Working Waterfront

UMaine researcher sails Southern Ocean to study phytoplankton

Battling polar winds, rough seas, and sea ice, the University of Maine’s Emmanuel Boss and his colleagues sailed the Southern Ocean to study plankton, microscopic organisms that form the foundation of marine food webs. These microorganisms, particularly the plant-like phytoplankton, have been producing about 50% of the world’s oxygen, and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A whaling museum grows

At a time when many museums are retrenching post-pandemic, the New Bedford Whaling Museum on the south shore of Massachusetts is expanding. In March, it was announced the museum would receive a $15 million tax-exempt bond from MassDevelopment, a quasi-public state development agency, to fund the creation of a new… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Colby College taps new director for Port Clyde center

This announcement has been condensed and lightly edited. Nichole Price, a senior scientist, marine ecologist, and community leader who has dedicated her career to working alongside Maine’s coastal and rural communities to adapt to change and plan for the future, will become Colby College’s inaugural director of the Center… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

UMaine gets new marine research vessel

A new teaching and research vessel at the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center is expanding student access to the largest ecosystem on Earth: the open ocean. The new 45-foot vessel is the biggest in the center’s fleet. Previously used as a commercial tuna fishing platform, it will support student… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Stars in the sky, stars in the sea

As an EMT, I have found myself on a boat in the middle of the night more frequently than the average person. The medevac trip to Rockland is occupied by patient care, but the way back can be a peaceful, quiet time. Weather and temperature permitting, I've spent some pleasant… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

When we’re really loved

When my daughter was about 10, she came home from school, having attended something called “pre-pooh class,” a precursor to puberty class. She was somber and circumspect. “Sweetie,” I said, “why don’t you tell me what you learned today. Start at the beginning.” “OK. When a man and a woman… SEE MORE

A view of Stonington Harbor, looking east. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

The serendipity of island life brings joy

I couldn’t have predicted that I’d soon be gripping the gunwale of a lobster boat, cheering and shouting alongside a lobstering family… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

School of rock

The band mounted the stage, confidently striding up the ramp to find their places behind the microphones and amplifiers. Earlier that afternoon they had loaded everything out of their practice space, working together as a team to make sure nothing was left behind. Their sound check was efficient, and they… SEE MORE

Walt Golet, left, and Kay Zipp capture, tag, and release Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Maine for research in August 2023. PHOTO: COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MAINE

Working Waterfront

Study examined tuna’s new food sources

Maine’s coastal communities have been hooked on the Atlantic bluefin tuna since at least the late 1880s—first as bycatch, until the 1930s, when the fish became a prized target in fishing tournaments. Through the subsequent decades, bluefin tuna have and continue to support working waterfronts in Maine and beyond. Despite… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Herring Gut honors Bill Mook, Chris Soctomah

The Herring Gut Coastal Science Center has announced that Bill Mook, owner of Mook Sea Farm, and Chris Soctomah, fisheries biologist for the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik Environmental Department, are the recipients of the 2025 Phyllis Wyeth Visionary Award for Excellence in Marine Science, Education, and Trades. SEE MORE