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

Working Waterfront

Science shedders: Lobster studies yield new understanding

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. The lobster fishery is a critical part of the United States and Canadian economies. In 2013, the U.S. fishery landed $463 million worth of lobsters ($385 million of which were landed in Maine) and the Canadian fishery brought in approximately… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Fathoming our tides

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. The coast of Maine and neighboring Maritime Canada are extraordinary in many ways, but there is one way in which we are truly unique on the planet—the height of our tides. What are tides? Scientists define tides as the back… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

For lobster, it’s location, location, location

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. This year’s lobster stock assessment confirmed what lobstermen have been seeing out on the water—there are a lot of lobsters in the Gulf of Maine! Yet, while the assessment aligns with the skyrocketing catch, it doesn’t predict the future of… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Kelp as the new kale, and a possible carbon fix

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. “Blue carbon” is a term you might be hearing more often. It refers to marine vegetation that has an inherent ability to sequester carbon and mitigate the consequences of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Vegetated coastal habitats including seagrass meadows, mangrove… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Can oysters save New York Harbor?

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. New York, New York is a lot of things to a lot of people. But it isn't a great place to harvest oysters. Eat them, yes. Harvest them, no. Turns out this is a recent phenomenon. In the 1890s, New… SEE MORE

Chris Warner explains the restoration design with John Hagan setting green crab traps in the background.

Working Waterfront

Beating the green crabs in Georgetown

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. "We believe, yes!" This is Georgetown clammer Chris Warner's answer to the question: Can a single shellfish harvester with a small up-front investment create a viable soft-shell clam farm and beat the green crabs? But you don't need to take… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Dirty snow and piles of poo—where does it go?

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. Melting snow along the coast is revealing a winter's worth of dog poop and trash along our roadsides and sidewalks, and scattered on lawns and municipal parking lots. The litter removal crews are out in force, picking up the big… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Spotting whales from buoys and other scientific wonders

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. This month, we decided to highlight some of the new science we heard about at the 40th Maine Fishermen's Forum in early March. * * * The Eastern Maine Skippers Program, a regional collaboration among high schools including Deer Isle,… SEE MORE