Working Waterfront

Put a price on what’s poisoning our atmosphere

By Eric Toder Rising carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels and other activities that release greenhouse gases threaten the future well-being of all of us. These emissions warm the planet, raise sea levels, shift rainfall patterns, boost storm intensity, and increase the risk of sudden climate change. They pose a… SEE MORE

Bruce Fernald prepares to unload his boat

Working Waterfront

When chefs and lobstermen meet, live

Anyone around Little Cranberry Island would say my husband Bruce, a lobster fisherman, has a knack for getting involved in some very interesting media situations. (See “One lobsterman’s 15 minutes of fame” at workingwaterfrontarchives.org.) Friends joke that he likes attention from the press, but lately most of the situations have revolved… SEE MORE

Students from the Blueberry Harvest School learn about sustainable fisheries during an August 2014 trip in Frenchman Bay.

Working Waterfront

How Trump administration’s immigration policies are hurting Maine

By Julia Brown Maine recently hosted statewide “Families Belong Together” rallies protesting the administration’s so-called “zero tolerance” policy. While the unprecedented policy of separating and detaining asylum seekers has rightfully taken center stage, this administration is applying its anti-immigrant agenda to all facets of immigration law. This indiscriminate attack on… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Salmon from a fish tank

On the Fourth of July, many a Maine family once sat down to a traditional meal of fresh salmon, garden peas, and new potatoes dug from the warm earth. A century ago, Maine salmon were known around the world as being among the best of seafoods. In the late 18th… SEE MORE

Corbin Davis peers through the glass counter to make his choice.

Working Waterfront

‘Go Fish’ continues to hook customers on Vinalhaven

In a time when more and more independently owned brick and mortar shops are closing, Vinalhaven entrepreneur Rachel Noyes is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her gift shop, Go Fish. The shop offers gifts, toys, candy, jewelry, clothing and more, but Noyes says it started with one T-shirt. "I never… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

North Haven Mercantile selling island-made goods

Shopping options in downtown North Haven have expanded, thanks to two creative entrepreneurs. The North Haven Mercantile, a showcase for island-made goods, has opened its doors. The brainchild of Carrie Brezzo, the designer behind Able Jane Clothing (formerly CarrieSewFancy), and Laura Serino, a writer and the owner of Island Apothecary,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Soft-shell clam population decline calls for cooperation

By Susie Arnold, Jessica Gribbon Joyce and Roger Stephenson Mainers likely have heard about the precipitous decline in soft-shell clam landings over the last five years. While the fishery remains the third most valuable fishery in the state at over $12 million, licenses have declined over the last several decades… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Let’s give our service center towns a hand

When I first began working in downtown Belfast in the late 1980s, I noticed an odd trend. On Fridays, it was a lot harder to find a parking space than it was on Mondays. As I paid more attention to this phenomenon, I began noticing that people who I knew… SEE MORE

Cars fill the parking spaces at the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park.

Working Waterfront

Reservations for Acadia visits top proposal in plan

A reservation system for visiting Acadia National Park is among the top proposals in the National Park Service’s draft transportation plan, released April 26. The plan has been in the works since 2015, due to traffic congestion from increased visitation. On the weekend of July 4, 2017, for example, the… SEE MORE

A crew member cleans balconies on a cruise ship docked at Portland’s Ocean Gateway in 2014.

Working Waterfront

CruiseMaine evaluating potential, impact

The cruise ship industry’s growing interest in visiting Maine’s harbor towns is being hailed as opportunity by some, and branded as threat by others. While communities like Bar Harbor and Rockland are debating the relative merits of this part of the tourism economy, there’s no denying its size and impact.… SEE MORE