Working Waterfront

Coastal real estate prices rise like the sea

Compared to the rest of the Northeast, housing in Maine looks like a bargain. According to the Maine Real Estate Information System, the median sales price for a Maine home in 2023 was $353,000. For the Northeast as a whole, the fourth quarter 2023 median was $698,000, as reported online… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

New seafood markets are emerging, and there’s a map to get there

“The demographics are changing,” he said. “People of color are eating far more seafood. They also consume a diversity of seafood.” SEE MORE

Sorting the catch on Vinalhaven. FILE PHOTO: JACK SULLIVAN

Working Waterfront

Seafood landing values up $25 million over 2022

The state Department of Marine Resources announced on March 1 that 2023 was another strong year for Maine commercial fishermen who earned $611 million at the dock point of sales, an increase of more than $25 million over 2022. “The Maine seafood industry continues to be a powerful economic engine… SEE MORE

Mack Point as seen from the western shore of Sears Island. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

State selects Sears Island for wind port

After years of deliberating on the best site to establish a port to service a planned offshore wind turbine array, Gov. Janet Mills announced Feb. 20 that the facility would be built on Sears Island in Searsport. Port facilities in Portland and Eastport were under consideration, as was Mack Point… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine—our next big moves

I have a sharp memory of Angus King’s inauguration as governor in January of 1995. I was editor of the Republican Journal weekly newspaper in Belfast then, and we had endorsed him for the office. As an independent candidate, I found his thinking on the issues of the day refreshing,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Goodbye ‘Pandalus borealis’

Many years ago, my family and I began to spend summers on Vinalhaven. Over the years, first we were summer people, then longer term visitors, and now fortunately homeowners; much has changed. Not the island so much, although it has. But the oceanic world surrounding us. First to go were… SEE MORE

Rockweed ready for shipping on a ramp in Hancock. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Rockweed study not accurately explained

Rockweed is a slow-growing, wild seaweed on the rocky coast of Maine. It is highly valued as a commercial fertilizer and debates about how rockweed harvesting should be managed are contentious. To address questions about over-harvesting, academic researchers collaborated with commercial companies to test for effects of a single harvest… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Working on the railroad

Back in my weekly newspaper days, I worked with an old-timer who, in those years, was responsible for settling up with the stores that carried our paper. Now that I think about it, he was probably the age I am now, so strike the “old-timer” crack. Bob grew up in… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Education, Native status, domestic violence

High quality education To the editor: I read Kim Hamilton’s “From the Sea Up” column in the October issue, “Rewriting the storyline of island schools” (a great title), with much interest. I wholeheartedly agree with her observation that “Schools play an undeniable role in the ecosystem of a thriving island… SEE MORE

Matthew Powell, left, and George Trinovitch own and operate the Pentagöet Inn in Castine. PHOTO: COURTESY PENTAGÖET INN

Working Waterfront

Welcoming tourists, joining the community

The lodging trade group Hospitality Maine named Powell and Trinovitch its innkeepers of the year for 2023. SEE MORE