Working Waterfront

Contrary survey results are puzzling scientists

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. Given the talk on the wharves all year, it was no surprise to hear the official 2017 numbers on Maine’s lobster fishery—110.8 million pounds with a value of $433.8 million, down nearly 22 million pounds from 2016. With this large… SEE MORE

A right whale entangled by fishing gear in Canadian waters.

Working Waterfront

When right whales die, lobstermen get nervous

Seventeen endangered North Atlantic right whales died in Canadian and U.S. waters in 2017. Now scientists are saying the increase in deaths and decrease of calving rates could mean the species’ “functional” extinction in just over 20 years. The situation is alarming Maine’s lobster fishermen, because some of the deaths… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Expanding economy forces the question: Who do we want to be?

In September, we’ll mark the ten-year anniversary of a frightening moment in our country’s history. Just weeks before the presidential election that saw Barack Obama defeat John McCain, George W. Bush’s treasury secretary reported that the U.S. banking system was on the brink of collapse. A bail-out was approved by… SEE MORE

An aerial view of Washburn & Doughty in East Boothbay.

Working Waterfront

Washburn & Doughty wins ferry bid

Maine’s Department of Transportation has awarded the contract for a new ferry to Washburn & Doughty of East Boothbay. The company was one of five bidders for the 154-foot passenger-vehicle ferry, and the only Maine-based company. The state had estimated the cost of the new vessel at $12 million, but… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

House Island’s history: Fort, immigrants, bootleggers

House Island in Portland Harbor is, and has been, many things: an early European fish station, site of an early 19th century fort, a quarantine facility in the early 20th century. Today, developers are moving toward using the southwestern portion of the 24-acre island for a luxurious camping experience. The… SEE MORE

A house donated to Island Housing Trust is moved to a new property in Somesville to provide affordable housing.

Working Waterfront

MDI’s affordable housing shortage squeezes labor force

On an overcast February day, with the help of contractors donating their services, Island Housing Trust had a small house trucked a couple of miles along wooded roads from one Somesville neighborhood to another. Given the narrow rural roads, the effort took the better part of a day, as the… SEE MORE

Lobster boats moored in Corea Harbor in autumn.

Working Waterfront

Lobster landings, value dipped in 2017

Lobster landings and the value of the catch both decreased in 2017, but Department of Marine Resources officials say the fishery remains strong. Almost 111 million pounds of lobster were landed in Maine last year, down from 132 million pounds in 2016 and 122 million pounds in 2015. Landings have… SEE MORE

Boats rigged for scallop dragging moored in Lubec.

Working Waterfront

Washington County business imports new scallop drag

It’s the difference between a snowplow and a rake. The traditional way of harvesting scallops, the high-value seafood now in season, uses a dredge, or drag. Heavy chains or steel hardware scrape across the bottom, tossing the scallop shells upward, where they are caught in a bag. Inevitably, some of… SEE MORE

Robbie Begin and his crew bring a purse seine full of pogies up alongside his boat Pogie Patrol.

Working Waterfront

Return of menhaden, bigger quotas, good news for Maine

Wherever there’s an abundance of Atlantic menhaden along the East Coast, there, too, is an abundance of other wildlife—humpback whales and bottlenose dolphins, striped bass and bluefish, and bald eagles and osprey. That’s because menhaden, commonly called “pogies” by fishermen, are a key forage species. “When we saw the pogies… SEE MORE

JB Turner of Belfast's Front Street Shipyard speaks at the Island Institute's Waypoints Forum in Portland on Jan. 19. At left is the Island Instiute's Briana Warner. At far right is Mark Ouellette of Axiom Technologies

Working Waterfront

From patriarchy and matriarchy to process

On Jan. 19, the Island Institute hosted its second annual Waypoints Forum in Portland. (Videos of the presentations can be seen here.) The theme this year was “Waterfront Futures.” During a panel we called “Big Ideas on the Waterfront,” we heard from business owners who have placed big bets on the future… SEE MORE