Working Waterfront

Fish are shrinking in size, according to new study

University of Maine ecology professor Brian McGill helped discover that the average body sizes of fish are shrinking as part of an international project with 16 other researchers. The team, led by University of York macroecologist Inês Martins, analyzed the body size trends of numerous plants and animals worldwide from… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The late Ted Hoskins understood fishermen

The following is an edited version of remarks by Robin Alden about Rev. Ted Hoskins’ work in fisheries in Maine and across the globe, spoken at his memorial service on Sept. 10 in Blue Hill. After years leading churches and social justice efforts in Connecticut, Hoskins was minister on the… SEE MORE

Linda Norton’s “Belfast Harbor Tug” (1999), watercolor on paper 21 by 29 inches (now in a private collection).

Working Waterfront

Linda Norton’s red tugboat

When Linda Norton (1943-2018) moved to Camden in the late 1990s, she was returning to childhood haunts. She had spent summers there with her grandparents and had a deep attachment to the town. Born and brought up in Portland, Conn., after graduating from high school Norton spent time in England… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

‘Hub of marine research excellence’ planned in Harpswell

This story first appeared in The Anchor, a nonprofit newspaper and website covering the Harpswell community. It is reprinted with permission and gratitude. The Quahog Bay Conservancy plans to transform the former Quahog Bay Inn in Harpswell into a “hub of marine research excellence” and revitalize the property’s working waterfront.… SEE MORE

Four images by renowned photographer Kosti Ruohomaa, shooting for the Maine Sardine Council. PHOTOS: PENOBSCOT MARINE MUSEUM

Working Waterfront

From weir to can

In 1951, the Maine Sardine Council hired Finnish American Kosti Ruohomaa to document the sardine industry. The Maine Legislature created the council that year to promote high standards for the sardine industry and made it responsible for grading and inspections as well. The sardine industry was complex; one photo could… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

When settling in, home comes in small moments

Reflections is written by Island Institute 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. After three days of orientation as a new Island Institute Fellow, I hit the streets—the main street of Blue… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

When Vinalhaven had (lots of) fish

When the Island Had Fish: The Remarkable Story of a Maine Fishing Community By Janna Malamud Smith (DownEast Books, 2023) I’ve been talking about When the Island Had Fish: The Remarkable Story of a Maine Fishing Community on Vinalhaven with everyone I know. Even at a recent funeral. The story… SEE MORE

Caitlin and Ethan Spaulding and their son Forrest pose on the shore of their Islesboro farm. PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Crab to bird—invasive species becomes chicken feed

Two years ago, Ethan Spaulding, 30, his wife Caitlin, 26, and their son Forrest, 6, left the rich soils of Indiana to start a farm on a rocky island off the Maine coast. They knew logic wasn’t on their side, but they believe their God is. “We knew nobody out… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Collaborative marine science researcher retires

When Bob Steneck came to the University of Maine in 1982, there were few marine ecologists in the state, and none interacted with fishermen. He was among the first in Maine to work with lobstermen on research, traveling with them on their boats, diving to the seafloor to study lobsters,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Evidence of insanity: Black swans and B-O-A-T

I’ve been a boat owner for well over 50 years. So I should know something about the rocks and shoals that lie in wait for someone like me, right? The costs? The heartbreak? The disasters that lurk out there on, in or under the water? I thought I did—all of… SEE MORE