An artist's rendering of what the new Machias dike on Route 1 would look like.

Working Waterfront

Stakeholders find common vision for Machias dike

Revolutionary War-era patriots once captured a British sloop, the H.M.S. Margaretta, in Machias Bay, then sailed the vessel high up the Middle River, hiding it there near the abundant salt grasses which attracted settlers to Machias in the first place. Today, a dike and causeway span the point where the… SEE MORE

Green Moors Inn, between Portsmouth and York. PHOTO: COURTESY MAINE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION

Working Waterfront

Maine’s Route 1: The tourist highway

When then-Gov. Angus King coined the “Maine… The Way Life Should Be” slogan, a friend in Belfast manufactured coffee cups that included the phrase on one side. On the other side, it read: “Belfast… The Way It Is.” If those Jeff Dobbs aerial videos in which stunning footage reveals the… SEE MORE

Vickie Ducharme, a member of Freedom Boat Club, poses with a trainer. PHOTO: COURTESY YARMOUTH BOAT YARD.

Working Waterfront

Boat club offers ‘fee for fleet’

The Freedom Boat Club has gotten more Mainers out on the water this season than ever before. “We saw a significant increase in members last year and into this continuing year,” said Steve Arnold, owner of the Freedom Boat Club’s Maine franchise. “COVID was a big push for people to… SEE MORE

Artist's rendering of land-based portion of salmon farm proposed for Frenchman Bay.

Working Waterfront

Is Maine hosting the best aquaculture technology?

Maine’s coast is witnessing multiple plans for large aquaculture projects, including two new sites planned for Frenchman Bay, in addition to those in Belfast, Bucksport, and Jonesport. For some, the possibility of jobs and tax revenue from industrial-sized aquaculture is appealing. The success of these plans, however, is dependent upon… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Lobster Institute is hub for industry, science

[caption id="attachment_27491" align="alignleft" width="300"] Rick Wahle PHOTO: COURTESY LOBSTER INSTITUTE[/caption] Earlier this year, federal funding became available to study the interaction between the burgeoning offshore renewable energy industry and other ocean users in an area from the Gulf of Maine to waters off New York. It was an opportunity to… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine’s last seafood cannery

[caption id="attachment_27425" align="alignnone" width="500"] Arthur Ingalls, production associate, prepares boxes for shipping.[/caption] Story by Sarah Craighead Dedmon Photos by Leslie Bowman Fish canneries once dotted the coast of Maine, jutting off of small-town shorelines, and employing thousands of Mainers for more than a century. At the sardine industry’s height,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Lobstermen’s Association sues over whale rules

The Maine Lobstermen’s Association filed a lawsuit in early September against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the Secretary of Commerce in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the federal government’s ten‐year whale protection plan. The suit claims the plan will all but eliminate the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Feds limit lobstering to protect right whales

A long-anticipated ruling by the National Marine Fisheries Service aimed at protecting the endangered North Atlantic right whale was issued Aug. 30. The ruling impacts Maine’s signature fishery on several fronts. The key components mean lobster fishermen with federal permits can no longer set traps using vertical buoy lines from… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Homegrown eels

Story and photos by Leslie Bowman Maine’s most lucrative fishery by the pound is its spring elver run, and as such, it seemed an obvious candidate for aquaculture. In Asia and Europe there is a long tradition of eel farming. But it took a woman from Indiana with a degree… SEE MORE

Ethan DeBery, owner of Fish 'n Trips, in Phippsburg aboard his AJ-28-foot lobster boat.

Working Waterfront

Lobster tour operators say demand is strong

PHOTOS BY KELLI PARK How well is Ethan DeBery doing with lobster boat charters? So well, that he has advice for his colleagues. “People have asked me, ‘Why don’t half of the lobstermen do this?’ I tell my buddies to get their captain licenses and I could send them fishing… SEE MORE