In The News

A kelp farmer off Long Island in Casco Bay is the first participant in a pilot project by Island Institute and TEMO to test the real-world operational limits of low-voltage electric propulsion in the demanding environments of New England’s working waterfront.

A major research collaboration between College of the Atlantic, the University of Maine, Maine Sea Grant, and Island Institute is bringing new attention to the creative ways women along Maine’s coast are adapting their marine livelihoods amid rapid environmental and economic change.

The new entity, created by the Legislature, aims to leverage Maine’s clean ocean brand to foster jobs, investment, and new business ventures across a range of marine-based sectors. Establishing a state-sponsored economic development initiative focused on ocean-centered industry was the top recommendation of the Blue Economy Task Force.

Island Institute’s demonstration projects will evaluate electric propulsion performance across U.S. fishing and workboat applications.

Island Institute’s demonstration projects will evaluate electric propulsion performance across U.S. fishing and workboat applications.

A new report commissioned by Island Institute outlines the most viable locations along Maine’s coast to host shoreside charging infrastructure, making a future with more electric boats a possibility.

Island Institute's Kim Hamilton and Nick Battista speak to the importance of affordable housing in Maine—particularly in the state's island and coastal communities.

Island Institute Fellow Elizabeth Dyer has been busy teaching area children fun lessons in sustainability since she began her position in the summer of 2025. Dyer has worked on a variety of energy-related projects with several organizations during her fellowship.

Over the past year, Maine Ocean Voices Engage (MOVE), a coalition of ocean-focused organizations — research institutions, science centers, fishing and aquaculture associations, universities, and community groups — collaborated to help policymakers understand what this funding supports in practice.

The annual Maine Fishermen's Forum—which has welcomed fishermen, researchers, scientists, and more for over 50 years—showcases solutions for sustaining fishing livelihoods in a changing Gulf of Maine.