An unidentified ship with containers stacked high on deck.

Working Waterfront

Thoughts about ‘those in peril on the sea’

Maine is a state made up of small communities. When my parents chose to move from the big city of Baltimore to the small island town we now live in—Islesford—part of their decision came because of the tightly knit bond within a small community. That bond brings all Mainers together;… SEE MORE

Chris Warner inspects the restoration design or Manomet's pioneer soft-shell clam farming experiment.

Working Waterfront

Manomet lands $288,000 NOAA grant for clam farming work

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded Manomet a two-year, $288,000 grant to help Maine towns set up softshell clam farms. The grant comes from the NOAA/National Marine Fisheries Service Saltonstall-Kennedy Grants Program, which funds projects that address the needs of fishing communities, optimize economic benefits by building and maintaining… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

For lobster, it’s location, location, location

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. This year’s lobster stock assessment confirmed what lobstermen have been seeing out on the water—there are a lot of lobsters in the Gulf of Maine! Yet, while the assessment aligns with the skyrocketing catch, it doesn’t predict the future of… SEE MORE

A schooner sails past the tanks in South Portland on a late May Saturday.

Working Waterfront

New mailboat in the works for Isle au Haut

There's one more day of summer showing on the calendar as this column is being written, but the signs of autumn are everywhere on the coast of Maine. Along with the crisp, cool air that moved into place last weekend, we've been seeing the median age of sidewalk strollers in… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Shellfish, kelp may join lobster as cash ‘crops’

As fall approaches, lobstermen are seeing 3,000-pound days with lobsters at $4-$6 per pound. Emerging Asian markets and increased competition for supply from processors are two of the many factors driving this trend. Consumers of the McLobster roll might have helped, too. All of this good fortune deepens our economic… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Writer Paul Greenberg has vision for restoring fish, food link

By Catherine Schmitt Paul Greenberg is the author of American Catch: The Fight for Our Local Seafood and Four Fish: The Future of Our Last Wild Food. A lifelong fisherman, Greenberg has written for The New York Times, National Geographic and GQ, among other publications. Greenberg received both a… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A summer of learning, leadership along Maine coast

On Swan's Island, community leaders and nearly 200 residents debated the future of the Swan's Island Electric Cooperative, the ratepayer owned distributor of electricity on that island and nearby Frenchboro (Long Island). There is nothing so heartening as watching community members of diverse background and economic standing give stump… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Kelp as the new kale, and a possible carbon fix

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. “Blue carbon” is a term you might be hearing more often. It refers to marine vegetation that has an inherent ability to sequester carbon and mitigate the consequences of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Vegetated coastal habitats including seagrass meadows, mangrove… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Birchbark canoes making a comeback

The full-sized, birchbark canoe on display at the Peabody Museum in Cambridge, Mass. is both rare and old. Purchased from Penobscot Indian Francis Sebattis in 1912, it was most likely used to guide sportsmen along Maine’s waterways. These canoes once were ubiquitous in Maine, and they were an integral part… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The ship that helped turn the tide for American independence

Christmas truly came in July for the tiny town of Castine and it is hoping the gift it received will keep on giving. The gift was a two-day visit from the tall ship Hermione—a replica of the 18th-century frigate that brought the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States in… SEE MORE