Working Waterfront

Considering the birds is a balm for troubled mind

One of the things I love about October and November in the Cranberry Isles is the increase in bird stories. It is migrating season and most people out here keep an eye on the birds with many a good story to tell. This fall, especially, my mind has craved the… SEE MORE

Oyster restoration on Mobile Bay in Alabama.

Working Waterfront

Restoring wild oyster beds, one acre at a time

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. New York City has its Billion Oyster Project, and now New Hampshire's Great Bay has its own 25-acre project, with help from fishermen in Phippsburg. Like many estuaries along the U.S. Atlantic coast, Great Bay was once a maze of… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Estuary Beat: Red tide, Downeast river quality, and alewives

Red tide of a different shade At the end of September, an unprecendented bloom of the phytoplankton karenia mikimotoi extended from Cape Elizabeth to the New Meadows River. Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) staff and local observers noted brownish water and the odor of suffocating sea life, which by… SEE MORE

Eastport's rebuild breakwater shelters fishing boats.

Working Waterfront

New Eastport breakwater ready to welcome marine activity

By Jacqueline Weaver Finishing touches on the new $15 million breakwater in Eastport were due to be completed Nov. 1 with the installation of floats alongside a new pier that provides access to everything from cruise ships to fishing boats. Construction of the 100-foot-by-400-foot pier began following a catastrophic collapse of… SEE MORE

Rockweed landed at a boat yard in Hancock.

Working Waterfront

Compromise possible in rockweed harvesting lawsuit

By Merritt Carey, Sean Mahoney, Tim Glidden, and Shep Erhart Lawsuits have a tendency to box parties in; they don’t allow for the nuances, complexities, and compromises that make up the realities of life, particularly life on Maine’s working waterfront. A lawsuit filed by three landowners in Washington County in… SEE MORE

Students are recognized at an Eastern Maine Skippers program event in Ellsworth.

Working Waterfront

Education out of the classroom, onto the water

We Americans are generous about offering our children educational opportunity. In some European countries, high school graduates are “sorted” toward different post-graduate options based on test results. Those options dictate very different fates, which seems cruel, especially if one’s child is a late bloomer or has suffered through some trauma… SEE MORE

The former sardine packing plant in Prospect Harbor is now a lobster processing facility.

Working Waterfront

Gouldsboro, South Portland look to redefine waterfronts

The 2010 closure of the Stinson sardine cannery in Prospect Harbor and the layoffs of scores of workers sparked fears about this small town’s economic well-being. But since 2012, the facility has been operating as Maine Fair Trade Lobster, a joint effort of East Coast Seafood and Garbo Lobster. In… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Waves of change in Boothbay Harbor, Popham

The broad sands of Popham Beach have been battered by storms in recent years, diminishing the distance between dunes and the ocean. But according to a story in the Bangor Daily News, “a new torrent of change is buffeting Popham, this time spawned by the confluence of aging local dynasties… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

’Ben’s Story’ personifies Maine’s changing fisheries

The stories of Maine fishermen have become an increasingly popular marketing tool in promoting native seafood. Increasingly, fishermen are offering lobster boat tours, where passengers can see trap-hauling demonstrations. The Maine Lobster Trail navigates fishing villages and lobster shacks. The Maine Oyster Trail is gaining cachet. All of that adds… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Lobster landings drop, but industry remains optimistic

Lobster landings fell off significantly this season compared with 2016. But 2016 was a record year, and some fishermen aren’t surprised to see a drop-off. They also believe the resource remains healthy. “It’s been a different year, for sure,” said Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen's Association in… SEE MORE