Working Waterfront

Self-congratulation won’t help Maine’s future fishermen

… if groundfish rebound, it’s unlikely that the small-scale owner-operators in the lobster fishery who would like to diversify will be able to buy into the system. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Gentrification threatens small coastal towns

Maine is the oldest state in the nation. Not oldest as in historic. Oldest as in the average age of its people is higher than anywhere else in the country. That matters more than most people realize, and it is worth discussing. The democratic process, at its most basic, results… SEE MORE

Op Ed

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

Working Waterfront

Maine seafood is a ‘green’ choice

Make no mistake—our access to healthy seafood from fishermen and aquaculturists is under threat, along with the thousands of jobs and iconic heritage that bring it to your table. But there are available solutions that can both reduce the seafood sector’s GHG emissions and assist businesses on the financial side. SEE MORE

Residents of Penobscot vote to enact an ordinance regulating aquaculture operations at a meeting last year.

Working Waterfront

Another view on aquaculture conflicts

The opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of Island Institute, the publisher of The Working Waterfront Yes, please, let’s have an honest conversation about aquaculture (as the op-ed by Benjamin Ford of the law firm Archipelago argued in the April/May issue of The Working Waterfront). Protect Maine’s Fishing… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

It’s time for an honest conversation about aquaculture

In the last few years we have watched the promise of an innovative and dynamic seafood industry be picked apart by groups flying a false flag of environmentalism or “fishing heritage.” SEE MORE

Harvested rockweed at a boat launch in Hancock. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

A life in seaweed, seen from inside

The opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of Island Institute, the publisher of The Working Waterfront. For the past 50 years, I have harvested seaweeds for food, medicine, and fertilizer, working within a five-mile radius of a home cove on Gouldsboro Bay where I keep my four little… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

State needs to prioritize working waterfronts

The opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of Island Institute, the publisher of The Working Waterfront. Over the past year, there has been a growing movement to address the issues facing Maine’s working waterfronts—from Gov. Mills’ Infrastructure Rebuilding and Resilience Commission and Maine’s updated climate action plan, to… SEE MORE

Bait bins on a pier in Cutler. FILE PHOTO: TOM GROENING

Working Waterfront

Working waterfront tax law is improved

It’s the letter no one wants to open—the dreaded perforated envelope from your municipality that comes once a year. Yep, you guessed it, your property tax bill. Taxes only seem to change in one direction, up, and if you live in coastal Maine, perhaps the slope of this curve is… SEE MORE

Teachers from Maine island schools gathered at the Island Institute's offices. PHOTO: JACK SULLIVAN

Working Waterfront

It’s time to nurture the teachers

There's never been a more stressful time to be a teacher. I say that as someone who worked in K-12 schools for more than 20 years, first as a teacher and then as a principal. Educators enter the profession out of a passion for teaching and helping kids. But today,… SEE MORE