Dr. Brian Beal of the Downeast Institute on Beals Island works with Madeline Williams setting up a test pot for softshell clams.

Working Waterfront

Digging the softshells

Summer in Maine brings hungry vacationers seeking lobster rolls, blueberry pie, and the iconic softshell clam—fried, steamed, or in chowder. Clam prices are spiking in response to demand and hundreds of Maine clammers are working to meet it while the market is hot. “I figure I’ll make 75% to 80%… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Ferry service studied, users surveyed

Maine plans to spend $1.8 billion on its state roads and bridges over the next three years, and so the Maine State Ferry Service’s annual operating budget of $12.5 million might be seen as a pittance. But for people living on the six islands served by the state ferry, that… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Mushrooms to the rescue

You may not be old enough to remember when buoys were carved from wood and lobster traps were hand-built using wood lathe and cloth nets. In the 1970s, wooden buoys were replaced with expanded polystyrene (EPS) plastic foam buoys. From here two issues arise in terms of plastic pollution in… SEE MORE

Workers at Rockland's fishing pier. PHOTO: PEACH FREDERICK

Working Waterfront

Fishermen at risk without health insurance

On July 1, 1966, I arrived “from away” to begin my medical residency at the Maine Medical Center in Portland. One of the first patients I was called down to see in the ER was a fisherman complaining of depression. This didn’t jibe well with the idyllic view of Maine… SEE MORE

Colleen Haskell, DEI's education director, poses with Hannah Greene. PHOTO: LESLIE BOWMAN

Working Waterfront

Teacher turns the tables on herself

Reflections is written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront. Over the past few months I’ve collected stories from students, past and present, who participated in Downeast Institute’s education program.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The summer of Cronkite

[caption id="attachment_31711" align="alignleft" width="262"] Walter Cronkite at the helm.[/caption] Walter Cronkite was known as “The Most Trusted Man in America” when he was the anchor of CBS’s network news in the 1960s and ‘70s. His sign-off “and that's the way it was” was recognizable to millions. Cronkite refused to allow… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A prince of tides builds his own pools

Life Between the Tides By Adam Nicolson (2021) Review by Tina Cohen Adam Nicolson is a British writer with who’s written on history, landscape, and literature, so it is no surprise that his book seemingly focused on coastal ecology— life between the tides—would include those other interests as well. He… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Chasing resilience

Resilience is one of those buzz words that seems to be everywhere these days. It is the new version of sustainable, but with even less of a clear definition, therefore making it infinitely harder to measure. A while back someone described it as not attaining resilience, but continually striving for… SEE MORE

A lobster boat unloads in Corea Harbor. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Lobster’s claw-hold on Maine is strong

How important is the lobster fishery to the Maine coast? What will be the economic impact of a reduction in the harvest from regulations or a changing Gulf of Maine? How is lobstering integrated into the state’s identity? One number suggests answers: $1 billion dollars. That’s the amount generated each… SEE MORE

The Cranberry Isles Life-Saving Station photographed in about 1885.

Working Waterfront

When mariners in distress got help

Whether it is for work or play, anyone spending significant time on a boat knows that help is a radio call away, and that other beacons and signals can be relied upon to alert to the need for help. But how would that work if there was no one designated… SEE MORE