Working Waterfront

Hail the mighty halibut!

The story of Atlantic halibut, the giant among New England groundfish, is similar to the story of cod: it once lived in vast numbers off our shores and after centuries of fishing its population is now a tiny fraction of what it once was. But unlike cod, the halibut’s story… SEE MORE

Landowner Mark Alley and Island Institute Fellow Jessi Duma at the garden Alley is allowing Duma and her colleagues to bring back after a long period of lying fallow.

Working Waterfront

Cranberry Islanders reseed a growing tradition

Here and there around Great Cranberry Island, a flock of geese runs as one around its pen, a trio of sheep explores a grassy apple orchard, a brace of goats peer through a fence, and a whole lot of gardens in various sizes and configurations bloom with delicious vegetables and… SEE MORE

A view of Belfast's tug boats from the harbor walkway.

Working Waterfront

Stand-off on Belfast’s waterfront illustrates new dynamics

The Island Institute launched this newspaper over 20 years ago in part to highlight the importance of Maine’s working waterfronts. Those properties, from which marine harvesting and other water-dependent businesses operate, were suddenly threatened by commercial and residential development. The most visible example of that threat came when condominiums were… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Fellows explore university-industry marine partnerships

Eight students from Maine universities delved into the science and practice of marine aquaculture recently, thanks to an innovative new program developed by the University of Maine and University of Maine at Machias. Students visited sites from Walpole to Eastport under the leadership of University of Maine Darling Marine Center… SEE MORE

A sailboat and cargo ship share the waters off Searsport.

Working Waterfront

Film screened in Belfast June 16 explores conflicting ocean uses

On Thursday, June 16 the film “A New England Story for Sustaining the Sea” will be shown at the Abbott Room of the Belfast Free Library. A discussion following the film will include two panelists familiar with the needs of stakeholders working to maintain the diverse uses of the ocean.… SEE MORE

A fisherman points to a part of a map included in the draft ocean plan.

Working Waterfront

Draft ocean plan suggests better data, coordination for users

The draft of a first-ever plan for the ocean was released May 25, launching a new way of considering a host of marine uses for the region from Connecticut to the Canadian border. Public meetings on the draft plan are scheduled in June for Portland, Rockland and Ellsworth. The 198-page… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Small, island-town values play well in big world

Benjamin Stevens of Islesford (Little Cranberry Island) graduated this month from Maine Maritime Academy in Castine. Every year, people from Maine’s islands buy all sorts of things. We buy clothes and shoes, tools and supplies, fuel and electricity, and groceries. Every island resident knows how challenging it is to get their… SEE MORE

Peter Willcox in the wheelhouse of a Greenpeace ship.

Working Waterfront

The dangerous work of bringing a green peace

Greenpeace Captain Macmillan, 2016 Big whales, bigger weather, young men at sea in rickety boats as underdogs in quixotic quests. It’s the stuff of good fiction. It’s also the story of Peter Willcox, who has traveled more than 400,000 miles at the helm of Greenpeace ships, through tropical storms and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A once rare bird now eats another

If Ben Franklin had known in 1782 what the bald eagles would be up to in Maine in 2015, he might have pushed harder to select the wild turkey as the national bird. Since being nearly wiped out in the late 1960s due to DDT and other pesticides, eagles and… SEE MORE

Environment

Working Waterfront

Walk this way: Bath’s river walk gets green light

A project that has been talked about in Bath for at least a decade is getting closer to becoming a reality. Early this spring, the Bath City Council gave the green light to city planners to finalize the design of and start the permitting process for a public park and… SEE MORE