s economy,” said Deputy… SEE MORE

A lobster boat at its mooring off Great Cranberry Island.

Working Waterfront

Mills offers relief for fishermen, ocean farmers

Amid high costs, Gov. Janet Mills announced that her administration is taking action to deliver relief for Maine’s commercial fishermen and ocean farmers. The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) will use $8.3 million in federal funding to reimburse resident commercial fishermen, dealers, processors, and those in the aquaculture sector… SEE MORE

An aerial view of the shore at Camp Ellis in Saco.

Working Waterfront

Shelter from the storm

Financial assistance may soon be on the way for construction of a new jetty off a breakwater at Camp Ellis in Saco in hopes of mitigating severe beach erosion the seaside community has contended with for generations. The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have passed the Water Resources Development… SEE MORE

Community Shellfish FILE PHOTO: JACK SULLIVAN

Working Waterfront

Reviving lobster pounds as oyster farms

Few places exemplify the resilient and sustainable coastal communities than the aptly named Community Shellfish in Bremen. The seafood distributor connects local independent fishermen to a wider market hungry for high-quality lobsters, clams, and oysters. The harbor, fueling station, and fully equipped dock at Community Shellfish’s facility on the Medomak… SEE MORE

Chebeague Island’s Stone Wharf provides a landing for some of the island’s ferries. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Islands, Bar Harbor win grants

The Department of Marine Resources has awarded $202,500 in Shore and Harbor Planning grants to Bar Harbor, Chebeague Island, Long Island, Thomaston, and the Greater Portland Council of Governments. These awards, funded by DMR’s Maine Coastal Program and NOAA, will be used for harbor management plans, documenting and increasing public… SEE MORE

Capt. Joe Litchfield joins the old salts at the Port Hole restaurant in Portland. PHOTO: KATIANA HOEFLE

Working Waterfront

Peaks Island mariner joins Amelia Earhart search

The ship’s operation manager heard Capt. Joe Litchfield before he even reached the wheelhouse. It was midnight. The space smelled of cigarettes and coffee. Amadeus Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik began its crescendo, creating the soundtrack of the Amelia Earhart expedition. Spencer King traced Litchfield’s features in the black, lit only… SEE MORE

Christina Vincent poses on one of her benches. PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Fine furniture born from island life

Near the end of my visit with Christina Vincent on North Haven she casually observes that her story could only come through island living. It’s not a dramatic story, but it is impressive. And it’s hard to see it any other way. Vincent and her husband built their own house—an… SEE MORE

Eben Salvatore, left, and Jeff Young, who are introducing the electric vehicles to Acadia and Bar Harbor. PHOTO: LAURIE SCHREIBER

Working Waterfront

Electric vehicles an option for Acadia visitors

A new rental fleet of small electric vehicles is winding its way around the streets of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park—and it’s an option being pitched as having great advantages over gas-guzzler cars and taxis. “Instead of driving their Suburban from their hotel to the park, they can drive… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The finer points of protecting working waterfront

Most Mainers understand and appreciate the need to protect the working waterfront, those access points and infrastructure necessary to make a living on the water. But how, exactly, does it get threatened and how does it disappear? Imagine you’re a clam harvester who has an agreement with a local person… SEE MORE