The view toward Roque Bluffs State Park.

Working Waterfront

Tiny Roque Bluffs working to create broadband network

By Tom Groening Roque Bluffs is an idyllic coastal Washington County town, a peninsula south of Machias with rolling hills and fields leading to a state park with a pretty sand beach. But it’s also on the wrong side of the digital divide, and community leaders, including First Selectman Lisa… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine is not ‘full,’ and we need to act

By Tom Groening Most Mainers know the story of Flagstaff, the town in western Maine that was evacuated and then flooded in 1950 to create a back-up water impoundment for the Wyman Lake hydropower dam. It was a sacrifice made in the interest of the greater good, but the back-up… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Wrack Line: Boats, cars, and piers

Compiled by Tom Groening My spring to-do list emerges as the snow and ice retreat in my yard this time of year. Gone are the excuses that sub-freezing air and snow cover provided for my home- and yard-improvement projects. Given Maine’s short construction season, it seems the same urgency is… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Canadians try their own alternative lobster bait

By William Hall While tariffs imposed by China are focusing international attention on the demand for lobster, Maine’s top export product, a forum April 5 in Portland focused international attention on what lobsters demand. Nearly 150 people attending the Canadian/U.S. Lobstermen’s Town Meeting discussed potential solutions to the region’s shortage… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The dream marriage in Maine: ‘Live+Work’ here

By Tom Groening Nate Wildes has the hardest job in Maine. Or maybe it’s the easiest. Or maybe it’s both. Wildes, 28, is tasked with the oh-so-important job of helping reverse two of Maine’s biggest demographic challenges—its stagnant population growth, and its oldest-in-the-nation population status. Both impact the state’s ability… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Bigger boat for Peaks raises host of concerns

By Kim MacIsaac For nearly 150 years the Casco Bay islands of Peaks, Long, Little and Great Diamond, Cliff, and Chebeague have been served by numerous ferry lines which, by 1920, had coalesced into Casco Bay Lines. Prior to 1982, Casco Bay Lines was a privately-owned company operating passenger boats… SEE MORE

Josh Spearing looks at different kinds of PFDs

Working Waterfront

To PFD or not to PFD…

By Tom Groening//Photos by Kelli Park A quick, random survey of a half-dozen fishermen on their use of personal flotation devices, or PFDs, at the annual Maine Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport on March 1 led to a telling moment. Philip Donovan, 48, who lobsters out of Bass Harbor, acknowledged that… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

With herring decline, lobster industry looks at alternatives

By Laurie Schreiber Atlantic herring, a small fish known to school in the several billions, is a favorite bait of the lobster industry. They’re easy to catch. Lobsters love to eat them. But federal regulators have cut the herring catch quota by 70 percent for this year, in response to… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

First forays with farmed scallops show promising future

By Laurie Schreiber Scallop farming in Maine has been in a long period of gestation. But after initial trials to market last year, it’s about ready to debut as a commercial venture. The young industry leverages technology transfers from counterparts in Japan. And a new analysis shows promising marketing potential… SEE MORE

Melinda Boumans now owns and operates Anderson Marine & Hardware.

Working Waterfront

Essential hardware: Gouldsboro marine store keeps waterfront working

By Tom Walsh Five years and 15,000 miles later, the changing of the guard at Anderson Marine & Hardware in seaside Gouldsboro has so far been smooth sailing. Nearly 70 years ago, Don Anderson began selling nuts and bolts, fishing vessel necessities, and basic fishing fleet supplies and began buying… SEE MORE