Working Waterfront

Penobscot Marine Museum hosts Maine Marine Fare conference on Sept. 28

On Saturday, Sept. 28, Penobscot Marine Museum’s Maine Marine Fare takes a closer look at the state of Maine fisheries with a full day conference. The classic image of a Maine fisherman is the lobsterman who owns and operations his own boat with a small crew. While this is still the… SEE MORE

A right whale entangled in what is believed to be Canadian crab gear.

Working Waterfront

Canadians also working to protect right whales

By Craig Idlebrook In response to an unexpectedly deadly summer for the North American right whale population in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Canadian government, conservationists, and fishermen are racing to put in place new measures to prevent ship strikes and fishing gear entanglements for the critically endangered mammal.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A woman’s place on the working waterfront

Story and photos by Kelli Park From hand-hauling lobster traps to selling more than 10 million pounds of bait annually, Jennie Bichrest knows the working waterfront inside out. This summer, as the lobster industry faces a shortage of herring, the bait of choice, her business—Purse Line Bait—is playing a critical… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Shiver me timbers! It’s a pirate wedding!

PHOTOS BY PEACH FREDERICK Two members of The Dark Rose, a pirate club of sorts, which participates in pirate-themed events in places like Damariscotta, Eastport and Fort Knox in Prospect, tied the knot (forgive the pun) on June 30 in Rockport. The groom is Darren Lowe, who goes by “Rigs”… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

UMaine study looks at Gulf of Maine temperature trends

Gulf of Maine temperature trends and variability during the past 11,000 years will be the focus of a five-year study led by a University of Maine paleo-oceanographer to enhance long-term environmental prediction and planning. Katherine Allen, a UMaine assistant professor in the School of Earth and Climate Sciences, and on… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A commissioner for changing times

By Rob Snyder When Patrick Keliher assumes his place at the front of the room, he does so humbly. His smile projects calm, his eyes look knowingly from behind wire rimmed glasses, and his jeans and flannel shirt are unassuming. He has the perfect presence to serve as Maine’s commissioner… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Good science: Ecosystem-based fisheries management

By Tom Groening Fisheries management needs to be more localized and more closely tied to the people who work in the fishing industry. Those values are driving organizations like the Stonington-based Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries (MCCF), and this more sophisticated, nuanced approach to regulation was a theme at its… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Swan’s Island Lighthouse gets TLC

By Jennifer Helman Photos by Dale Joyce After withstanding coastal Maine weather for almost 150 years, the Swan’s Island Lighthouse is getting a much-needed facelift. The rehabilitation project consists of three phases: bricks, mortar and metal; foundation and drainage; and catwalk restoration. Tito’s Masonry of Portland is doing the first… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Maine’s right whale plan is due by September

By Susie Arnold The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) will submit a proposal to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in September outlining how the state’s lobster fishery will reduce its risk of entangling endangered North Atlantic Right Whales by 60 percent. Failure to submit a plan that meets… SEE MORE

The Eastern Seaboard as seen from space.

Working Waterfront

Massive freshwater aquifer may lie off Atlantic Seaboard

By Craig Idlebrook Researchers have discovered evidence that there may be a massive freshwater aquifer off the U.S. Atlantic coast, according to a new study published in Nature. The study provided evidence of a vast underground pool of water with low salinity that may span the coast of New Jersey to… SEE MORE