Working Waterfront

The sea continues to lure Linda Greenlaw

The witty and colorful Linda Greenlaw was the featured attraction that night, but a pall hung over the Maine Maritime Academy campus on the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 21. It had been just three weeks since the El Faro, a container ship traveling from Jacksonville, Fla., bound for Puerto Rico,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Going coop—employee ownership sustains business legacy

The effort to sustain our communities and their economic and civic life for future generations scored a significant victory recently on Deer Isle. The employees of three retail businesses—Burnt Cove Market, V&S Variety and Pharmacy, and The Galley market—became concerned when word circulated that the owners were thinking about selling… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Acadia visitation up, planners address congestion

Visitor numbers at Acadia National Park continue to climb, a positive trend mirrored by the state as a whole. Park visitation as of Oct. 31 was up 8 percent over the same period in 2014, which had 2.56 million visitors overall and was one of the park’s top years ever,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

What if we’ve been doing ‘growth’ all wrong?

It's always been a double-edged sword. As prosperity works its way up Maine's coast—often in sprints and then strolls—the commercial and residential building that comes with it threatens to taint what attracted that investment in the first place. We've all witnessed the rise of strip malls and big-box stores on… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Stonington’s Hagen Wharf slated for rebuild

A pending project to revitalize Stonington's Hagen Wharf is expected to boost a waterfront attraction central to the town's transient boater and tourist economy. Located downtown, Hagen Wharf comprises a granite pier with a ramp down to several floats, with some public parking. It’s home to the community’s Stonecutter Statue,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine trade mission to Japan, China hailed as success

The notion of sustainable harvesting practices translates well into Chinese and Japanese, according to Deirdre Gilbert, policy director for the Maine Department of Marine Resources. Gilbert, who travelled to Tokyo and Shanghai on a trade mission with Gov. Paul LePage late last month, provided an overview of Maine’s lobster industry management and… SEE MORE

Ray Bowden enjoys the autumn sunshine on board the Bagheera.

Working Waterfront

On board for autumn colors

Fall foliage and boats don't seem to go in hand in hand, but in Portland, the best way to see the season's colors is to cruise around Casco Bay's islands. SEE SLIDESHOW The Portland Schooner Company, based on the Maine State Pier, offers four daily two-hour sails throughout spring, summer… SEE MORE

Fish prices in Portland in January 2015.

Working Waterfront

Obama should create marine national monument

By Peter Shelley A diverse group of marine-oriented businesses, hundreds of marine scientists, aquaria, faith-based organizations, conservation organizations and members of the public are calling on the Obama administration to designate the Cashes Ledge Closed Area in the Gulf of Maine and the New England Coral Canyons and Seamounts off… SEE MORE

Roger Pielke at a reception at the University of Maine

Working Waterfront

Untangling the collision of science and politics

Roger Pielke had come to Maine to speak at the University of Maine's Mitchell Center for Sustainability, traveling to the state from Colorado, where he is director of the University of Colorado's Center for Science. After speaking, he hoped to head to Bar Harbor to see Acadia National Park and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Calling all fishermen!

The Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront, is working to help fishermen and other business people diversify into shellfish and seaweed aquaculture on Maine’s islands and remote coastal communities. Are you interested in growing shellfish? Have you thought about gaining a new source of income through growing mussels, oysters… SEE MORE