Articles
Oceans Past: Management Insights from the History of Marine Animal Populations
Earthscan, London, England 2008. Hardcover, 213 pages, $127 Connecting ocean changes with modern culture Oceans Past is an academic compilation, written by a multi-disciplinary team of historians, marine biologists, and others, which aims to provide an academic view of historical changes in ocean ecosystems. Each of the eleven chapters stands alone as a case-study of
Vinalhaven may renew tidal power station
Vinalhaven was once famous for its export of polished granite, but few folks know today that much of that granite was smoothed in a shop run by tidal power. As fuel prices rise today and islanders look to alternative energy sources, tidal power is again raising interest. A collaborative group is now looking to rebuild
Foxes in the Salty Henhouse
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, tasked with, among other things, managing the nation’s fisheries resources, has recently announced plans to shift control of the at-sea fishery observer program over to the very fishing industry that is being observed. If this plan goes through, it could seriously degrade the truth and validity of these important
The Zen of Fish
HarperCollins, 2007 Hardcover, $24.95 Looking Closely at the Folks in the White Coats Maine is a contributor to the world of sushi, as the source of two of the primary species that go into the cuisine. In the summer we export fantastically large and fantastically expensive bluefin tuna, and in the winter this contribution is
Keeping the lights on Island co-ops pay more for electricity
Many island electrical consumers have experienced sharp increases in their rates for service. Most are wondering what the future winter heating season — and years to come — might look like in terms of rates. The story varies from community to community, as there are a number of different service providers. This month, Working Waterfront
Swimming in Circles: Aquaculture and the End of Wild Oceans
Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2006 www.thundersmouth.com 344 pages, $15.95 An Unvarnished Look at Aquaculture This book is split between two seemingly very different areas — the foggy and rocky Maine coast and the parched and sandy Sonoran desert shoreline of northwestern Mexico, but writer Paul Molyneaux draws them together through their shared industrial history of aquaculture.
New research group to investigate ocean power sources
A new organization, The Ocean Energy Institute, has set up shop in Rockland’s South End, and aims to reduce fossil fuel use through supporting the development of new methods of generating both electricity and liquid fuels from marine sources. The group will be housed in the former MBNA complex on Water Street, overlooking the inner
New England is cool to area-based fisheries management
As New England groundfish managers grind slowly into the process of developing a 16th amendment to an already altered and not very successful groundfish management plan, there have been calls to look at very different alternative methods for rebuilding this most iconic and beleaguered of fisheries. The current system relies on limits on “Days at
California becomes first state to designate large marine protected areas
State officials in California have approved sweeping expansions of the state’s marine protected areas, closing or restricting fishing activities in a total of over 200 square miles. This legislation, authorized by the California Marine Life Protection Act of 1999, places California in the forefront of states taking action to restrict fishing activities in near shore
Cookbooks
Ocean Friendly Cuisine: Sustainable Seafood Recipes from the World’s Finest Chefs By James O. Fraioli, with a foreword Jean-Michel Cousteau Willow Creek Books, in association with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, 2005 Hardcover, 231 pages, $35.00 North Atlantic Seafood: A Comprehensive Guide with Recipes By Alan Davidson Ten Speed Press, 2003 Paperback, 512 pages We Are