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

A close-up image of a scallop. PHOTO: COURTESY UMAINE

Working Waterfront

Next ocean farming crop—scallops

Building off a four-year study published in the spring, which compared the effectiveness of two different Atlantic sea-scallop farming techniques, UMaine researchers further analyzed the economic advantages and disadvantages of the same two methods of scallop aquaculture. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

New State of Maine training vessel launched

At 525 feet long, the State of Maine can accommodate 600 cadets and up to 1,000 people in times of humanitarian need. The vessel includes eight classrooms, labs, a training bridge, auditorium, helicopter pad, advanced medical facilities, and roll-on/roll-off and container capacity, ensuring cadets get unmatched hands-on training. SEE MORE

From left, David Wyman, Donald Small, Steve Brookman, and Walt Murphy pose with their 1/16th scale model of the privateer Defence.

Working Waterfront

Remembering the ill-fated Defence

Wyman remembers the students working at making the sonar able to identify objects to the side rather than just downward. Passing over the location where the fisherman snagged his net, an unusual shape was identified. SEE MORE

An image from the Boat School's early days.

Working Waterfront

Downeast boat school sees revival

To fund the first phase, the Friends won a $675,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a $120,000 grant from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, both of which enabled the replacement of the main building’s roof and asbestos removal, work that began in late spring. 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

Maine Maritime Academy's waterfront. PHOTO: JACK SULLIVAN

Working Waterfront

Maine Maritime Academy names president

Following a national search, the Maine Maritime Academy board of trustees selected Craig Johnson, an MMA graduate of the class of 1991, as its new president. SEE MORE

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

The Fifth Maine gathers for a reunion in 1912. PHOTO: COURTESY FIFTH MAINE MUSEUM

Working Waterfront

Where Civil War veterans once gathered, their service is preserved

The artifacts are varied and evocative. There is a piece of hardtack, a food staple for soldiers; relics from the battle at Gettysburg; hand-colored “lantern slides,” which were projected onto screens; and shackles that had been used on a slave. SEE MORE