Working Waterfront

Rethinking insurance as investment, not pay-out

If investment is risk, then insurance is a means by which to diminish the damage from unforeseen events, liability, and damage to come. And then there is re-insurance, the insuring of the insurers so that they, too, have coverage to mitigate further the consequence of claims to be paid. It… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Putting down retail roots on Islesboro

[caption id="attachment_23893" align="alignleft" width="200"] The family in front of the Island Market. PHOTO: COURTESY MARIANNE PURDY[/caption] Sky and Marianne Purdy met while hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2007, and for six seasons, both worked at a lodge in Denali National Park in Alaska at the end of the park’s single… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Tanks foul air, threaten health, South Portland residents say

South Portland’s industrial waterfront lies at the mouth of the Fore River, across a widening expanse of water from Portland’s busy commercial district. Protected, and with deep water anchorage, it’s as prime as it gets. [caption id="attachment_23888" align="alignleft" width="300"] This photo, provided by South Portland’s Roberta Zuckerman, show the proximity… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Coastal briefs: Saco erosion, seafood branding, Acadia reservations, boat builders show

Maine delegation seeks action in Saco Army Corps asked to address Camp Ellis beach erosion U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and Rep. Chellie Pingree have written their support for the city of Saco in its bid to enter a project partnership agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Cleaning up our mess means being bold, practical

The story horrified me. It hit close to home—literally. And it angered many, some demanding action be taken at the public policy level. The story, broken in mid-December by Ethan Andrews, editor of the Camden-based Free Press, reported that some bales of shredded plastic waste had apparently fallen off a… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Seafood: great for health, environment, economy

Seafood has a lot going for it when it comes to health, the environment, and the economy. “We’d like to see more seafood on people’s plates and also see working waterfronts and coastal communities thriving and not just surviving,” said Kyle Foley, senior program manager of the sustainable seafood program… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

When jobs have deadly consequences

Mill Town: Reckoning with What Remains Kerri Arsenault (2020) Review by Tina Cohen Mill Town, with no specific location in its title, could refer to a lot of places. Here it refers to Rumford, where Arsenault grew up in the adjacent town of Mexico, across the Androscoggin River from the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine Maritime student honored by peers

Dylan Bunker explains his course of study at Maine Maritime Academy in much the way Goldilocks explained her taste in porridge. There are three tracks for the marine engineering degree, the 22-year-old senior says. One is very much a hands-on discipline, one is rooted in the theoretical, and one has… SEE MORE

Cruise ship seen from West Street in Bar Harbor.

Working Waterfront

Lost at sea: Cruise ships faces uncertain future

On paper, Bar Harbor was expecting more than 150 cruise ship visits this year. In reality—fat chance. The COVID-19 tsunami finds the global cruise ship industry in shambles and has left traditional ports of call, including a handful in Maine, with many more questions than answers. “We need to figure… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The Maine coast and islands will continue to lead

Eighteen years ago, I sat for the first time on the rugged granite backside of Frenchboro, marveling at the power of the tides and the open water extending to the horizon. I appreciated then, as I do now, that I was there because of the relationships that preceded me and… SEE MORE