In the Wilson clan, fish is a family value. Father, son and daughter all work on fisheries issues in Maine, both biological, economic and social. “We’re like people who grow up in Maine fishing families,” said Carl Wilson, 32, Maine’s lead lobster scientist with the Department of Marine Resources in Boothbay. “We grew up in
“A Keeper” Joe Payne reflects on 15 years
Standing on the Eastern Promenade in Portland, Joe Payne, Casco Baykeeper, points toward the houses on Munjoy Hill and explains he was born in Portland 58 years ago. “I spent part of my youth in the house behind that house. This is one of my favorite places in the world,” he says. “This is a
The Long View: Summah People – Some Ahrn’t
There are probably more jokes about summer people circulating through Maine island and working waterfront communities than blonde jokes or light bulb jokes or even redneck jokes. We all love to tell stories on summer people (“Oh, look at how all the fishermen in the harbor parked their boats facing in the same direction”…) The
Special Interest
To the editor: In the attempt to present a balanced perspective on complex matters, the challenge for journalists and readers alike is the same: How to distinguish between special interests and informed opinion. Since I had seen Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth,” but was not familiar with Professor Lindzen’s writings that challenge Gore’s thesis, I
More on the War of 1812
To the editor: Colin Woodard’s article “When Britain Invaded Maine” is of great interest to me as I have been researching Massachusetts’s role in the War of 1812 for nearly 50 years… Massachusetts was violently anti-war, more so than the recent Vietnam War, and the reason was political. The opposition party had won the presidency.
Risks of LNG
To the editor: The August issue of Working Waterfront contains a letter, “Thoughts on LNG,” from Jonesport resident Jerry Fernald. Mr. Fernald takes issue with St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Mayor John Craig regarding his opposition to the proposed LNG terminals on the Maine side of Passamaquoddy Bay. (Note: There is solid opposition among Canadians around
A Moose on the Loose Writes Home
“Two days ago a moose was seen on the island. It swam towards Greens Island when last seen!” — The Wind, Vinalhaven, July 20, 2006 Dear Mother, Forgive my tardiness in writing. You have been in my thoughts often, though you understandably might not think that the case. All you knew was that I suddenly
Cliff Island gets Maine’s first “public interest” pay phone
After almost three years without a working public pay phone for island emergencies, Cliff Island in Casco Bay is one step closer to reclaiming the once famous symbol of “Ma Bell” after a rousing public meeting Aug. 9. With a burst of applause, members of the annual meeting of the Cliff Island Association (CIA) unanimously
Pay Phones
Speaking of trends, it’s been a while since most of us fished dimes and quarters out of our pockets to make a call on a pay phone. In fact, look around you: seen a pay phone lately, with or without a booth around it? There aren’t many of them left, and on islands the number
From the Deck:Celebrating the Working Waterfront
“Variety” is the word for the BoatBuilder’s Festival celebrated in East Boothbay on August 6. The day was not long enough to visit every craft in this festival and limited space prevents listing each here, but we can illustrate the variety. To start with the big vessels, we saw Washburn & Doughty’s big steel tug,