Search Results for: matinicus

Actor Martin Clunes of the TV show Doc Martin is flanked by Mikki Ames

Working Waterfront

Meeting Martin on Matinicus

By Shirley Barlow My friend Mikki owns a house on Matinicus Island. She and her late husband, a merchant marine seaman and lobster fisherman, spent most of their lives on the island where they raised their son and daughter. Matinicus is a working island and for years has had the image that lobstermen were akin… Read more » SEE MORE
Bajupa at Journey's End boatyard in Rockland.

Working Waterfront

The story of Bajupa is the story of lobstering and Matinicus

This story first appeared in Landings,the monthly publication of the Maine Lobstermen’s Community Alliance, and appears here with permission. By Melissa Waterman    It’s rare to find a boat that nearly every fisherman would term “pretty,” but in the case of Bajupa, that phrase rings true. Built in 1946 by Robert Rich, proprietor of Bass Harbor Boat… Read more » SEE MORE

News

Microgrids 101

4/28/2026 - Microgrids are having a moment in rural communities—and for good reason. Island Institute’s resilient energy team breaks down what microgrids are and how they fit in coastal Maine’s unique and often challenging energy landscape. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A Maine island stressed by climate threats

Matinicus Isle Plantation, located 20 miles out in the Gulf of Maine, is the furthest offshore year-round settlement on the East Coast of the U.S. In recent years, threats linked to climate change—sea level rise, accelerating erosion, and intensifying winter storms—have begun to push the community’s limits. I visited Matinicus last October as the island’s… Read more » SEE MORE
Fishermen return to the dock in Belfast after catching menhaden, also known as pogies. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Fishermen divided over proposed menhaden changes

Like the schools of menhaden that roil the summer waters off the coast of Maine, a proposed law that would open that lucrative fishery to more participants has been raising turmoil among fishermen, legislators, and state regulators. Menhaden has become a significant part of the bait supply for Maine’s lobster industry, especially over the past… Read more » SEE MORE

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Visibility Clears

5/23/2025 - 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. SEE MORE