The City of Portland, Maine is a national leader in working waterfront planning and the City’s work has been featured by the National Working Waterfront Network. In a recent interview with Bill Needelman, the City’s Waterfront Coordinator, Bill discussed the evolution of the City’s planning efforts. He focused on the importance of beginning with the […]
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Wind and a cool drizzle did not deter a group of new volunteers as they ventured down to the end of the Harpswell peninsula near Basin Point last Monday to learn how to spot evidence of spring among the tide pools. The group included Lynn Knight, a trustee for the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Sandra […]
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April 30, 2015 | Green Lake National Fish Hatchery After an epic winter, spring has arrived in the Penobscot River Valley. Ice is out on the lower river and most of the tributaries, and the water temperature has reached a still-chilly 5 degrees Celsius. Fred Trasko and the rest of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife […]
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This time of year, many eyes are on Maine’s rivers, lakes, and harbors, watching for the spring phenomenon known as ice-out. On rivers in particular, ice-out brings the risk of flooding. On Thursday, the National Weather Service Caribou Office issued a flood potential outlook statement. In central Maine, which includes the lower Penobscot River, and […]
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Researchers (including Sea Grant extension associate Dana Morse) are studying isolated oyster grounds in the Sheepscot River that may date back to the last ice age. Meanwhile, as the aquaculture industry has grown and coastal water temperatures have warmed, cultured oysters have begun to multiply on their own elsewhere, particularly in the brackish waters of the […]
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“There isn’t anything more special than Maine seafood,” said fisherman Kristan Porter, kicking off a culinary afternoon at the 2015 Maine Fishermen’s Forum. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Forum, seafood industry partners invited four established chefs to share their cooking knowledge of Maine seafood. “This is what its all about,” said Maine Aquaculture […]
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by Catherine Schmitt Forty years ago, fish harvested by Maine fishermen stayed local, only traveling perhaps as far as Boston or New York. The Gulf of Maine fishery was dominated by fleets of foreign fishing vessels, factories at sea that fished harder than anyone before. Even at Gorton’s in Gloucester, Massachusetts, 40% of the cod […]
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by Catherine Schmitt Coastal Conversations is a monthly, one-hour public affairs program about coastal issues, on WERU Community Radio 89.9 in Blue Hill and 99.9 In Bangor. The first show aired on January 23, 2015 and the topic was Ocean Acidification. Listen to the podcast. Produced with support from Maine Sea Grant and hosted by […]
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by Natalie Springuel Over the holidays this year, my family and I decided it was time for a trip beyond Downeast Maine. We crossed the border at Calais and drove on to Black’s Harbor, New Brunswick (Canada) to catch the ferry to Grand Manan, an island at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy. I’d […]
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by Catherine Schmitt If the air is still and cold enough, great wisps of sea smoke hover and drift above the water surface. That “smoke” actually is water vapor that forms when really cold air moves over relatively warmer water and the thin boundary layer of warm air just above the surface. When the evaporating […]
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