Working Waterfront

Ship becomes launch pad for naval target practice

By Benjamin Stevens On board the USNS Washington Chambers, a merchant marine ship designed to carry cargo, four of us stood on the flying bridge, waiting with our eyes to the sky. The Pacific sun beat down on us, but we didn’t care. We were waiting for a fly-by from… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Be on the lookout for ‘oceans of jelly’

By Nick Record Last summer, beachgoers and mariners along the coast of Maine reported dense aggregations of jellyfish—mostly lion’s mane and moon jellies, with reports of salps later on in the year. The gelatinous critters bothered swimmers, clogged bilge pumps, gummed up lobster traps, and fascinated ocean geeks like me.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Parallel parking at sea means thinking two steps ahead

By Benjamin Stevens Growing up in a fishing community, I got to see countless lobster boats make their tight turns and sudden stops at the Islesford coop dock. Boaters love to show off, and there is no feeling like executing a slick maneuver in front of a crowd of tourists.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Exhibit celebrates spirit, work ethic of Maine’s maritime workers

By Stephanie Bouchard BATH — Lobstermen, fishermen, sailors and ship captains—those may top the list when you think about who works in the maritime industry. But there are many, many more jobs that make up Maine’s maritime ranks, past and present, and the Maine Maritime Museum celebrates those often forgotten… SEE MORE

Marine

The map shows two possible routes for a new bridge linking Eastport (formerly Moose Island) to the mainland. The route shown in the blue box

Working Waterfront

Port boosters want Eastport to be island again

The caption on an earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the preferred route for a new bridge. By Tom Groening EASTPORT — Drive around the picturesque village of Eastport and you'll see references to Moose Island. That's because until the 1930s, when an ambitious but unrealized tidal power project… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Thinking like a banker and a fisherman

By Rob Snyder Fishermen from 15 U.S. fishing communities recently met in Boston to talk fish and fishing. But if you closed your eyes and listened to the discussion, you would have assumed it was a room full of bankers. They talked of valuing new assets and entering new markets,… SEE MORE

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

Working Waterfront

Is a Portland cell tower killing fish?

Complied by Tom Groening Are the radio waves from a cell tower killing fish? As odd as that question sounds, it's being taken seriously by the Portland school system, the Portland Press-Herald reports. The cell tower in question is on the roof of Deering High School, and a biology teacher… SEE MORE

A cruise ship as seen from Cadillac Mountain.

Working Waterfront

Expect record-breaking number of cruise ships in Bar Harbor

The cruise ship business must have been hit by the Great Recession, as were other sectors of the tourism economy. So the news, reported by the Mount Desert Islander, that the schedule for cruise ship visits to Bar Harbor for this spring, summer and fall shows "the town on track… SEE MORE

Chris Warner explains the restoration design with John Hagan setting green crab traps in the background.

Working Waterfront

Beating the green crabs in Georgetown

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. "We believe, yes!" This is Georgetown clammer Chris Warner's answer to the question: Can a single shellfish harvester with a small up-front investment create a viable soft-shell clam farm and beat the green crabs? But you don't need to take… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine beach monitoring program to lose EPA funding

With summer fast approaching, Mainers and visitors are already flocking to the state's beaches. But how clean is the water, and is it safe for swimming? According to a 2014 report by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Maine ranked 27th on a list of 30 coastal states for water… SEE MORE