Working Waterfront

On the record with lobster scientist Bob Steneck

Bob Steneck can now add to his already impressive resumé membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The work that led to that honor for the former University of Maine professor came from donning scuba gear and messing around with critters on the sea floor. Steneck suspects it… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Changes below—Can wild kelp survive?

“Change is the only constant.” That’s one of the memorable sayings of my graduate school advisor, Dr. Bob Steneck. I started my career in Steneck’s lab, researching how the abundance and composition of seaweeds on Caribbean coral reefs can make or break the start of life for baby corals. As… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Rising seas require long-term planning, experts warn

Sea level rise will accelerate in the decades ahead, and coastal communities should act now to assess risks and identify solutions for the long term—generations or even a century or more into the future. That was the message delivered by the keynote speaker at the fourth annual SOS Saco Bay… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Bringing our stories to our followers

NAME: Emma Perry TITLE: Impact and Event Specialist FOCUS: As the Impact and Event Specialist I play a key role in reporting on the impact of Island Institute’s work and overseeing the administration of the Glenn Fund Community Impact grants and scholarships. Through this work, I ensure our funding creates… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Lobster fishery uncertainty—stay engaged

With chaos at the federal level these days, it is more important than ever to pay attention and stay engaged on topics we care about and support. For many of us on the Maine coast, that includes the lobster fishery. There is a lot happening—climate change, a new stock assessment,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

App tracks coastal change, flooding

Anyone living near the ocean knows the coastline changes often with the tides and the seasons, and that it can be difficult to keep track of the coast’s “normal” appearance. With climate change, it becomes even more difficult to distinguish between the normal historical flux of the coast and a… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Bike lanes and a bumpy transition

The driver had strayed too close to the curb and caught her wheel on the sharp edge, it seemed. Not terribly surprising, as the street had recently been narrowed to make way for what’s quickly becoming the third rail of local politics in my area—bike lanes. SEE MORE

Walt Golet, left, and Kay Zipp capture, tag, and release Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Maine for research in August 2023. PHOTO: COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF MAINE

Working Waterfront

Study examined tuna’s new food sources

Maine’s coastal communities have been hooked on the Atlantic bluefin tuna since at least the late 1880s—first as bycatch, until the 1930s, when the fish became a prized target in fishing tournaments. Through the subsequent decades, bluefin tuna have and continue to support working waterfronts in Maine and beyond. Despite… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Herring Gut honors Bill Mook, Chris Soctomah

The Herring Gut Coastal Science Center has announced that Bill Mook, owner of Mook Sea Farm, and Chris Soctomah, fisheries biologist for the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik Environmental Department, are the recipients of the 2025 Phyllis Wyeth Visionary Award for Excellence in Marine Science, Education, and Trades. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Powering the pine tree state

High costs are driven by factors like aging infrastructure, a growing electrical demand, and an energy mix heavily reliant on natural gas—a fuel prone to sharp price swings. SEE MORE