The Penobscot Marine Museum plans to mount an exhibit on the lobstering industry this summer in Searsport. “Lobsta! From Bait to the Plate” will show something of the life of lobsters, the work needed to catch them and what Maine’s lobstermen and scientists do to ensure that dinners will continue to be served. “It’s going
School Consolidation
Maine’s movement toward school consolidation is sounding more and more like political campaigning. Proponents of bigger-is-more-efficient are seemingly oblivious of mounting evidence that merging school districts won’t save the money they claim it will. Worse, they continue to ignore the achievements of small community schools, including many on Maine’s islands. Maine’s commissioner of education has
Feel-Good Food
Every minute of the day and night, someone’s trying to convince us to buy something (or not buy something else). Maine-grown oysters are hyped for their fine taste, described in terms a wine taster would envy. Seafood is classified as sustainable (and therefore worthy) or otherwise, using screening systems developed by conservation organizations. Such “niche”
Scaling Up the Schools: On Islands, Bigger Doesn’t Mean Cheaper
Citing anticipated declining student populations and high per-pupil costs, Maine Gov. John Baldacci recommended the consolidation of school districts and unions in his Jan. 20 State of the State speech. The governor has cited eight school administrative districts with fewer than 250 students as ideal areas for consolidation. Four of these districts – North Haven,
Seafood Processors Face New Labeling Rules
If nothing changes between now and Sept. 30, the seafood industry will be required to label nearly all its products to identify the country where the fish or shellfish originated, even though all other food products were allowed an extra two years to comply with a new law. Seafood producers that import raw material from
Deer Control Debated on Islands
The numbers are in from the winter’s deer hunts in Casco Bay. Twenty deer were taken from Peaks Island, 25 from Cliff Island, and approximately 50 from Long Island. Growing whitetail deer populations are of particular concern for the bay’s islands, where milder winters and an absence of natural predators provide favorable conditions. When deer
“The Burgundy of Oysters”: In the Private-Label Oyster World, the Language Says it All
On a typical evening in Manhattan, deep in the heart of the trendy East Village, the foodies at Jack’s Luxury Oyster Bar are gobbling up Maine oysters and calling them downright “creamy.” “Have you noticed the seaweed finish on this Pemaquid?” you might overhear someone saying in a phrase worthy of a wine connoisseur. In
Tracking Cod
Over 48,000 codfish are currently swimming around the Gulf of Maine with sporty yellow two-inch plastic tags in their backs, thanks to a collaborative study investigating cod movement and migration. The Northeast Regional Cod Tagging Program has completed the first year of its two-year study, and is hoping for a similarly successful second year. “We
Guilt-Free Seafood
You’ve decided to meet a few friends for dinner at your favorite seafood restaurant. As the conversation focuses on the menu, someone brandishes a wallet card and says, “Wait. Before you order the baked scallops, are you sure it’s ok? Guilt-free, that is. George’s Bank scallop is rebuilding, but is it sustainable? They’re in the
The Island’s True Child
The last present under our Christmas tree was the late Dorothy Simpson’s book The Island’s True Child sent by a friend from the island where we summer and where, from about 1907 to 1944, Dot Simpson had grown up. When our house was quiet again, I began to read her memoirs of a childhood on