The Working Waterfront newspaper reports on the people and forces that shape Maine’s coastal and island communities. As publisher, Island Institute’s premise is that the cultural, environmental, and community assets here are rare and valuable, and are worth fighting for.
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January 16
The Gulf of Maine, 30 years out
Warmer, less salty, and devoid of several species
By Catherine Schmitt Animated maps show currents flowing in, around, and out of the Gulf of Maine, this sea within a sea, a counterclockwise gyre from the edge of vanishing Arctic ice, in and around to the clenched fist of Cape Cod, and then out. As the currents churn like underwater rivers, the tides rise and fall, flooding and draining…
January 15
2019 was Eastport’s ‘year of pulp’
Deep-water terminal continues to support Maine mills
By Tom Walsh It’s been nearly 40 years since Eastport’s then new, deepwater-import/export terminal opened for business. In 1981, the cargo vessel MV Ravenswood set out from Downeast Maine to…
January 15
Taking stock of a Downeast river
History, heritage, and commercial viability of last smelt run hang in the balance
By Jon Keller Five degrees above zero and the wind peels northwest. Sky and river both black dark. Headlights shine in the small parking lot. The wind howls, rocks the…
January 8
Our readers write about...
Gratitude, electrons, and radicals
Giving thanks works To the editor: I really connected with Barbara Fernald's piece on “tacking toward the positives” in life (Cranberry Report, November issue). Her physiological explanation for the seasonal…
January 8
The Secret Soul of an Island Shoe
Was it a talisman warding off evil spirits? A replicated ritual from across the Atlantic?
By Christina Marsden Gillis Its sole gouged with holes, the leather top cracked and ripped, the shoe, a woman's, had been hidden in the west wall of an upstairs bedroom…
January 2
How we get here: A history of Maine's ferry service
Private boats were displaced as recently as 1960
The SS Governor Bodwell, seen here, was launched at Rockland on May 27, 1892, by the Vinalhaven & Rockland Steamboat Company. It ran between the island and Rockland from 1892…
December 5
Water harvesting as a solution for island communities
Lessons offered by islands in the Pacific Northwest
By Robert Glennon As Maine’s island communities and coastal residents address water supply problems created by rising sea levels (see "Monhegan's water supply threatened," December/January issue, they may want to borrow…
December 3
Can our communities be marine-friendly?
Island Institute’s aquaculture work develops small businesses
By Craig Olson You’ve heard it many times, but it bears repeating: “Change is the only constant.” For Maine’s coastal economy, that statement couldn’t be more appropriate. For those who…
December 3
Casco Bay temperature data details warming
Continuous reporting enables Friends of Casco Bay to analyze
Mike Doan, research associate with the Friends of Casco Bay, is often asked, “What were the highest and the lowest water temperatures this year?” Thanks to the organization’s continuous monitoring…
December 3
Islander discovers the joys of backwoods snowmobiling
Breakdowns, snowdrifts don’t deter Weber in his winter adventures
Making Tracks by Matt Weber Islandport Press, 2019 Review by George Smith This guy snowmobiles in all of Maine’s best places Even though I don’t snowmobile, I really enjoyed Matt…
Island Postcards
EPISODE 10: Keep the Light Shining
Two ambitious young women swam around the entire Island of Isle au Haut during the summer of 2019 to raise money for crucial renovations to the lighthouse.
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