Last winter’s bitter weather was more than most people cared to tolerate, but Paul Mayewski, of Castine, had no such complaints. Director of the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine-Orono, Mayewski has made more than 35 expeditions to such unimaginably inhospitable climes as Greenland, the Arctic, the Himalayas and Antarctica documenting changes in
Writing It Down: Phippsburg fisherman chronicles life on the water
When Arthur “Sparky” Pierce was growing up in Sebasco Estates, Phippsburg, six uncles and aunts and their families lived nearby. Now, two remain. The rest and their children have scattered. During Pierce’s youth, groundfish, mackerel and shrimp were plentiful, a lobsterman could make a decent living for his family without having to unsnarl his lines
Wiscasset’s famous wrecks become a work of art
Nine years ago, after closing a successful, six-month exhibit of his ship models at the Maine Maritime Museum, in Bath, artist and modelmaker John P. Gardner and his wife, Elaine, were having lunch at Le Garage, in Wiscasset. As they gazed out at the two abandoned schooners rotting in the mud, Elaine said, “Why don’t
Attempt to change lobster limits fail
Near the end of April, a bill in the Maine legislature threatened to undo nearly 20 years of struggle toward agreement on limited entry into the lobster industry by amending license eligibility requirements to allow a small number of state residents to bypass a mandated two-year apprenticeship program. The bill, “An Act to Amend the
“Freshly cooked” is a new option at Gilmore’s in Bath
Gilmore’s Seafoods of Bath is reaching out in a new direction, with a small addition to house a take-out window for cooked seafood. Ben and Kevin Gilmore, owners of the market, say the expansion was inspired by frequent inquiries over the past few years from customers who are looking for a place to buy some
Shrimp quota increased in Atlantic Canada, but for some it’s only a band-aid
Shrimp harvesters in parts of Newfoundland and Quebec gained an overall 29 percent increase in quota for this year, including a new quota earmarked to generate funds for scientific research. While the increase is welcomed by harvesters and processors in the region, considered in the context of other fisheries and the global shrimp market, it
ISA virus found in Cobscook Bay salmon pen
Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) has once again reared its unwelcome head in Cobscook Bay. On June 12, the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) ordered the destruction of 28,000 farmed salmon in a Heritage Salmon pen located in Eastport’s Broad Cove. According to DMR Aquaculture Coordinator Andrew Fisk, the order was based on the discovery
Newfoundland’s Crab War: “lockout” or “mob rule”?
Newfoundland-Labrador fishermen, to put it mildly, have not had a good spring. First, federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Robert Thibault closed what was left of the cod fishery. Then crab processors in the province announced that they would not buy any crab catches because the market price was too low, and the plants were
Homeland security
It has been reported elsewhere that the Coast Guard has so far received only one-tenth as much money as it says it needs to do an effective job of protecting the country’s ports against terrorist attacks. And as we noted last month, the increased Coast Guard funding that has so far made it into the
Stealth taxes
As Joan Amory reports this month, commercial fishermen will see their license fees increase by 25 percent in 2004 as a direct result in the $1.1 billion revenue shortfall in the state’s General Fund. The increase will go into the General Fund to help erase the shortfall. Granted, everyone has had to do his or