Working Waterfront

Seaweed ruling hinged on property rights, definition of plant

Analysis by Tom Walsh Move over, NIMBY. Make some room for NIMFY. Shorthand for “Not in My Back Yard,” NIMBY is a predictable Maine rhetorical retort to real and imagined plans for everything from near-shore oyster, scallop, and mussel aquaculture projects to proposals such as a Maine North Woods National Monument… SEE MORE

An artist’s rendering of the Fore Points Marina

Working Waterfront

Portland redevelopment plan touches water

By Stephanie Bouchard The much-anticipated Fore Points Marina on Portland’s East End opened for vessel docking in May. Due to various construction vagaries, berthing slips are opening in phases, said Vanessa Pike, the marina’s director of sales and marketing. The west side of the marina, which is mostly for smaller,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Rising seas and the power of laughter

By Kate Tagai A few months ago, I had one of those "I can't believe I get to do this" moments. Pages of my cartoons were spread on one of the conference tables in front of Andy and Hanji, the duo that make up O'Chang Studios in Lincolnville. We on… SEE MORE

Ivy Frignoca and Mike Doan of the Friends of Casco Bay.

Working Waterfront

Casco Bay on front lines of climate change

By Tom Groening Friends tell friends the truth, even when it’s unpleasant. And that’s what the nonprofit Friends of Casco Bay group—which marks its 30th anniversary this year—is doing, reporting on the health of that busy, diverse bay. At three public events this spring, in Portland, South Portland, and Brunswick, Friends… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Going deep—maybe too deep—on the lobster industry

The Last Lobster: Boom or Bust for Maine’s Greatest Fishery? By Christopher White; St. Martin’s Press, 2018 Review by Tina Cohen My review copy of The Last Lobster included some pages of promotional information provided by the publisher; one titled “Key Ideas from The Last Lobster” presented succinct bullet points. Here, on one page!… SEE MORE

The Penobscot Marine Museum campus along Route 1 in Searsport

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Penobscot Marine Museum catalogues Maine collections

Thanks to a grant of $3,886 from the Maine Historical Records Advisory Board, the Penobscot Marine Museum has rehoused and cataloged four collections documenting quintessential 19th and 20th century Maine industries. The collections document the shipping of Maine’s natural resources, the use of Maine built ships in the global trading… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Two paws up—Dog biscuits made with green crabs

Angela Myracle’s research is going to the dogs. Or, more accurately, for the dogs. As a scientist with Maine EPSCoR’s Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network (SEANET), Myracle looks for innovations in aquaculture. And when the assistant professor of human nutrition at the University of Maine spied dog treats at a local supermarket that were made… SEE MORE

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Taking kelp from good idea to foodie favorite

By Sally Noble Seaweed was once that annoyingly crunchy dried stuff that Maine vacationers avoided on a summer beach. No longer. The hot new superfood is kelp, a large seaweed highly praised by national food writers at Vogue, The New York Times, Martha Stewart’s Civil Eats, Restaurant News and the Knorr Future 50 Report. And a… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Whale-watching changing with the climate

By Tom Walsh Whales are apparently a lot like Goldilocks. These massive marine mammals do not want their habitats to be either “too hot” or “too cold.” Instead, they migrate to “just right” marine environments that support their basic needs of feeding, breeding, and raising their young. Given recent… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Wrack Line: Boats, cars, and piers

Compiled by Tom Groening My spring to-do list emerges as the snow and ice retreat in my yard this time of year. Gone are the excuses that sub-freezing air and snow cover provided for my home- and yard-improvement projects. Given Maine’s short construction season, it seems the same urgency is… SEE MORE