Battery-powered boats are expensive and marine electric charging infrastructure is sparse, but a handful of sea farmers in Maine are embracing this “innovation born from necessity.” Island Institute’s Lia Morris weighs in on what it will take to electrify Maine’s working waterfronts.
Category: In the news
New Program Aims to Help Lobstermen Adapt to Industry Changes
Posted by Laura England & filed under In the news.
The nonprofit Island Institute is teaming up with the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs to launch the “Fishing Plus Accelerator.”
“The Fishing Plus program is really about helping fishing families explore new business opportunities to diversify their income,” Jeff Frank, a senior community development officer with the Island Institute, said.
Bill would give tax credits to working waterfronts at risk of natural disaster damage
Posted by Gerogia Howe & filed under In the news.
Maine lawmakers Angus King and Chellie Pingree are among those introducing legislation to offer a disaster mitigation tax credit to working waterfronts located on the coasts and on navigable waterways. Island Institute’s president, Kim Hamilton, spoke to the importance of the tax credit for Maine’s working waterfront communities.
Maine oyster farm launches its first electric workboat
Posted by Gerogia Howe & filed under In the news.
Island Institute is proud to be part of the team that launched Heron—Maine’s first fully electric commercial aquaculture workboat of its size. Years in the making, this project showcases what’s possible when partners come together to deliver climate-friendly, innovative solutions for Maine’s working waterfronts.
On Maine islands, housing shortages threaten community survival
Posted by Gerogia Howe & filed under In the news.
Islands with year-round residents need emergency responders, gas station attendants, postal workers, store clerks and teachers. When there’s nowhere for vital workers to live, they turn elsewhere. It’s eroding a storied way of life.
With sunshine and batteries, Maine oyster growers are starting to electrify their operations
Posted by Gerogia Howe & filed under In the news.
Shellfish farming is a small but fast-growing segment of Maine’s seafood sector. Now these enterprises — and more broadly the aquaculture industry — are emerging as first movers in the quest to electrify Maine’s working waterfront.
Something in the water: how kelp is helping Maine’s mussels boom
Posted by Gerogia Howe & filed under In the news.
When a US firm saw the seaweed was making their shellfish the ‘biggest and best’ scientists realised they’d hit upon a natural way to combat ocean acidification.
‘The entire process:’ Maine groups tour Kittery aquaculture business expanding potential of Maine crops
Posted by Gerogia Howe & filed under In the news.
Maine groups toured a Kittery-based aquaculture business to explore the potential of Maine kelp crops. Island Institute hosted local and state leadership, students, and aquaculture farmers on a tour of Cold Current Kelp.
Federal cuts may hurt Maine’s ability to meet climate goals, scientists say
Posted by Gerogia Howe & filed under In the news.
Reduced federal funding and staffing could hinder the Maine Climate Council’s ability to prepare for and track climate change, as well as the state’s ability to meet greenhouse gas reduction goals.
Visibility Clears
Posted by Gerogia Howe & filed under In the news.
As conversations about the future of Maine State Ferry Service are progressing, Island Institute’s Nick Battista emphasized that the Ferry Service is a vital component of civic infrastructure that connects island communities to essential services and opportunities.
