Storm surges coinciding with a high tide can be particularly concerning, add to that a full moon and you have a guarantee of some coastal flooding. The role that rising sea level has in this equation may be more than linear. Some scientists are predicting that rising sea level will also mean higher tidal amplitude
The Mortal Sea: Fishing the Atlantic in the Age of Sail
The stories are well-known: European seafarers and explorers encountered a western Atlantic Ocean filled with numerous, large, and robust fish, unlike anything they had seen before. According to W. Jeffrey Bolster, who begins his book on the other side of the Atlantic, these early documentarians did not realize that the abundance they saw in American
New Families Take Advantage of Chebeague’s Affordable Housing
In the last six months, Chebeague Island has welcomed two new families into the recently finished affordable housing duplex on Schoolhouse Road. Although neither family had any direct ties to Chebeague before making the move, it was more than just the availability of housing that drew them to the island. They found job opportunities, a
A Conversation with Author George Daughan
I met George Daughan when we sat next to each other at the Books in Boothbay Book Fair last summer. I had read his latest book 1812: The Navy’s War, and was interested to hear how he developed his particular approach to history as well as to learn about his career as a teacher and
From King Crie to Admiral K
Why do small island communities seem to produce such outsized characters every generation that define an entire era? Criehaven certainly has. Criehaven is the outermost inhabited harbor in the lower 48 of the United States, 28 miles off Midcoast Maine on Ragged Island, also known as “Ragged Arse.” For three quarters of a century, the
Maine Shrimp Industry Braces for Short Season
In December, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission announced a 72 percent cut for the 2013 shrimping season, and Maine’s shrimping community is scrambling to adapt. The commission announced to set a quota of 625 metric tons, down from 2,400 metric tons in 2012, and stagger the season to start January 22 for trawlers and
Technology Aids in Delivering Healthcare on Swan’s Island
Early in 2012, 78-year-old Gerald Matthews nearly lost his life. He was transported from Swan’s Island to Mount Desert Island Hospital in Bar Harbor, where he was quickly assessed, found to be in serious condition, and transferred to Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC) in Bangor. Matthews’ heart stopped several times, but physicians at EMMC were
Downeast, the Movie
I should have been a pair of ragged claws scuttling across the floors of silent seas T.S Eliot One thing the new documentary, “Downeast,” from the experienced filmmaking pair David Redmon and Ashley Sabin, gets right is the title. For many outsiders, “Downeast,” begins almost anywhere east of Portland on the Maine coast. But
The Waning of Political Power for Fishermen?
There is a long and storied history of great supporters of fisheries and the fishing industry in Congress. The late Senator Warren Magnuson of Washington was a lover of the marine environment and helped pen the Marine Mammal Protection Act in order to protect the Orca whales of Puget Sound. Additionally, he developed and lent
Lobstermen Debate Tiered Licenses
Hundreds of lobster fishermen turned out for 16 Department of Marine Resources meetings along the coast and islands in January to discuss the industry’s entry system, poor prices and the prospect that, despite record landings, the resource will one day decline. Of the islands, approximately 50 fishermen turned out on Swan’s and 80 on Vinalhaven.