“You have to be in a fast boat with a good driver,” said photographer Sam Murfitt, describing one way to get great action shots of racing boats. Having spent the last five years documenting different aspects of Maine’s working waterfront including lobsterboat races, the races almost synonymous with Jonesport, Murfitt had thousands of choices when
New rules in place to help Bar Harbor cope with bigger cruise ships
Since 2000, Bar Harbor has steadily increased as Maine’s most popular cruise ship port of call. “The cruise ship industry has been growing very quickly,” says Chris Fogg, executive director of the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce. “In 2000, 30 ships visited, but this year 96 cruise liners are scheduled to dock here-and we’re a
Island Institute announces Four-Season Island Agriculture Fund awards
The Island Institute is pleased to announce those who have received awards through the Four-Season Island Agriculture Fund. The fund was launched in May 2009, so this was the first year of grants. Awards have been made to support 12 island farming and gardening programs, for a total of $10,000. The fund seeks to support
The spiny dogfish: a fish for the recession
Every late June/early July, Maine’s coast is just the right temperature for the spiny dogfish. These long, flat sharks, with their pointed snouts and white bellies, cruise the ocean’s sandy, muddy floor, feasting on young ground fish. While all the young cod, halibut, haddock and flounder (to name a few) try to grow; it’s this
Cod farming returns to Maine
“The best case scenario,” says George Nardi of his Atlantic cod aquaculture venture in Frenchman Bay, “is pretty simple: We’ll be able to grow, harvest and sell fish for more money than it costs us.” That, he adds, would lay the groundwork for expanding this experimental project into a full-fledged industry. The only other cod
Barge-borne refinery sections make voyage from Maine to Texas
A second load of oil-refinery “modules” left Brewer in mid-June, bound for the Gulf of Mexico. Built at the Cianbro Corporation’s Eastern Manufacturing Facility in Brewer, the four modules were loaded onto a barge that was to be towed 2,300 miles to the Motiva refinery in Port Arthur, Texas. The barging is by Columbia Coastal
Ferry ramp work poses transportation challenge for Islesboro
Depending on whom you ask, the time between September 28 and November 2 is going to be misery for Islesboro islanders, or lots of ferry-less fun as the bridge structures and ramps are replaced at both the island and Lincolnville Beach terminals. The Margaret Chase Smith, which holds up to 30 cars, will have to
Desperate Canadian lobstermen say $65 million pledge from government is not enough
On June 10 Canadian Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea announced that the federal government will make a $65 million investment to help the Atlantic Canada lobster industry. “Our government stands on the side of affected fishers and families whose livelihoods depend on the lobster industry,” Shea said when announcing the aid package. The fishermen
Artist braves island winters for different view of Islesboro
Islanders are accustomed to seeing brush-wielding artists standing before easels in picturesque locations: near a lighthouse, overlooking a harbor full of boats, or a fetching cove with mountains in the background. Seagulls, schooners, blue water, lupines, and puffy white clouds are standard fare of the summer art scene in Maine, naturally enough with fine weather
Parallel 44
Across the water in Nova Scotia, the provincial government has issued treasure-hunting permits to the current owners of the Oak Island Money Pit, site of perhaps the most famous and enduring buried treasure legend. Members of Michigan-based Oak Island Tours have said they will be moving forward with digs in the “very near future.” For