Working Waterfront

Letter to the editor: ‘Protect the intertidal’

Protect the intertidal To the editor: In an opinion piece in The Working Waterfront July issue, Richard Qualey argues that the Maine intertidal zone between high and low tide should be universally accessible to the public. The current state of the law (and since 1647) is that the intertidal is… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Looking backward, moving ahead

I’m just back from an hour’s row on a day that I think may be the first of summer. Clearly I’m hedging here, having experienced the spring, which started and stopped too many times to count. But it’s June 1, the sky’s clear and the sun’s out, the wind’s not… SEE MORE

Skippers students participate in aquaculture research counting scallops in spat bags. The enthusiasm of the students for this hands-on research is obvious.

Working Waterfront

Skippers program keeps school part of marine careers

Typically, students participate for one year, learning hands-on skills that will help them with present and future maritime careers. Although each program creates its own curriculum, the emphasis is on creating exciting opportunities that meet the needs of the community and students. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Local groups funded on Penobscot clean-up

The court-appointed trustee directing work to remediate mercury in the Penobscot River estuary has announced 13 Beneficial Environmental Projects (BEPs) that will receive funding to begin delivering tangible benefits to affected communities and ecosystems. These projects will begin to fulfill a 2022 settlement in which a federal judge approved a… SEE MORE

Barry Goodell examines a piece of wood that was attacked by shipworms in 2022. PHOTO: JODY JELLISON

Working Waterfront

Study uncovers history of shipworm damage

For thousands of years, shipworms—a family of mollusks found in oceans—sank wooden vessels, ravaged wharfs, and shipwrecked sailors. They even devastated the Spanish Armada in the 16th century. Exactly how they have been able to wreak such havoc has remained a mystery, until now. A new study published in the… SEE MORE

The crew of the FV Nicole Leigh unloads its catch in Portland.

Working Waterfront

Fishermen feeding Mainers expands reach

The Fishermen Feeding Mainers program provided financial relief to fishermen at a time when seafood markets were either shuttered or shaky, while also supplying food banks and families in need with seafood that was otherwise going unsold. SEE MORE

A gig underway powered by paddle. PHOTO: DYLAN LADDS

Working Waterfront

Atlantic Challenge festival comes to Belfast

The week of July 21-28 will see the transformation of Belfast’s inner harbor to a lively international community and traditional boating festival as it hosts the Atlantic Challenge International Contest of Seamanship. Young adult crews from a dozen nations will convene to showcase their maritime skills in a series of… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Lobster Institute names new director

Since 1987 the Lobster Institute has been a center of discovery, innovation and outreach at UMaine with the goal of promoting, conducting, and communicating research focused on the sustainability of the American lobster fishery in the U.S. and Canada. SEE MORE

A sign warns visitors away from the shore in Roque Bluffs. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Do ‘fishing, fowling, and navigation’ ring a ‘Bell’?

But what if “fishing, fowling, and navigation” was never intended to be so restrictive? What if the long-abandoned Colonial Ordinance was only ever intended to preserve the public’s right to use the intertidal land in a way that balances the upland owners’ interests in accessing the sea with those same interests shared by the public? SEE MORE

Downed trees in Acadia National Park after the strong winter storms. PHOTO: CATHERINE SCHMITT

Working Waterfront

Storms have lasting impact on coastal forests

At Seawall, crews removed some 700 fallen trees that blocked roads and created safety hazards in a popular picnic and camping area, but otherwise the blowdowns at Otter Point and other locations are being left in place. SEE MORE