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

A view up Washington Street in Eastport. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Ready for, not reacting to change

Reflections is written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront. Over the last couple of weeks I have been asked to define resiliency. Eastport is in the process of joining… SEE MORE

From left: Scott Firmin, Dan Devereaux, Ivy Frignoca, Will Everitt, and Fred Dillon. PHOTO: COURTESY FRIENDS OF CASCO BAY

Working Waterfront

Casco Bay group honors clean water heroes

Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca announced the three recipients of the 2022 Casco Bay Awards at Friends of Casco Bay’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act and members annual meeting earlier this summer. Award recipients were recognized for their exceptional efforts to address pollution and climate change… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Closing the tap on the plastics problem

Oh, no! You got distracted and left the water running in the bathtub. You run into the bathroom, see it overflowing onto the floor, and you turn and run for a mop. A mop? No, you don’t run for a mop, says Jackie Savitz, chief policy officer for Oceana. You… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Lobstermen see ‘dark cloud’ hovering over industry

Lobster fishermen continue to grapple with what they say are the cascading consequences of new rules designed to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale which affect how and where they fish. “It’s this dark cloud looming over us. One court decision could shut the entire lobster fishery down,” said… SEE MORE

The stern deck of Maine Maritime Academy's current training vessel. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

New, bigger State of Maine being built

Barring the vagaries of pandemics, the economy, and politics, Maine Maritime Academy in Castine will have a new training ship before the end of 2024. Its impacts on both the academy and the town will be hard to miss even before its arrival. To be christened as the next T/S… SEE MORE

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