The Casco Bay Lines Maquoit II, seen here in file photo, will be replaced by a new vessel paid for in part by a federal grant.

Working Waterfront

Casco Bay ferry gets $3.6 million for new boat

The Casco Bay Island Transit District—known to most as the Casco Bay Lines that operates ferry service between Portland and a half-dozen islands in Casco Bay—has won a $3.6 million federal grant to help build a replacement for the aged Maquoit II which carries passengers and freight to the five… SEE MORE

Detail from one of Nora Flanagan's quilts.

Working Waterfront

Cutting up and stitching the coast back together

Nora Flanagan renders the beauty of Maine’s cool blue coast in a warm and tactile form. Her applique quilts, born from scraps of fabric, are as evocative as any painting and, given the process by which they are created, rely on a kind of abstraction—scissor-sliced color swatches—that serves to represent… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine delegation can lead to climate safety

Both my wife and I grew up in Maine, but it wasn’t until we married that I adopted her family’s tradition of buying pounds of wholesale Maine shrimp and spending New Year’s Day (my mother-in-law’s birthday) shelling and freezing them for the coming months. It was an annual ceremony straight… SEE MORE

Eastport's breakwater anchorage. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Eastport turns down Russian ship request

When a cargo ship en route to Montreal from Russia with 8,000 tons of petroleum product recently found itself in need of some short-term parking, the shippers involved contacted Washington County's Eastport Port Authority. The North Atlantic's deepest ports include Eastport's cargo terminal and downtown breakwater dock, which in June… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Circulation, temperature data reveals future

Before COVID, this time of year would see the fishing and marine science community gearing up for the annual Maine Fishermen's Forum. It's a venue to share information about the Gulf of Maine—pretty much everything that helps and hinders those who rely on it to make a living. This will… SEE MORE

The offices of Deering Lumber in the Lafayette House today. PHOTO: COURTESY KYLE H. NOBLE

Working Waterfront

Biddeford’s Lafayette House dates to 1798

We published a 1936 photo of Biddeford’s Lafayette House, shot by Dominic Avanzato, in our December/January issue, and asked readers if the building were still standing. Here are some of the responses we received: “I can say with certainty that the Lafayette House still exists as the office for Deering… SEE MORE

A fishing boat in Rockland Harbor. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Lobster harvest sets dollar record

Recently updated data from the Maine Department of Marine Resources shows 2021 as the most valuable year in the history of Maine's lobster fishery. At $724,949,426, the landed value for the iconic fishery jumped by 75 percent over 2020, by far the single largest increase in value, year over year.… SEE MORE

Maine Maritime Academy's waterfront. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Maine Maritime Academy names new president

Maine Maritime Academy has named Jerald S. “Jerry” Paul as the college’s 15th president. Paul, current president of Capitol Access and a 1989 graduate of the institution, will take office this spring. Paul succeeds William J. Brennan who steps down from the position in April after 12 years at MMA.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The changing climate of Atlantic salmon

Atlantic salmon face challenges, many of which—dams, pollution, predators—have been problematic for a long time. But as temperatures rise, precipitation and melt increase, and seasons shift, the pressure is increasing. In their migrations from river to sea and back again, Maine’s wild Atlantic salmon, on the Endangered Species List since… SEE MORE

Amanda Moeser of Lanes Island Oysters, who grows her oysters in the Royal River in Yarmouth. PHOTO: GRACE TERRY

Working Waterfront

Women moving into growing aquaculture sector

Libby Davis’s mobile raw bar, Lady Shuckers, was born from her desire to shuck oysters—and change the industry paradigm. “Being pushed enough to work harder and say, ‘Well, if you want to shuck, you got to be as good as the shuckers,’” Davis said, “who in my circle were all… SEE MORE