VINALHAVEN — The summer of 2012 was a dark time for lobstermen, as a glut of product depressed boat prices to historic lows. It was the summer Byron Thomas began his first serious foray into the industry, hauling traps by hand from a skiff. “At a certain point, he couldn’t go,” remembers Yvonne Thomas, his
Chebeague conference to be ‘marketplace for ideas’
The term “off the grid” conjures up images of survivalists, back-to-the-landers, energy efficiency geeks and on-the-run criminals. But another way to understand the phrase is as a description of those who choose to live and work in out-of-the-way places. Places like Maine, jutting up into the northeast corner of the national map. Places like islands
Changing wind direction should not blow Maine off course
The University of Maine’s bid to land $47 million from the Department of Energy to study and develop electric generation from floating turbines off the coast came up short. DOE did give UMaine and its composite R&D center $3 million to continue its work, but there’s no way to spin this as good news. At
Feds to sell Boon Island, Halfway Rock
BOSTON, Mass. — Two Maine islands with lighthouses will be sold by online bid in late May or early June. The General Services Administration (GSA) has taken possession of Boon Island and Halfway Rock from the U.S. Coast Guard and expects to start bidding at $5,000. “When the Coast Guard deems them no longer necessary,
Offshore wind setback a ‘relief’ for many on Monhegan
MONHEGAN PLANTATION — When the news broke on May 7 that Maine Aqua Ventus had not received a $47 million federal grant for an offshore wind project off of Monhegan Island, Tara Hire felt one overwhelming emotion: relief. “For me personally, it’s a relief,” Hire said. “We’re a small community. And this issue had become
Lobster larvae are missing in action
For lobster in the Gulf of Maine, it may be the best of times and the worst of times. In recent years, lobstermen enjoyed record-breaking landings and relatively strong prices. But now ocean researchers are warning that they can’t find lobster larvae in the usual places. If, as is feared, the number of lobster larvae
Lobster shells as manufacturing ingredient
Each year, processors dispose of thousands of pounds of lobster shells left behind after the meat is removed. Researchers have been examining ways to use the discarded shells in products ranging from fish food to golf balls, which could provide revenue that would be funneled back into the industry. Beth Fulton, a food science student
‘Trying on’ Peaks Island for a weekend
There were a lot of things I thought I knew about islands. My biggest assumption was that islands themselves were this large community—where people from Isle au Haut were good friends with folks from Matinicus and Chebeague and had spent a lot of time on the other islands. It wasn’t until moving out to Isle
Maine Aqua Ventus unsuccessful in bid for federal wind power funds
According to reports by the Portland Press Herald, Maine Aqua Ventus’ MAV I project, which would have placed two wind turbines in the state-designated test site off of Monhegan Island, was not selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to receive a large federal grant. Three competing projects, located in Oregon, New Jersey, and Virginia,
Fox Islands Electric Coop gets $593,000 in loan guarantees from USDA for ‘smart grid’
VINALHAVEN — The ratepayer-owned Fox Islands Electric Coop was among those winning funding from USDA Rural Development to upgrade its systems with “smart grid” equipment and improve distribution lines. The money comes in the form of loan guarantees. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the funding winners on May 6. The money will go to projects