Working Waterfront

The making of a captain, by intention

The making-of-a-fisherman myth we often subscribe to has him growing up on a boat, eventually making captain, and then inherently knowing how to succeed as he takes the helm. In this scenario, the fishing fleet is continuously reinvigorated by the children of fishermen. In reality, the New England fishing fleet… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Thanking a senator for her help

Name: Erin Quetell Title: Policy director Focus: I lead on critical policy issues, such as clean energy and municipal resiliency. I work closely with staff across the organization to support their on-the-ground work through relationship building, coalition development, and policy awareness and advocacy. In This Photo: On March 12, I… SEE MORE

Jeff Frank speaks at the Maine Fishermen's Forum. PHOTO: JACK SULLIVAN

Working Waterfront

Jeff Frank and the ‘Future of Fishing’

Name: Jeff Frank Title: Senior community development officer in Island Institute’s Center for Marine Economy Focus: I lead the business support work for the Future of Fishing program. This initiative is designed to help Maine’s fishing families and coastal communities navigate the economic uncertainty facing the lobster industry. My work… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The magic of municipal planning

I remind myself that I’m lucky to have a wealth of information available to me. I can find planning board minutes from 2017 on the town of St. George website. I can instantly generate a map of car accidents in town over the past 20 years... SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

How nature steps up when waves get rough

There are thousands of examples from around the world, but what practitioners have found works best to show landowners the benefits of nature-based solutions is social proof—a project in your neighbor’s yard. SEE MORE

Megan Shapiro, left, and Rory Morgan of Maine Department of Marine Resources deploy a ropeless lobster trap in a demonstration of some of the new technology for community leaders and fishermen at Jonesport’s town landing on Feb. 18. See the story inside for more information about the new gear. PHOTO: JACK SULLIVAN

Working Waterfront

DMR demonstrates ropeless lobster gear in Jonesport

Island Institute is supporting a project that aims to trial available types of on-demand gear through the Maine Innovative Gear Library. The goal, through paid industry participation, is to determine the real-world capabilities and challenges associated with ropeless gear. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Institute staff reflect on national waterfront conference

The Institute crew presented on efforts like marine decarbonization, storm preparedness, and greenhouse gas assessments in the seafood industry, all while learning fresh ways to drive progress and continue supporting Maine’s working waterfronts. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

LD 1 would help coastal towns prepare

To support this effort and align it with the state’s climate initiatives, Island Institute leveraged the Governor’s Office of Policy, Innovation, and the Future’s Community Resilience Partnership (CRP) opportunity, which provides individualized vulnerability assessments for community projects. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Massachusetts pilots culvert-replacement project

New Englanders may only think about culverts when they fail. Often, we don’t know a road even has a culvert until it has collapsed or is dammed with sediment, causing flooding. What may be less obvious is that culverts can protect against storm surge and tidal flooding, especially as sea… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A YEAR LATER—Waterfront business owners reflect on storms

“That afternoon, all the fishermen showed up to help,” Chipman recalled, a theme among the panelists, crediting the larger community with assisting in stabilizing the properties. SEE MORE