Prospect Harbor’s sardine cannery is about to begin a new chapter in its history as a lobster processing facility. For purchaser Antonio Bussone, the idea is new, too. Bussone, president of the Chelsea, Massachusetts-based Live Lobster Co., Inc, and Stonington-based lobster and bait company, Lobster Web Co., Inc., first began researching the pros and cons
Fish fry funds scholarships in Stonington
The Fish N’ Frittery Fry is as much a July Forth tradition in Stonington as the fireworks that launch from the pier. The Fry, a fundraiser to provide scholarships for students from fishing families on Deer Isle, has become a local tradition and a unique tourist attraction for over 20 years. Hundreds of tourists gather
Islesboro students get eye-opening results from deer study
A recent and startling increase in tick-borne Lyme disease among Islesboro residents gave nine students in Islesboro Central School’s ninth grade, and two of their teachers, science teacher Heather Sinclair and business and computer education teacher Vicki Conover, a unique and perfect opportunity to combine classroom and experiential learning. To examine the connection between the
Matinicus Elementary School: How things really work
He may pause and wonder for a moment just what he’s gotten himself into. Each summer, visitors to Matinicus ask questions about our little school. Misconceptions about our island school, one of the last remaining one-room schools in the country, abound. As a former teacher, former school district bookkeeper, parent of former island students, classroom
Chebeague explores economics of farming
If you haven’t visited Chebeague in the last 10 years, you might not recognize certain parts of the Island. Near the school’s baseball field are the newly-built raised beds for the students’ garden, crowded with ripening tomatoes, carrots and beets. At the crest of tree-lined Roy Hill Road sits a wooden farm stand, its shelves
Maine’s lobster processers get the OK to sell claws
In 2007, Portland Shellfish President Jeff Holden and Export Sales and Marketing Manager Emily Lane made the finals at the Brussels Seafood Show in the Prix d’Elite competition for two new products: Lobster Cocktail Claws, which have the cap of the shell removed, and Triple-scored Lobster Claws, which are made easy to snap off in
Hidden History of Maine
The title of this tidy digest of Maine history is a bit misleading. Yes, author Harry Gratwick does, as former Island Institute Publications Director David Tyler notes in his foreword, unearth some “captivating stories about Mainers you probably haven’t heard about before.” Yet they are all part of a well-documented history-and to the author’s credit,
Fox Islands Electric Cooperative holds annual meeting
On July 26, approximately 150 residents met at the Vinalhaven School for the 35th annual meeting of the Fox Islands Electric Cooperative membership. Elliot Brown presided, joined by fellow board members Addison Ames, Marjorie Stratton, Bobby Warren, Wyman Philbrook, Peter Drury, Paul Quinn and Rex Crockett. Fox Islands Electric Cooperative (FIEC) General Manager Charles “Chip”
Fathoming: Oil in the Gulf of Mexico: Not as far away as you think
Hundreds of sea turtles, more than sixty porpoises and a sperm whale have been found dead in the Gulf of Mexico region since the BP oil disaster began. As of mid-July, an area of almost 84,000 square miles, over one-third of the Gulf of Mexico, was closed to fishing. While the impacts of the spill
Artists of Archipelago: Penobscot Bay
As a program of the Island Institute, Archipelago gives artists and island-inspired art and craft a mainland venue. Here is a small sampling of our many artists from the Penobscot Bay region. Stephanie Crossman of Gram J’s on Vinalhaven uses traditional knotted netting to make shopping bags and pocket bags in a rainbow of colors.