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

Working Waterfront

Scientists now predicting whale movement

The places North Atlantic right whales are foraging are shifting because the changing climate alters ocean currents, the scientists said, which in turn affects where whale food will show up. Being able to more easily determine where North Atlantic right whales are going to go ahead of time is crucial for both the whales’ survival and for the industries... SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Talking scallops with Sam Belknap

NAME: Sam Belknap TITLE: Director of Island Institute’s Center for Marine Economy FOCUS I direct work aimed at protecting and sustaining Maine’s working waterfronts, as well as advancing the use of electric outboards for our commercial fleet, and expanding aquaculture businesses. IN THIS PHOTO: Seen at far right, I’m moderating a… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Coastal aquifers face new challenges

Salty wells are not new to the Maine coast, but the problem is getting more attention in recent years. All aquifers are impacted by fluctuations in precipitation, particularly the big annual swings we've had recently in Maine with the entire state experiencing drought conditions in the summer/fall of 2024, following… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Tick… tick… boom

I had spent the day online, taking a necessary but predictably dull class. As soon as we logged out for the day, I gathered my shoes, my hat, and my kid, and we went for a walk. First, we walked down the hill to check on the vernal pool I'd… SEE MORE

Carvers Harbor, Vinalhaven. FILE PHOTO: JACK SULLIVAN

Working Waterfront

Good policy comes from informed policy makers

Those of us who work in coastal communities understand the vital role working waterfronts play in supporting jobs in our communities… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine seafood is a ‘green’ choice

Make no mistake—our access to healthy seafood from fishermen and aquaculturists is under threat, along with the thousands of jobs and iconic heritage that bring it to your table. But there are available solutions that can both reduce the seafood sector’s GHG emissions and assist businesses on the financial side. SEE MORE

Humpback whale breaching. PHOTO: TOM FERNALD

Working Waterfront

Research highlights whale movement

A major study of humpback whale movement patterns across the North Atlantic basin is illuminating the behavior of at least one endangered species of whale. “Ocean basin-wide movement patterns of North Atlantic humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae,” published by the International Whaling Commission’s Journal of Conservation Research and Management, provides an… SEE MORE