The 34th annual Maine Fishermen’s Forum will be held on March 5, 6, and 7 at the Samoset Resort in Rockland. The following are sessions in which work has been done in collaboration with the Island Institute. For more information and the full schedule of sessions go to: http://www.mainefishermensforum.org/ “Economics 101-Marketing” On Thursday of the
Opening notes on Long Island
For the past year, Long Island resident Katie Norton has been teaching students traditional fiddle music. A musician for 20 years and a teacher for 10, Norton said she started lessons on the island with just one student and now has a dozen. And, thanks to the town’s Recreation Department, that number will continue to
Interesting weather
Winter, at least in the Northeast, is a time where weather ascends to the topmost levels of our consciousness. It determines what we do, where we go and whether we can accomplish certain things at all. This year in Maine we’ve already had an ice storm that knocked out electricity for thousands, and snowstorms that
Green certification threatens independence of Maine lobstermen
This is in response to Nancy Griffin’s Working Waterfront article “Is ‘green’ certification an answer?” (November, 2008). As the daughter of a retired lobsterman who has spent over 50 years on the water, I’ve personally seen the rise, prosperity, and decline of the Maine lobster industry over the last 30 years. I felt disbelief and then concern
Maine island native lends a hand through journey to India
When Britt Crossman graduated from college last spring she had no idea what her future held. Her plan was to return home to Vinalhaven for the summer, and hope that something presented itself. By mid-summer, it had. Crossman has incorporated her dreams of travel and desire to volunteer into a compelling job: she is currently
Responding to hard times
This has been called the worst financial crisis in United States history since the Great Depression. Companies are closing down and people are losing jobs. In Maine, entire industries-such as lobstering-have suffered enormously. Virtually no one is immune to this economic meltdown, including the Island Institute, which publishes the Inter-Island News/Working Waterfront. Everyone in this
A place for elders on the island
It is a cold, sunny day, perhaps one of the last chances for elderly residents to emerge from their nest at the Island Commons before the coming winter. They shuffle into the Chebeague community hall with their coats and canes, appetites spiked for the monthly senior luncheon. The kitchen bustles with activity as ladies wearing
Cutting-edge technology comes to Maine island schools
Have you ever wished you could teleport somewhere new and exciting? If only real life were to catch up with “Star Trek” imagine how much more convenient our lives would be. The island schools of Frenchboro, Swans, Islesford, Matinicus, Monhegan, and Isle au Haut have been experimenting with a new technology that has catapulted their
A chance to get it right
The City of Portland has an opportunity most of us never get in our lives: a chance to do it over and get it right the second time. On Jan. 16, Portland Mayor Jill Duson announced that the developer Ocean Properties withdrew from negotiations with the city to redevelop Maine State Pier. This comes just
Port Clyde fishermen test fishing gear that reduces bycatch
The Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) in collaboration with the Island institute and the Midcoast Fishermen’s Association (MFA) has just completed research confirming that fishing gear modifications by the MFA improve trawl selectivity and reduce the capture of non-commercial fish. “In 2007 fishermen from Port Clyde formed the MFA with a goal to restore