Working Waterfront

A vision for Maine’s marine economy

Five years ago, a group of people committed to the future of Maine’s marine economy embarked on an ambitious journey to develop an economic development roadmap for Maine’s marine living resources, or MLR. I was part of this group, and MLR was our shorthand for an extensive set of activities,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

New life for the last sardine cannery

Editor’s note: Jacqueline Weaver serves on Gouldsboro’s select board. When the auctioneer announced the new owners of the former Stinson sardine cannery in the Gouldsboro village of Prospect Harbor, the business partners had a deer-in-the-headlights look. They had just spent more than $1 million (price, plus outstanding liens) for the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The state’s largest bay as seen by painters

Many paintings, whether realist, impressionist, or abstract, mesmerize us with the interplay of quiet coves and wider waters, often dotted with sailboats or lobster boats... SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The great storms brought great reckoning

Lots of us, I learned conversing a day later with friends, woke up around 4:30 on the morning of the great storm, hearing the wind slam around our houses, feeling our sound old homes vibrate with its ferocity. Wind-whipped electrical wires attached to the house adjacent to my bedroom added… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Human loss and devastating damage

On Jan. 5, five days before a storm would wreak havoc along the Maine coast, the town of Cranberry Isles suffered the unexpected death of one of its citizens. Cory Alley collapsed in his skiff on the way out to his mooring. As his wife, Cari, and their youngest son… SEE MORE

A Maine State Ferry Service boat near the Rockland terminal. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Ferry service proposes higher fares

The Maine State Ferry Service is proposing a 18.3% hike in ferry passenger and vehicle fares, citing inflation’s impact on wages, fuel, and vessel repairs. A fare hike was adopted in 2019, finalized only after significant opposition from residents of some the islands that faced especially high fare adjustments. The… SEE MORE

Islesboro's Grindle Point Lighthouse was underwater during the Jan. 10 storm.

Working Waterfront

Maine’s lighthouses face troubling recovery

Back-to-back storms slammed into the coast of Maine on Jan. 10 and Jan. 13, breaking state records for the highest tides since 1978 and delivering extensive damage along the entire coastline. Though final tallies are not in, statewide damages to public infrastructure —things like piers, roads, and bridges—are estimated at… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Down the drain, and then what?

After the weather Maine experienced in December and January, even the staunchest climate change skeptic had to admit that something is up. Three powerful storms—a rainstorm in December and two coastal windstorms in January—roared through the state. Several factors, other than their arrival in rapid succession, made those winter storms… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Offshore wind threatens centuries of fishing

The New England electric grid—ISO New England—has a website that includes a display featuring two pie charts that show where our electricity is coming from, updated in real time. Right now, “renewables” are at 7% of our total energy mix. Wind is 28% of that 7%, solar is 10% of… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Newfoundland, Maine share maritime past

Today’s Newfoundland seems prosperous in comparison to Maine. There are no mobile homes and every house, every shed, and even every doghouse is clad in vinyl siding. SEE MORE