Selective Gear

Nets that will keep targeted species and allow others to escape have long been the goal of fishermen and researchers trying to solve the thorny and wasteful problem of bycatch. But now the pressure is even greater, as New England fishermen desperately try to survive crushing regulations. Selective gear may not be a “silver bullet”

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Architect visits Islesboro school

On April 22, Islesboro students welcomed environmental architect Brian Kent and his wife, Janet, to the island to learn about environmentally responsible design. The Kents arrived at the school for their three-day residency in their Honda hybrid electric/gas automobile, explaining to students that they’ve been living for the past 24 years in what they described

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Deer, islands and people

In a simpler time, wildlife managers kept deer herds at stable levels by issuing hunting licenses to hunters, who eagerly did their part in thinning the herd to a size that biologists considered optimal. Hunting remains the primary management tool used to control the size of the herd, but keeping island deer herds in check

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Municipal fish piers face tougher times

Along the Maine waterfront there are a number of municipally owned docking, berthing, unloading and service facilities dedicated to the commercial fishing industry. In these times of declining fish stocks, ever-changing regulations, and rising pressures for recreational and non-marine uses of waterfront property, some of these fish piers have been facing uneasy and threatened futures.

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Maine Cat on the move

The cats in Muscongus Bay are bigger and faster these days, and may soon move to Rockland or Thomaston. These aren’t felines. These are catamarans, built by Maine Cat in sizes up to 38 feet long. Dick and Lynn Vermeulen started the business in their Jefferson garage, building 22 foot fiberglass catamarans, in 1993. A

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Small-boat fishermen fear for their future

Some small-boat fishermen believe the current stringent regulations are not just designed to save the fish, but to get rid of the fishermen. Unless the federal judge who imposed the new rules can be convinced to change them or Congressional pleas to the federal government succeed in softening the restrictions, a new groundfishing plan that

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