Members of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) were in the news again as the Canadian federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) reopened Newfoundland ports to Estonian vessels but not to Danish Faroe Islands boats. Fleets from both countries had been charged with overfishing. In December DFO Minister Robert Thibault announced that the ban
Unhinged
Bantam Books, 260 pp. Hardbound, $19.95 U.S., $29.95 Canadian Eastport sleuth back on the case There’s Eastport, Maine, and then there’s Sarah Graves’s Eastport, Maine. And the latter is best summed up in her latest murder mystery, Unhinged. “It’s quiet: church socials and baked bean suppers, concerts in the band shell on the library lawn
Programming for the future
During the past six months, we’ve been thinking hard about the future – about the complex challenges facing Maine island communities, about the Institute’s various island service programs and about the financial uncertainties we have all experienced during the past few years. Three months ago, as part of a long range planning effort, we hired
Proposed Cutler center would work with addicts
The Rev. Gary DeLong, director of Maine Seacoast Mission and a native of Beal’s Island, says Washington County law enforcers estimate at least 1,000 of the county’s residents are addicted to heroin and/or oxycontin. “One addict user has a dysfunctional effect on at least five other lives,” says Delong. “That means of the 35,000 people
Harpswell fisherman forges humanitarian link with South Africa
When John Dennen and his wife, Indrani, entered the children’s ward of St. Mary’s Mission Hospital in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, the shock was so great, he said later in a dispatch to The Times Record of Brunswick, “I just wanted to run away, go back to Maine and work on my lobster boat, get
Caviar, farm-fresh!
How does farmed caviar sound? Well, if you’re American, you’re going to keep wondering. But if you’re Canadian or a citizen of just about any other country, chances are you’ll taste shortnose sturgeon caviar from a farm in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, in the near future. Sturgeon eggs or meat cannot be sold in the
State of the Port: Good Diversity is the key to Portland’s health
While 2002 handed hard economic news to much of Maine, the port of Portland remained robust, reported Jeff Monroe, Director of Ports and Transportation for Portland. Monroe delivered his report on the State of the Port 2003 at Portland’s Propeller Club in early January. Portland’s seaport continues to be one of the few U.S. ports
Research question: Could disturbing the bottom enhance fishing?
Why are some areas on the bottom of the ocean teeming with life while others are like a watery desert? Trawl fisherman and part-time collaborative research participant Marshall Alexander points out that biologically rich areas are regions that have been “worked” or dragged over. This, claims Alexander, increases productivity and hence fish abundance. Pose the
Peaks Island moves ahead on its neighborhood plan
A rough draft of the Peaks Island neighborhood community plan, completed Dec 1 by a group of residents, details a vision for the future of Peaks Island. The plan has been submitted to the community for review and comment. The goals of the neighborhood plan are to promote and sustain an affordable community with a
2002: When Trap Day became Trap Week
On Thursday, Dec. 5, I woke at six to several voices on the VHF. “Are we going?” “I’m ready!” “Yeah, ready.” And a “Yahoo!” from the captain of the STELLA. Monhegan’s lobster season had just begun. The start of Monhegan’s six month season is usually Dec. 1 (also known as Trap Day). This year a