Dr. Brian Beal of the Downeast Institute on Beals Island works with Madeline Williams setting up a test pot for softshell clams.

Working Waterfront

Digging the softshells

Summer in Maine brings hungry vacationers seeking lobster rolls, blueberry pie, and the iconic softshell clam—fried, steamed, or in chowder. Clam prices are spiking in response to demand and hundreds of Maine clammers are working to meet it while the market is hot. “I figure I’ll make 75% to 80%… SEE MORE
materials

Working Waterfront

Mushrooms to the rescue

You may not be old enough to remember when buoys were carved from wood and lobster traps were hand-built using wood lathe and cloth nets. In the 1970s, wooden buoys were replaced with expanded polystyrene (EPS) plastic foam buoys. From here two issues arise in terms of plastic pollution in… SEE MORE
A lobster boat unloads in Corea Harbor. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Lobster’s claw-hold on Maine is strong

How important is the lobster fishery to the Maine coast? What will be the economic impact of a reduction in the harvest from regulations or a changing Gulf of Maine? How is lobstering integrated into the state’s identity? One number suggests answers: $1 billion dollars. That’s the amount generated each… SEE MORE
Alison Evans with her oyster-inspired ceramics.

Working Waterfront

Sea-inspired ceramics succeeding in Boothbay Harbor

When it was time for ceramist Alison Evans to “get real” about her life, she “naturally” gravitated back to a community where she spent much of her youth: Boothbay Harbor. “It’s one of the most beautiful places in the entire world,” said the 46-year-old owner of Ae Ceramics and Ae… SEE MORE
Ropeless gear

Working Waterfront

‘On-demand’ lobster gear permitted

A Massachusetts group aiming to help develop lobster traps that eliminate standing buoy lines recently received a split decision about whether the trap technology could be tested in waters closed to fishing as a protection for endangered North Atlantic right whales. On April 1, Pioneers for a Thoughtful Coexistence was… SEE MORE