Working Waterfront

Maine climate assessment provides dire numbers

A new assessment of climate change and its effects on the state provides concrete numbers that confirm what many here already sense—Maine is warming. The average temperature is 3.2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than in 1895; the Gulf of Maine is 2.9 degrees warmer. The weather has become more extreme and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

It’s been a blackberry year

Normally, right about the first week of September, it’s that old chanteuse Peaches Galore around here. My trees yield up enough for peach fans to pick, for me to sell at roadside, and plenty more fill the kitchen here for canned peaches, peach jam, peach chutney, peach pie, peaches chopped… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The man is gone, but the story remains

I never met Stephen H. Robbins Jr., a legendary offshore lobsterman of Stonington who passed away in July of this year. However, I do know Randy Olson, a marine-biologist-turned-filmmaker, who made one of his first movies about Stevie and his family, nearly 30 years ago. I watched this film again… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Seaweed, shellfish aquaculture are thriving on Hancock County coast

Seaweed, mussels, and scallops—these are some of the farmed seafood products that are enjoying great success among small aquaculture operations off the Hancock County coast. And business owners continue to innovate as they look to expand markets, share their technologies and know-how with newcomers, promote aquaculture as a sustainable industry,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Warm currents feeding Gulf of Maine outpacing cold currents

A much-used statistic says the Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 98 percent of the world’s oceans. While one might imagine the warming is due to a “Bunsen burner-like” effect in the gulf itself, it actually results from two sources of water that feed the gulf. The effect is… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Going solar on Islesford is only option

In the 1970s, residents of Isle au Haut had finally had it with their World War II diesel generator and so banded together to invest in a seven-mile electric cable to Stonington. The cable, expected only to last 20 years, is now nearly 40 years old. But Isle au Haut… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine’s cold water line blocks most sharks… for now

Since time immemorial, fishing has gone hand-in-hand with stories of spotting unusual creatures in the ocean. However, now with smartphones, those stories can be verified and generate headlines. In late August, a Cape Cod Times report shared how a fisherman saw a hammerhead shark near the coast of Chatham, Mass. That same week,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

State’s largest private park system opens in Lubec

Lubec is accustomed to superlatives. As the easternmost town in the nation, home to some of North America’s highest tides, the iconic West Quoddy lighthouse and—for many weeks at least—the nation’s first sunrise, Lubec locals count themselves as lucky as its summer visitors. For this year, at least, more locals… SEE MORE

Environment

Working Waterfront

Machias farm is betting on hemp

Ben Edwards planned to begin harvesting in mid-September, but a new variety of hemp matured almost overnight, possibly in response to heavy rains. “For whatever reason, this strain is maturing really quickly,” said Edwards, pointing to plants with yellowing leaves. “Ideally, some of these would have stayed out here for… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

For right whale protection—Is technology the future of lobster fishing?

Acoustic buoy releases and tracking software: These are high-tech options under consideration as ways to eliminate the potential for interaction between the lobster fishery and the endangered North Atlantic right whale. Ideas include raising traps from the sea floor by means of acoustically signaled lifting mechanisms, rather than hauling by… SEE MORE