Working Waterfront

A science-based reality check

The past year has been tumultuous to say the least. Typically, as I begin to write this month’s column, I am at the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in a large conference room sitting shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of others who care about Maine’s fisheries and their future. That can’t happen… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Restoring Hindu

[caption id="attachment_24228" align="alignnone" width="700"] Josh Rowan and Erin Desmond. PHOTO: KELLI PARK[/caption] What could be better than a vessel that encapsulates the timelessness of a love story, the enchantment of a fairy tale, and the mystical allure of a legend? Well, how about one with the spirit of Maine in… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Because Maine can’t wait to confront climate change

In the fall of 1970, 11-year-old Suzanne Clune wrote a letter to her U.S. senator. She lived on the banks of the Little Androscoggin River, a once-pristine tributary where deer could see their reflection when drinking from the water and where spring pine and chokeberry blossoms “filled the air with… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

We’re ready for pandemic 2.0

Surely by now we have figured out that 2021 isn’t going to be all that different from 2020. On New Year’s Eve, lots of us bid a joyous farewell to 2020, hopefully cheering at the prospect of a new year. Six days later, we learned we were breaking nearly daily… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Rethinking insurance as investment, not pay-out

If investment is risk, then insurance is a means by which to diminish the damage from unforeseen events, liability, and damage to come. And then there is re-insurance, the insuring of the insurers so that they, too, have coverage to mitigate further the consequence of claims to be paid. It… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Tanks foul air, threaten health, South Portland residents say

South Portland’s industrial waterfront lies at the mouth of the Fore River, across a widening expanse of water from Portland’s busy commercial district. Protected, and with deep water anchorage, it’s as prime as it gets. [caption id="attachment_23888" align="alignleft" width="300"] This photo, provided by South Portland’s Roberta Zuckerman, show the proximity… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Coastal briefs: Saco erosion, seafood branding, Acadia reservations, boat builders show

Maine delegation seeks action in Saco Army Corps asked to address Camp Ellis beach erosion U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and Rep. Chellie Pingree have written their support for the city of Saco in its bid to enter a project partnership agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Seafood: great for health, environment, economy

Seafood has a lot going for it when it comes to health, the environment, and the economy. “We’d like to see more seafood on people’s plates and also see working waterfronts and coastal communities thriving and not just surviving,” said Kyle Foley, senior program manager of the sustainable seafood program… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine Maritime student honored by peers

Dylan Bunker explains his course of study at Maine Maritime Academy in much the way Goldilocks explained her taste in porridge. There are three tracks for the marine engineering degree, the 22-year-old senior says. One is very much a hands-on discipline, one is rooted in the theoretical, and one has… SEE MORE

Cruise ship seen from West Street in Bar Harbor.

Working Waterfront

Lost at sea: Cruise ships faces uncertain future

On paper, Bar Harbor was expecting more than 150 cruise ship visits this year. In reality—fat chance. The COVID-19 tsunami finds the global cruise ship industry in shambles and has left traditional ports of call, including a handful in Maine, with many more questions than answers. “We need to figure… SEE MORE