Category: Marine

Working Waterfront

Here’s how to save working waterfront

Many people and organizations in Maine, including the publishers of this paper, have rightfully sounded the alarm about the loss of working waterfront along the coast. What is obvious is that Maine’s coast has become a very desirable place to live, and many fishing families have been displaced from shorefront… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Leaning into fishing

For years, teachers and guidance counselors at the Charles M. Sumner Learning Campus in Sullivan worked diligently to give students who fish a broader outlook on possible occupations other than a life on the sea. But Whytne Crabtree, a career education teacher, decided to take a different tack. Crabtree oversees… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Locals worry as Downeast marine facility goes up for sale

Much like ancient Gaul, Winter Harbor on the Downeast coast is divided into three parts, at least when approached from the water. To the west lies Grindstone Neck, the site of many large, elegant summer homes and the Winter Harbor Yacht Club, which offers a hospitable welcome to visiting yachtsmen.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

From the ashes, a call to action

In my last “From the Helm” column, I wrote about the importance of Maine’s working waterfront—the people, the structures, the boats, and the businesses that sustain Maine’s marine economy. I asked you to imagine what it would look like if that critical connection between land and sea were to disappear.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Saving a Little Diamond shore

In September, I visited the small community of Little Diamond Island in Casco Bay to witness something remarkable: a shoreline restoration project marked by new science and sheer community determination. Hosted by Island Institute, the event brought together island residents, representatives from neighboring Casco Bay islands, and others eager to… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Remembering Susan Jones: A guiding light

The Maine fishing industry lost a guiding light when Susan Jones passed away in early September in Stonington at the age of 78. Her leadership shaped the fishermen’s newspaper, Commercial Fisheries News (CFN), for 40 years, from the early 1980s until her retirement in 2014, during which it was the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Saving Marshall Point

One of the Maine coast’s most recognizable, beloved—and accessible—scenes might have had another fate. In 1988, a rumor circulated through St. George—which includes the villages of Port Clyde, Tenants Harbor, and Martinsville—that the Marshall Point Lighthouse would be converted into a hotel and resort property. This is the iconic site… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

State’s new economy anchored in the sea

On Maine’s rugged coast, where shipbuilding, fishing, and working waterfronts have defined generations, leaders say the future is once again tied to the sea—this time through aquaculture, marine technology, and research. University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy told attendees at the 2025 Maine Blue Economy Innovation Summit on Oct. 3… SEE MORE