Working Waterfront

Lobster catch: 121 million pounds, $500 million

Maine fishermen harvested 121 million pounds of lobster in 2015 that brought them more than $500 million in sales, the Department of Marine Resources (DMR) announced Thursday, March 3. The value of the catch is an increase of $37 million over 2014, which itself set a new record. The lobster… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Operation Game Thief offers reward in ‘major’ trap molestation case

Maine Operation Game Thief is offering a reward of $11,000 for information that helps authorities bring the person or people responsible for a major lobster trap molesting case near Jeffrey’s Ledge to justice. A Maine Marine Patrol investigation, which began Monday, Feb. 22, revealed that approximately 200 lobster traps had been hauled by someone… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Lobster license bill wins committee approval

The legislature’s Marine Resources Committee voted unanimously Feb. 24 to advance legislation at improving the efficiency of Maine’s lobster licensing system, speeding up the rate of turnover, shortening wait lists and encouraging young people to continue Maine’s lobstering tradition. “This has been a contentious problem for a long time, and lobsters… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Where on the coast?

Can you identify this week's "mystery harbor"? Here's a hint: It's most certainly on an island. If you think you know the answer, email us at: whereonthecoast@gmail.com. We'll send a copy of the 2015 Island Journal to the first five to correctly identify the island. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Remembering a lost fishery, and grandparents

My grandmother Edith Johnson Searles packed sardines in Lubec at a time when that prosperous town hosted 23 sardine (herring) packing plants. My grandfather, Henry Searles, was a native of Canada’s nearby Campobello Island, who moved across the sound to marry my grandmother and live with her in South Lubec.… SEE MORE

Heather Leslie of the Darling Marine Center.

Working Waterfront

Coastal waters monitoring training offered at Darling Marine Center

The University of Maine Darling Marine Center in Walpole will host a coastal and estuarine monitoring workshop on Sunday, April 10 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aquaculturists, fishermen, researchers, teachers, citizen scientists, coastal residents, community groups and other interested individuals are encouraged to attend. No previous training is required. The… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Egged on by good health news

It’s OK to eat eggs again. Thank goodness. In fact, it is even fashionable. About 20 years or so ago, eggs were put on the Bad For You list. Cholesterol, of which eggs have quite a bit, was the culprit, apparently. Predictably, egg alternatives showed up in the marketplace because… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Lobster promotion reaches chefs, White House, China

When lobster fisherman Steve Train traveled to New York City on a two-day marketing junket last summer, he found the experience was an effective way to introduce Maine’s “new shell” lobster to high-end chefs and national food media outlets. Train, traveling from his home on Long Island, off Portland, joined… SEE MORE

The Islesboro ferry as seen from the Grindle Point Lighthouse.

Working Waterfront

Islesboro, Chebeague study high water impacts

High waters, whether from storm surge, rising sea levels or both, can cause costly damage to the coast. On islands, those high seas can have even more impact, damaging essential infrastructure and even leaving residences cut off from island resources and the mainland. That's why the state, through its Maine… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Marine mammal protections evolving with environment

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. A number of large whales spend time in the Gulf of Maine, as do seals, porpoises and dolphins. The Gulf of Maine also is home to other species that garner special attention and protection, including seabirds, sea turtles and threatened… SEE MORE