Working Waterfront

Ocean acidification threatens blue economy

In a state renowned for its lobster and shellfish, Mainers understand the importance of a healthy ocean. But you don’t have to spend your mornings on a fishing boat hauling in the day’s catch or even live near the coast to be affected by our changing and warming seas. Ocean… SEE MORE

From left, Dave Edson of Friends of Acadia’s board of directors; Kevin Schneider, park superintendent; Jack Kelley, Friends of Acadia board chairman, and Eric Stiles, Friends of Acadia president and CEO, in front of the Kingsleigh Inn in Southwest Harbor. PHOTO: GINNY MAJKA/FRIENDS OF ACADIA

Working Waterfront

Friends of Acadia purchases inn for housing

In March, Friends of Acadia became the official owner of the Kingsleigh Inn in Southwest Harbor. Formerly a bed and breakfast inn that housed visitors to Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park, Friends of Acadia plans to convert the inn to workforce housing for the park’s seasonal employees. Though… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Immigration lawyer offers Maine perspective

Immigration law is surrounded by politics, controversy, and debate and is constantly in flux, Jennifer Atkinson told a small audience at Skidompha Public Library in Damariscotta in March. “It’s very political,” she said. “Depending on the administration, you can see huge changes in what you’re doing and what you have… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

‘On-demand’ gear tested off Massachusetts

This spring, researchers were given an expanded opportunity to test lobster trap gear that eliminates the need for vertical buoy lines in waters traversed by critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. Under the direction of NOAA and with permission from the Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries, a fleet of ten… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Broadband funded awarded to coastal communities

The Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) has made 26 awards totaling more than $4 million in funding and support to community, regional, and tribal organizations. These initiatives will support community-driven broadband solutions that ensure universal connectivity, strengthen, and grow the number of partners thinking about digital equity and inclusion, and create… SEE MORE

Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher, left, presents the annual DMR Andy Mays Award of Excellence to Friendship fisherman James "Jimmy" Wotton. The award was presented Saturday at the Fishermen's Forum in Rockport.

Working Waterfront

Wotton honored by DMR

James “Jimmy” Wotton of Friendship received the annual “Department of Marine Resources Andy Mays Award of Excellence” at the March 2-5 Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport. Wotton currently serves as the Chair of the Lobster Zone D Council and as a member of the Scallop Advisory Council. He has held licenses… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Letters to the editor—’A distinct voice,’ and ‘perception’

A distinct voice To the editor: Phil Crossman and his skin color and the adjectives used to describe it in his Observer column apparently rubbed at least one person in the wrong way (“Unacceptable,” letters to the editor, December/January issue). My spouse and I lived two wonderful years in Maine… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Have you seen the Scuttlebutt?

The phrase “buyer beware” seems inappropriate for someone settling in a pretty Maine waterfront community. But maybe “buyer aware” makes some sense. After all, if that town has a working waterfront, a newcomer’s expectations may not match reality. Fishermen’s pickups driving by at 4 a.m. in summer. Diesel boat engines… SEE MORE

Eelgrass grows in submerged waters in Casco Bay. PHOTO: STEVE KARPIAK

Working Waterfront

‘Staggering’ eelgrass decline in Casco Bay

Eelgrass meadows in Casco Bay have declined in size by 54 percent over the past four years, a loss described as “staggering” in a new report from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). This decline of the federally protected marine habitat places eelgrass meadows in Casco Bay at their… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Cod survey shows promising numbers

It's hard to overstate the importance of cod in New England and Maritime Canada history. The fish has sustained those living here before and after the arrival of Europeans, and even fed those back on the continent. Stonington’s fish pier was built in the late 1980s in anticipation of increased… SEE MORE