After 30 years as a clinical psychologist in Vermont, Sally Loughridge decided to refocus. In 1999, Loughridge and her husband moved to South Bristol, Maine, where she went to work, full-time, detailing and examining marine and coastal landscapes uninfluenced by humans. She insists this current phase of her life is not a “rejection” or a
Water quality, conflicts prompt Nantucket harbor planning
There are sweet, succulent bay scallops here like you’ve never tasted — and premium water quality is the reason why. As essentials of life on Nantucket, both were the primary motivators for around 30 islanders to brainstorm and write the island’s first-ever harbor management plan in 1993 and a major revision of it in 2007.
“Small, Light and Maneuverable”A Maine-based ROV comes into its own
When Brian Ackerman was working as a chef after graduating from Loyola-Marymount College with a degree in psychology, he lived on a boat moored at Moss Landing, California. Every morning, as he watched the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) Vessel Point Lobos steam out of the harbor, he says he was thinking “I have
Landing School, others team up in Thomaston to teach marine trades
The Landing School in Arundel recently won a marine industry award for its “outstanding contribution to the boatyard and repair industry.” In late January the American Boat Builders and Repairers Association (ABBRA) presented the 2007 Dennis Snow Award to The Landing School for both the education and training provided at the school’s Arundel campus and
Ocean Gateway Complete; Mega-berth Yet to Come
After nearly a decade in the works, the first phase of Portland’s Ocean Gateway passenger terminal is finally complete and scheduled to begin operations on May 2. The project’s second phase, a mega-berth able to accommodate huge cruise ships, remains on hold until the city and developers agree on a plan to redevelop the Maine
Full Partners: Fishermen’s Wives
“I hear people in the city think it’s a big deal to have an office with a window,” said Deer Isle lobsterman Julie Eaton; “I have five windows (her boat’s windshield has four separate panes and one big pane on the side), and the view always changes.” Deer Isle sternman Kelly Ann Trundy feels the
“Sustainable” seafood goes mainstream
For years, consumers buying eco-friendly seafood represented a tiny niche. These were the early-adopters – the first to download the seafood buyer’s wallet card from marine conservation websites, the same people who would ask of their chagrinned waiter, “Was this codfish taken from a sustainably managed fishery?” Those people are no longer fringe. “Sustainable seafood”
New Institute fellow to work with Port Clyde fishermen
The Island Institute has hired Laura Kramar as a Senior Fellow in a special collaboration between the Institute and the Midcoast Fishermen’s Association (MFA) based in Port Clyde. The collaboration combines new marketing, economic and fisheries-management strategies with traditional groundfishing practices. Kramar will be assisting the MFA with developing a marketing strategy to promote Port
A Question of Scale Midwater trawlers are transforming the herring industry
The Atlantic herring fishery, long a mainstay of coastal Maine’s economy, took center stage in January at the Maine Environmental Resource Institute (MERI) in Blue Hill. As part of MERI’s winter lecture series, Peter Baker, director of the Herring Alliance (herringalliance.org), explained the significance of the fishery and recent changes that have made the herring
PEI tuna fishermen shift their market from Japan to U.S.
Fishermen today are keener and hungrier than they used to be, says Walter Bruce, long-time fisherman from South Lake, Prince Edward Island (PEI). With 48 years on the water, Bruce has fished a variety of species, with his bread and butter today being the lucrative North Shore lobster fishery. But if you want to talk