PHOTOS BY LESLIE BOWMAN In late summer and early fall, mackerel have made their way to Eastport and the breakwater is the place to catch them. People line up to cast weighted lines with “trees,” the term for the several sparkly hooks. On a good day, a bucket can be filled in an hour or
Cuckolds Light upgrades chafe at local vision
SOUTHPORT — A group overseeing restoration of the Cuckolds Fog Signal and Light Station say a boathouse and tower on the island will be refurbished as marine education space and a museum, respectively. The public service nature of those improvements would fulfill part of the plans for the island, but opposition to other development there
The bargain we strike with each other sustains us
We are reminded every day now—from Gaza to the Ganges to Ferguson—that civilization is but a thin layer of civility stretched across the passions of the human heart. If it snaps, all that we hold dear can disappear overnight. Whether this happens from belligerent and malevolent forces outside us (think 9/11) or from within—from the
Pigeons: the original island airmail
Before wireless and telephone reached across water, communication between islands and the mainland relied on boats—unless, of course, you used homing pigeons. Several islands off Maine and New Hampshire benefited from pigeon posts, made possible by birds known for an uncanny ability to find their way home, even from hundreds of miles away. In the
Another kind of ‘boots on the ground’ help
The idea, according to those who were here at the time, came from a staff member of the Island Institute (publisher of The Working Waterfront). In aiming to expand its work in Maine’s 15 unbridged island communities, a brainstorming session gave birth to a simple, but profound concept. What if the Institute created a version
Eastport: Can do, will do
Editor’s note: Reid has written in response to an essay about Eastport in last month’s The Working Waterfront. Maine has always made its living from wood and water. Wood has become more competitive, and the riches from the sea ain’t what they used to be. But some towns shrewdly remember this heritage and are revitalizing
Go small and go home
BROOKSVILLE — A small but elegant house overlooks a vast flowered field on one side, a wooded copse and the winding Bagaduce River on the other. On a cloudless summer day, a symphony of crickets fills the air. The scene is one of perfect enjoyment for Chris Noble and his wife, Christine Farrow-Noble, who have
Islanders say lobster license waiting list unfair
SWAN’S ISLAND — At age 31, with 15 years of lobster fishing experience under his belt, Zeke Freelove is betting he won’t be able to get a lobster fishing license until he’s 50. That’s because of the state’s limited-entry system, which leaves aspiring fishermen on waiting lists for years. Freelove moved to Swan’s Island when
Offshore sand and gravel extraction boon, threat
When Superstorm Sandy rolled over the Jersey shore, it washed away some 20 million cubic yards of beach sand. Replacing that resource is not optional, many believe, because decimated beaches kill tourism economies and leave coastal areas more vulnerable to damage from the next storm. So where does the sand come from to replenish, or
More markets explored for green crabs
Maine researchers and entrepreneurs continue to work hand-in-hand to identify a sustainable market for the destructive green crabs wreaking havoc in Maine’s $17 million softshell clam industry. Green crabs are predators that feed on soft shell clams, Maine’s third largest fishery. The Department of Marine Resources (DMR) reported that between 2012 and 2013, the state’s