CAPTION: Friends of Casco Bay staff scientist Mike Doan launches a new continuous monitoring station in Harpswell. See story inside. PHOTO: COURTESY FRIENDS OF CASCO BAY

Working Waterfront

Friends of Casco Bay expands water monitoring

The Friends of Casco Bay has added two continuous water quality monitoring stations in the east and west sides of the bay. On March 31, the nonprofit advocacy group’s staff scientist Mike Doan launched a new station in Cundy’s Harbor, Harpswell. The second new station was launched in Portland Harbor… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Navigating change—Cultivating resilience in fisheries, coastal communities

Although there are several ongoing programs that monitor the status of the lobster population in Maine, no equivalent system exists to understand the status of the fishery itself, and of those who work within it. In a new project led by Joshua Stoll, assistant professor of marine policy and fellow… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine should lead when it comes to recycling

More than 30 years ago, Maine set out to recycle or compost 50 percent of our waste annually. Today, we're not even close to achieving that goal. We're going backwards, according to a new report from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Just under 38 percent of our waste was… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Gamage Shipyard in South Bristol begins new chapter

PHOTOS BY MICHELE STAPLETON This spring, the historic Gamage Shipyard in South Bristol began a new chapter under new ownership. The three new owners—Mike Tatro, John Vinal, and Carol Morrison—closed on the purchase from Rory Cowan in March. The three have been working at the yard—Tatro and Morrison for about… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Machias dike project raises sea level, fish concerns

The Maine Department of Transportation is moving forward with plans to replace the 90-year-old dike and bridge that carries Route 1over the Middle River in Machias, but new concerns will mean a more careful consideration. Late in March, the department held a virtual public meeting to explain and solicit public… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Caring for our elders: A call to action

Maine’s getting old, faster than any other state. Now is the time for “policymakers and lawmakers to think boldly about how best to address Mainers’ needs for long-term care services.” That call to action was issued more than a decade ago. The 2010 recommendations by experts convened by the Maine… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Numbers don’t always accurately tell our stories

Data collection may seem like an exacting approach in capturing community reality, but if the measuring tool does not match what is being measured, inequity can result. As Catherine D'Ignazio, in a presentation on Data Feminism sponsored by the Data Innovation Project, put it: “What gets counted, counts.” Because of… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Why CMP corridor is good deal for Maine

The op-ed piece by Tom Saviello in the April issue of The Working Waterfront opposing the CMP corridor requires a rebuttal. First, if Saviello has read the May 3, 2019 Maine Public Utility Commission 107-page order (docket No. 2017-00232) concerning the New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) corridor, he would… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Market economics, island style

It’s only been a year since the scope of this scourge began to make itself apparent. During those 12 months, several island businesses have closed and probably won’t re-open. Others have only clung to existence and hope to resurface this year. A few have remained healthy and prosperous because the… SEE MORE

Folks enjoy tasty treats at Choco-Latte in downtown Bar Harbor on the first weekend in May, as tourism traffic gradually picks up. PHOTO: EZRA SCHREIBER-MACQUAID

Working Waterfront

‘Revenge travel’ driving Bar Harbor reservations

The tourist season is still gearing up, but by early May, owners of hotels, inns, and campgrounds were seeing strong reservations and looking forward to a busy year. Many owners and operators said the numbers so far were better than 2019, which was already a strong year. They attributed the… SEE MORE