Working Waterfront

Aquaculture reviews accelerated by using ROV

Site assessments using the ROV require fewer staff which frees up personnel to work on other required tasks like writing site reports. DMR estimates that the ROV has saved the aquaculture division approximately 600 hours of staff time. SEE MORE

Filmmaker Laura Hamilton interviews Capt. Matt Ridgway general manager of the Chebeague Transportation Co. PHOTO: SUSAN STRANAHAN

Working Waterfront

An island lifeline at 50

CTC operates 4,000 regularly scheduled trips a year. In addition to transporting islanders, off-island workers, summer residents, visitors and school students, CTC also provides 24-hour emergency service, working closely with Chebeague's volunteer rescue squad. SEE MORE

Colby Adolphsen with “Harbor Town” PHOTO: COURTESY COLBY ADOLPHSEN

Working Waterfront

Colby Adolphsen’s LEGO harbor town

The detail is astounding, from a wall of hardware store tools and a diner grill to a lobster boat in drydock. Fishermen work on the wharf, a girl walks a dog, a boy fishes off the bridge. Vintage dollhouse stickers provided the aesthetic Adolphsen wanted for the signage: “Town Talk Bread,” “Burdan’s Ice Cream,” “Princes Lobster,” etc. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Talking scallops with Sam Belknap

NAME: Sam Belknap TITLE: Director of Island Institute’s Center for Marine Economy FOCUS I direct work aimed at protecting and sustaining Maine’s working waterfronts, as well as advancing the use of electric outboards for our commercial fleet, and expanding aquaculture businesses. IN THIS PHOTO: Seen at far right, I’m moderating a… SEE MORE

The September 1901 launch of the USS Cleveland at Bath Iron Works.

Working Waterfront

Sliding into history: The tradition of the launch

The accompanying images show the September 1901 launch of the USS Cleveland at Bath Iron Works. Spectators packed the yard, standing shoulder to shoulder among scaffolding and shipyard debris to witness the Navy cruiser’s christening and launch. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Coastal aquifers face new challenges

Salty wells are not new to the Maine coast, but the problem is getting more attention in recent years. All aquifers are impacted by fluctuations in precipitation, particularly the big annual swings we've had recently in Maine with the entire state experiencing drought conditions in the summer/fall of 2024, following… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

An old salt spills the fish guts

Most of his career was spent on shore, primarily as a seafood buyer at the Portland Fish Exchange for Foley Fish, and later as a salesman for Foley. Much of his book is devoted to his years on the Exchange and serving on the New England Fishery Management Council. SEE MORE

Former apprentice Matt Czuchra, left, and current apprentice Kelly Morgan sort oysters at Bombazine Farms. The image is from Maine Aquaculture Association’s Tending the Tides documentary, courtesy Maine Aquaculture Association.

Working Waterfront

Aquaculture apprenticeships accelerate workforce growth

Kelly Morgan moved from California to Maine to work on an oyster farm. By way of the Maine Aquaculture Apprenticeship Program, she landed a job on the New Meadows River in Brunswick farming oysters with Bombazine Oyster Company. SEE MORE

A rocky Maine shoreline speaks to large forces at work. PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK

Working Waterfront

Maine’s fractal coast

Day in and day out, summer after summer when I was a kid, I flew back and forth over Casco Bay with my father in his Piper Cub seaplane. From the air I saw thousands of spooked seagulls, smooth steel-colored sea rollers in identical ranks, wind-beaten chop, whales, porpoises, schools… SEE MORE

An image from the Boat School's early days.

Working Waterfront

Downeast boat school sees revival

To fund the first phase, the Friends won a $675,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a $120,000 grant from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, both of which enabled the replacement of the main building’s roof and asbestos removal, work that began in late spring. SEE MORE