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.
Please join us to support this important nonprofit journalism.

August 22

A new setting gives this parent fresh eyes

Seeing my daughter from afar allows me to appreciate her more
By Courtney Naliboff It’s July, and I’m in a hot tub in Sedona, looking at red rocks in the distance, lit by a dry desert sun. My five-year-old daughter is on the steps of the adjacent swimming pool, blue goggles pushed up on her hair, wrapped in a blue foam floaty belt. The ruffle on her unicorn tank suit flutters…
Courtney Naliboff
Jennie Bichrest at Purse Line Bait.
August 22

A woman’s place on the working waterfront

Jennie Bichrest began hauling traps by hand, and now runs a large bait business
Story and photos by Kelli Park From hand-hauling lobster traps to selling more than 10 million pounds of bait annually, Jennie Bichrest knows the working waterfront inside out. This summer,…
Test Journo
August 22

Everything is someone’s lunch

Forget the hierarchy; it’s more like a circle
By Sandy Oliver Everything is someone’s lunch.  I wander in the garden looking for spinach to eat as Eggs Florentine and notice that a section of seedlings has been wiped…
Sandy Oliver
From left
August 22

Good science: Ecosystem-based fisheries management

Local, state, and federal players join forces to find new way
By Tom Groening Fisheries management needs to be more localized and more closely tied to the people who work in the fishing industry. Those values are driving organizations like the…
Tom Groening
August 22

Island plans community read on difficult issue

North Haven discussion inspired by eldercare initiative
By Courtney Naliboff Conversations about end-of-life decisions can be emotional, challenging, and are often avoided until a moment of crisis. But a group of health care providers on North Haven…
Courtney Naliboff
Vinalhaven's Carver's Harbor.
August 22

Island-bound on a rainy day, not a bad fate

Bake, read, listen, watch… sliding into island mode
By Larry McIntosh I wonder if the old adage, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute, it’ll change,” works the other way too. If you do like the…
Test Journo
August 22

Mosquito plague has me thinking about the options

Chemicals, oils, or electrocution—what works, at what cost?
By Barbara Fernald On the first of July, activity on the islands is rolling along at a pace that rivals August. After a rainy, cold May and a rainy, cold…
Barbara Fernald
The groom and bride as pirates.
August 22

Shiver me timbers! It’s a pirate wedding!

PHOTOS BY PEACH FREDERICK Two members of The Dark Rose, a pirate club of sorts, which participates in pirate-themed events in places like Damariscotta, Eastport and Fort Knox in Prospect,…
Staff Writer
Joe Verzosa resets bricks.
August 22

Swan’s Island Lighthouse gets TLC

By Jennifer Helman Photos by Dale Joyce After withstanding coastal Maine weather for almost 150 years, the Swan’s Island Lighthouse is getting a much-needed facelift. The rehabilitation project consists of…
Test Journo
August 22

That moment when everyone asks, ‘Who’s next?’

Nonprofits, businesses must ask hard questions about their futures
By Rob Snyder  Phil Whitney has a lot to say about the history of Great Cranberry Island. He and his wife Karin, along with others from the community who have…
Rob Snyder

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.

WATCH ALL ISLAND POSTCARDS

 

SIGN UP FOR OUR
E-WEEKLY

Get the latest articles from the Working Waterfront delivered to your inbox every week.

SIGN UP NOW

THE WORKING WATERFRONT
LATEST ISSUE

A nonprofit publication of the Island Institute which has been published for over 20 years.

LEARN MORE