From left, Curt Brown, Casco Bay lobsterman Steve Train, Sen. Angus King, Luke Holden of Luke’s Lobster, Gov. Janet Mills, and Department of Marine Resources Commission Patrick Keliher. PHOTO: SAM BELKNAP

Working Waterfront

Officials, industry respond to lobster red listing

Luke Holden, founder and CEO of Luke’s Lobster was joined by Sen. Angus King, Gov. Janet Mills, Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher, Casco Bay lobsterman Steve Train, and Curt Brown of Ready Seafood at Luke’s Lobster’s Portland restaurant on Friday, Sept. 10 to respond to the recent “red… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Fermented fun in Damariscotta

Story and Photos by Kelli Park A hard kombucha brewery in Damariscotta has been doing more than serving drinks in its first year of business—Maine Booch Brewing has become a community gathering place for the younger generation. “My upstairs neighbor calls it ‘the back porch of Damariscotta,’” says Chauncey Erskine,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Will innovation save lobstering?

The concept of innovation tends to inspire images of bio-geneticists tinkering with DNA to create cancer-resistant cells. But sometimes, innovation comes in decidedly low-tech form. I attended the every-other-year Beaches Conference in June, and one of the presenters showed slides of how the town of York dealt with perennial ocean… SEE MORE

Bait bins sit on a pier in Cutler. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Report: Lobster remains a responsibly harvested species

The harvesting of lobster in Maine and beyond “continue[s] to meet the criteria of our Gulf of Maine Responsibly Harvested program,” the Portland-based nonprofit Gulf of Maine Research Institute asserts in a report issued in September. The report aims for a science-based approach in analyzing the clash between federal protection… SEE MORE

A worker at the Portland Fish Exchange sorts fish. PHOTO: MICHELE STAPLETON

Working Waterfront

Fishing for a solution

Scores of hard-plastic crates filled with ice-covered fresh fish sit on the floor of the Portland Fish Exchange, ready for inspection before the bounty is auctioned in lots to the highest bidders. The fish comes from eight boats that brought their catches of cod, haddock, monkfish, grey sole, and other… SEE MORE

ReVision Energy workers celebrate completion of a job. PHOTO: COURTESY REVISION ENERGY

Working Waterfront

The trades gap—Solar economy may darken without workers

With electricity, gasoline, and heating oil prices soaring over the past year, ReVision Energy, which installs photovoltaic panels and heat pumps, would seem poised to explode with growth. The company, which employs 180 in Maine and another 160 in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, is indeed busy with work. But without… SEE MORE

View of Portland from the observatory. PHOTO: MICHELE STAPLETON

Working Waterfront

Portland goes ‘referendum crazy’

Portland voters will cast ballots this fall on a slew of referendum questions that include proposals to reduce the number of short-term rentals, prohibit large cruise ships from coming to port, and increase the city’s minimum wage. These are some of the very same issues that many coastal and island… SEE MORE

Luke Goldman working with eDNA. PHOTO: COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MAINE

Working Waterfront

A bold mission—saving the Atlantic cod

Luke Goldman was working as an ocean rescue lifeguard on the Jersey Shore when he decided that he wanted to study ecology. He now is a marine protector of a different sort—a researcher at the forefront of using eDNA to try and save the Atlantic cod. Goldman came to University… SEE MORE

Rebekah Hodgson poses at the Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland. PHOTO: COURTESY HODGSON FAMILY

Working Waterfront

Mrs. Maine is the real deal

In Rebekah Hodgson’s earliest memory of lobstering, she’s on her father’s boat and they’ve just anchored off of Jonesboro’s Looks Point to visit her great uncle Scott, who gave her a banana. “I must have been about four years old,” recalls Hodgson, now 32. “I remember getting back on the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

When community pillars sink in shifting sands

For the last year or so, Stonington’s Island Ad-Vantages newspaper has been covering the demise of a nursing home on Deer Isle and the efforts to save the institution. It’s not a trivial matter—having a place for residents to be cared for and live their final days near their homes… SEE MORE