Working Waterfront

Unhealthy progression: algae, bacteria, and hypoxia

Fishermen love their coffee, but they don’t want the ocean to look like it! Last summer, that is just what the ocean looked like across the Gulf of Maine, from Penobscot Bay to Martha's Vineyard. The brown water was the result of a massive bloom of microscopic algae (otherwise known… SEE MORE

Maine Marine Patrol Officer Alex Michaud, center, receives the 2024 Maine Lobstermen’s Association Officer of the Year Award during the Fishermen’s Forum. From left are and MLA board president Kristan Porter Department of Marine Resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher, from left), Sgt. Matthew Wyman, and Major Rob Beal.

Working Waterfront

Michaud wins ‘officer of the year’

Maine Marine Patrol Officer Alex Michaud received the 2024 Maine Lobstermen’s Association Officer of the Year Award during the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport in early March. The award is presented to a Marine Patrol Officer who has demonstrated outstanding service in support of the lobster industry. Michaud, who joined… SEE MORE

Young, healthy sea stars were found in Acadia National Park.

Working Waterfront

Despite regeneration ability, sea stars are dying

Turns out we’ve been looking at starfish all wrong. First, they’re not fish. They belong to a group of marine invertebrates called echinoderms, which also includes sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers. Starfish now go by the classy common name of sea stars. Then there’s the matter of those… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

What’s lurking in the deep Gulf of Maine?

It’s a foggy and rainy May. A little chilly. Today is a good day to talk about ocean temperatures. Across most of the North Atlantic, sea surface temperatures have been absolutely shattering records recently. Yet when we look at the buoys in the Gulf of Maine, this winter and spring… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

COA names new president

The College of the Atlantic board of trustees has announced its unanimous selection of Dr. Sylvia Torti as the college's seventh president. Torti, an accomplished writer, ecologist, and innovative academic leader with 15 years of experience in higher education, will succeed president Darron Collins upon his retirement at the end… SEE MORE

A storm in March pushes water from Penobscot Bay over Route 1 in Lincolnville Beach. PHOTO: JUDY BERK

Working Waterfront

James Croll and sea level rise

“That’s the way it looks from here” was the jaunty sign-off of Lou McNally, Maine Public Radio’s long-time weather forecaster, and we knew a storm was coming. But king tides and climate change played another game. On Jan. 13 the Maine coast was inundated. Water flowed into hundreds of towns,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Despite legal restrictions, rockweed business thrives

Seaweed has been used as a soil amendment for as long as crops have been grown, with documented use dating to the Roman Empire. In Maine, it was used by indigenous people, and then during the colonial period, hauled in wagons from the shore. It remains in use today, and… SEE MORE

Leaving Frenchboro Harbor. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Listening led to harbor dredging funds

Last month, Sen. Susan Collins secured $500,000 in federal funding to dredge Frenchboro’s Lunt Harbor. The small island eight miles off Mount Desert Island relies on marine transportation and fishing for survival, so a safely navigable harbor is critical for the island’s everyday function. The harbor, the main point for… SEE MORE

Lubec's Main Street. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Climate change impacting property insurance

Coastal property owners may be in for a surprise when their home insurance is up for renewal. Damages to homes from this winter’s high winds, storm surges, and driving rain has meant higher premiums and canceled policies in some zip codes. Roger Quirk of Lubec learned that one company no… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Women of the waterfront

Facilities manager. Juggler. Mediator. First responder. Diplomat. Code enforcer. These are some of the roles harbormasters fill, as revealed during a panel discussion hosted by Midcoast Women on March 13 at Rockport Public Library. Kathy Given has been Belfast’s harbormaster for 30 years. She’s not sure whether she was Maine’s… SEE MORE