Category: Marine

Mola mola

Working Waterfront

Gentle giant of the sea paddles into Maine waters

By Wanda Curtis One of the largest fish increasingly seen in the Gulf of Maine is the Mola mola, or ocean sunfish. These gentle giants, which can grow up to 5,000 pounds, are found in temperate and tropical oceans throughout the world. It’s been nicknamed the “swimming head” because the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Ferry service cuts late boat to and from Vinalhaven

By Tom Groening Citing safety concerns and the need to comply with federal regulations, the Maine State Ferry Service has adopted changes in policy and schedule. One sweeping change across the service—which links Matinicus, Vinalhaven, North Haven, Islesboro, Swan’s Island, and Frenchboro to the mainland—will mean passengers in their cars… SEE MORE
Brunswick High School Marine Biology students test our their waders on their first day at the outdoor classroom on Maquoit Bay.

Working Waterfront

Brunswick boosts next generation of marine entrepreneurs

KELLI PARK ​Brunswick High School Marine Biology students check green crab traps with their teacher, Andrew McCullough. Story and Photos by Kelli Park  Young marine entrepreneurs in Maine are seeing new opportunities evolve almost as quickly as the changing tides. In Brunswick, the Student Shellfish Initiative is helping some of… SEE MORE
Voot Yin

Working Waterfront

MDI lab sees break-through in regenerative medicine

PHOTO: COURTESY MDI BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY Kevin Strange, Ph.D., CEO of Novo Biosciences in Bar Harbor. By Tom Groening Two scientists walk into a bar. It’s not the start of a joke, but someday, it may be marked as the start of a break-through in regenerative medicine. Work that began at… SEE MORE
Ocean Approved's kelp lease site off Chebeague Island.

Working Waterfront

When kelp met mussel…

By Susie Arnold Without a doubt, aquaculture is a major growth industry in the state. And it is not just about finfish. Shellfish and seaweed farming are on the rise. A recent market study, commissioned by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, found that Maine has the potential to become… SEE MORE
Summer haze over Roque Bluffs State Park.

Working Waterfront

Gulf of Maine sees ‘marine heatwave’

The Gulf of Maine is one of the fastest-warming ocean ecosystems on the planet, according to scientists at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Over the last 30 years, it has warmed at a rate of 0.06 degrees Celsius per year (0.11 degrees Fahrenheit per year)—more than three times the… SEE MORE
An early fall scene in Casco Bay.

Working Waterfront

Drought and our estuaries

By Catherine Schmitt According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, about half of Maine is in abnormally dry conditions, with moderate to severe drought along the entire coastline, affecting approximately 1,089,000 people or about 82 percent of the state's population. This is consistent with the pattern of recent years, when drought emerged… SEE MORE