Working Waterfront

Periwinkles an under-heralded seafood product

Life is rough in the intertidal zone. Barnacles with their heads cemented to rock and pilings wait for the tide to rise so they can resume combing for plankton with their legs. Rockweed collapses on boulders and ledges at low tide and wafts upright at high. Crabs root around in… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A tale of three winter fisheries

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. Winter on the coast of Maine in the 1980s and 1990s was a time for fishing urchins, scallops and shrimp. All three of these fisheries are now much smaller than they once were. Will they grow to create more economic… SEE MORE

Low tide on the west side of Sears Island in Searsport.

Working Waterfront

The Gulf of Maine: return of the seaweed

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. It may look the same from the surface, but the Gulf of Maine is changing faster than nearly all other ocean bodies. We’ve all heard about the rate of warming sea temperatures, but the seafloor is also undergoing major shifts.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Making a living from a changing sea

By Heather Deese, Ph. D. This summer I had dozens of conversations about the changing Gulf of Maine and how these changes play out in our local fisheries. Many conversations took place in community halls and theaters during evening “A Climate of Change” events featuring four short films produced by the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Surprising facts about the ocean

By Heather Deese, Ph. D. Looking for that fascinating tidbit to liven up the VHF radio chatter or cocktail party conversation this summer? Here are four facts about the ocean—on scales from global to local—that might surprise you and will definitely wow most of your friends and neighbors. #1: Ice sheets exert… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Hail the mighty halibut!

The story of Atlantic halibut, the giant among New England groundfish, is similar to the story of cod: it once lived in vast numbers off our shores and after centuries of fishing its population is now a tiny fraction of what it once was. But unlike cod, the halibut’s story… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine has front-row seat for climate change

We’ve all heard stories of Ye Olde Gulf of Maine. Once upon a time, fish swam up Maine’s rivers by the billions while herring gulls—these days known as “flying rats”—were nearly wiped out. In still earlier times, whales could be spotted from shore and pursued by oar. And just before… SEE MORE

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Rising seas will bring more frequent severe storms

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. Sea level rise could bring startling and disturbing coastal changes to our coast, making our homes and communities uninhabitable. A new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change projected that between 4.2 million and 13.1 million U.S. residents would… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Fishermen’s forum includes lobster check-up

By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. In addition to the news that lobster fishermen’s landings totaled a record $500 million in 2015, there were several science updates at the annual Maine Fishermen’s Forum that addressed common concerns about the fishery. Where do we stand with shell… 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