Working Waterfront

Hangover or happy hour? Boothbay region sorts out change

Sustaining economic vitality while maintaining small-town character is an ongoing struggle for Maine’s coastal communities. In the Boothbay region, this dynamic has its own flavor, in part because the towns continue to enjoy strong boatbuilding and fishing businesses, along with tourism, and in part because some of the changes in… SEE MORE

A fishing boat brings its catch to a buying station in Stonington.

Working Waterfront

Lobster catch at $533 million for 2016

Last year saw another record-setting catch, both in pounds and dollar value, for the Maine lobster fishery. The numbers, announced by the state’s Department of Marine Resources at the March 3 Maine Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport, included more than 130 million pounds, for which harvesters were paid $533 million. Including bonuses… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Map-making as art

When most of us think of mapmakers, we think of the big names in mapmaking: Google, Garmin/DeLorme, Rand McNally. These are companies engaging in cutting edge technologies to push cartography into the future. But there are lesser-known mapmakers contributing to the field right here in Maine, and their work spans… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A tale of three winter fisheries

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. Winter on the coast of Maine in the 1980s and 1990s was a time for fishing urchins, scallops and shrimp. All three of these fisheries are now much smaller than they once were. Will they grow to create more economic… SEE MORE

Newman & Gray on Great Cranberry Island.

Working Waterfront

Passing the torch—Helping next generation of boatyard owners protects jobs, access

This is the second in a three-part series about the role boat builders and boatyards play in Maine’s coastal and island economy. Boatyards, marinas and boat builders represent a large part of the state’s island and coastal economies, accounting for more than 2,200 jobs. But these businesses, often run by… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

This shop crafts beautiful boats and beautiful lives

By Meghan Vigeant On a typical day at the Carpenter’s Boat Shop in Pemaquid, you might find apprentices restoring an old rowboat or sanding the hull of a Mohegan skiff. You might also find them doing things like roofing the barn, baking a mac and cheese casserole, digging beets in… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

This shop crafts beautiful boats and beautiful lives

By Meghan Vigeant On a typical day at the Carpenter’s Boat Shop in Pemaquid, you might find apprentices restoring an old rowboat or sanding the hull of a Mohegan skiff. You might also find them doing things like roofing the barn, baking a mac and cheese casserole, digging beets in… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Cruise ship regularly used ‘magic pipe’ to discharge oil waste

The Caribbean Princess, a cruise ship that visited Maine, regularly used an illegal pipe from 2005 to 2013 to discharge oily wastewater, according to federal court documents. In a settlement announced in December, the cruise ship owner, Princess Cruise Lines Ltd., owned by Carnival Corporation, pleaded guilty to seven felony… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Peter Ralston’s ‘Pentecost’ named Maine’s ‘most iconic’ image

You know the image. Prints have been sold on every continent but Antarctica. And you know it because it tells a story, a story that resonates both with those visiting our state and those who have lived here for generations. “Pentecost,” as Peter Ralston called the photograph he shot that… SEE MORE

A cruise ship seen from the North Ridge Trail on Cadillac Mountain.

Working Waterfront

Cruise ship industry important to Maine, but so is environment

Thirty years ago, any cruise ship visiting Maine made headlines in newspapers and prompted live remote shots by TV stations. Then, for towns like Bar Harbor and Portland, cruise ships became a routine and anticipated part of the tourism season. In the last 20 years, cruise ships have become as… SEE MORE