Working Waterfront

Cape Cod fishing boats add water sensors

Within the next year, some 150 Cape Cod fishing boats will be equipped with sensors to collect vital information about ocean temperatures and water oxygen levels off the northeast coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The information collected will help researchers better understand the changing conditions of the Atlantic Ocean in… SEE MORE

A boat arrives at the Monhegan pier. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Building higher on Monhegan

Facing the community now is the decision of how to move forward—forward toward a response to the increasingly powerful winter storms and the growing summer traffic. The main thing I am considering is how the changes will last for generations and affect the function of the island in every season. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A poor report card from Maine’s ocean

Arctic warming and accelerating ice melt are leading to changes in global ocean circulation. With a northward shift of the Gulf Stream and a retreat of the Labrador Current, more warm, salty, low-nutrient Gulf Stream water is entering the Gulf of Maine. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Storm-related counseling available

StrengthenME, a program of Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services, is offering free, confidential, and anonymous mental health and spiritual care services funded through by FEMA in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration. These services are available to individuals, families, and groups in need of… SEE MORE

A seawall being built into a dune at Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York.

Working Waterfront

Rising seas—how high?

Last month, a group gathered in a conference room beneath the Marriott Marquis hotel in Washington D.C. They were there to discuss a question that’s relevant to all coastal residents: We know climate change is causing sea level to rise, but just how much will the water go up? The… SEE MORE

An aerial view of the Deer Isle Causeway looking northerly. The causeway is the only roadway linking Deer Isle and Stonington to the mainland. PHOTO: JACK SULLIVAN

Working Waterfront

Racing against the tide

For a short time, ambulances weren't able to transport patients to Blue Hill Hospital, fire trucks couldn't reach Little Deer Isle, and Versant Power crews couldn't repair downed lines. SEE MORE

Larus gulls. PHOTO: COURTESY LIAM TAYLOR

Working Waterfront

Study suggests gulls get a bad deal

“We need better reasoning. It may still be worth it to kill them, but not on the basis of foolish reasoning. No matter how much data you have you’re blind to your own biases,” he says. SEE MORE

A rendering of what the Belfast fish farm would have looked like.

Working Waterfront

Three coastal fish-farm projects dead or struggling

When three land-based fish farming proposals—in Jonesport, Bucksport, and Belfast—became public several years ago, they generated the expected support for their economic potential and opposition for possible environmental impacts. Early in 2025, none of the three proposals has broken ground; the Belfast project has been withdrawn, the Bucksport project's permits… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

State needs to prioritize working waterfronts

Over the past year, there has been a growing movement to address the issues facing Maine’s working waterfronts—from Gov. Mills’ Infrastructure Rebuilding and Resilience Commission and Maine’s updated climate action plan, to the Working Waterfront Coalition and community conversations like those hosted by Maine Sea Grant on storm response and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Brenna Cohen makes electrical connections

Name: Brenna Cohen Title: Community development officer in Island Institute's Center for Climate and Community Focus: The Energy Transitions Team collaborates with state and national experts to help island and coastal communities build energy resilience. We work to reduce power outages, boost the local energy supply to support electrification and… SEE MORE