Workers harvest mussels at a aquaculture operation in Southern Maine.

Working Waterfront

Aquaculture, seafood processors share $1.7 million in grants

The Maine Technology Institute and Alliance for Maine’s Marine Economy have awarded eight grants to projects ranging from value-added seafood processing to seaweed aquaculture to shellfish aquaculture. The grant winners cover the coast from York to Washington counties. The marine economy grants and cluster initiative programs are financed by the… SEE MORE

Marine patrol officers Jonathan Varnum (left) and Alex Hebert (right) pose with Col. Jonathan Cornish after graduating from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy on Dec. 15. Having previously completed the academy's pre-service program

Working Waterfront

Two marine patrol officers complete training

Working Waterfront

The story of Serendipity is the story of wooden boats

Serendipity: The Story of Building a Dream Ship By Peter L. Murray Reviewed by David Platt Harvard Law School must not be as hard as they say. At least Peter Murray had the time and energy, while a student there, to build an entire 30-foot schooner. Before launching he’d even… SEE MORE

Work was underway in November to bring broadband-speed internet to Islesford.

Working Waterfront

Change in the air, and in the fiber optic, on the Cranberrys

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” —SocratesIn March of 2016, at the annual meeting for the town of Cranberry Isles, citizens voted overwhelmingly in favor of borrowing up to $1.2 million to “build a broadband… SEE MORE

The woking waterfront on Islesford (Little Cranberry Island) is busy

Working Waterfront

Decorum in D.C., as seen from inside (and above) the room

I’ve learned a trick that helps me move through high-pressure situations. I wish I’d been able to use this trick when I was competing in piano recitals as a kid. Now, when I walk into a room in one of these situations, I imagine zooming out and standing above myself—actually,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

November is a time of waiting

As I’m writing this column, October’s been over for two days. I must confess to feeling a little let down. October gave us unseasonable warmth, an unexpected continuing glut of fresh tomatoes, and photos on social media of friends taking late-season dips in various bodies of water. It also went… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A five day return to the 19th century

Oh, sure, the power will probably go out, for a little while anyway, so I suppose it would be a good idea to fill a few empty milk jugs with water for drinking and cooking, and I’ll put some in a spackle bucket for the ducks and chickens. And it’s… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Two new cookbooks tied to our Midcoast

Full Moon Suppers at Salt Water Farm by Annemarie Ahearn (Roost Books, 2017) The Lost Kitchen: Recipes and a Good Life Found in Freedom, Maine by Erin French (Clarkson Potter, 2017) Two new cookbooks from Midcoast chefs—Full Moon Suppers at Salt Water Farm in Lincolnville by Annemarie Ahearn and The… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Caught: the reality behind the first fishermen’s co-op

Caught: time. place. fish. By Glen Libby and Antonia Small; Wrack Line Books, Port Clyde, Maine, 2016; 120 pages, large format paperback, $40. By design, Caught, with text by by Glen Libby and photos by Antonia Small, is a book you can keep on your coffee table both for casual… SEE MORE

The remnants of boats destroyed during the Oct. 30 storm washed ashore near Belfast's breakwater.

Working Waterfront

‘Bomb cyclone’ explodes over Maine coast

Those of us who endured the Ice Storm of 1998, which knocked out power for days and even weeks for many, take a certain pride in having survived the ordeal. All other extended power outages were measured against that mother of “inconveniences,” as former (Belfast) Republican Journal columnist Doug Hufnagel… SEE MORE