Articles
Local Control: A Debate Over Casco Bay’s Future is Brewing — But Not Until Harpswell Votes
The effects of a Jan. 20 decision by Harpswell voters whether to approve a lease agreement negotiated by town leaders with Conoco Phillips and Transcanada for a $350 million liquefied natural gas terminal will extend far beyond the 70 acres that the plant would occupy at the former Navy fuel depot on Route 123. If
On the Ropes: Maine fishing communities confront Amendment 13
Oct. 15 marked the end of the official public comment period on the New England Fisheries Management Council’s strategy to rebuild groundfish stocks. The council actually developed four alternative stock rebuilding strategies, and members took their show on the road to gather testimony from all over New England. Maine’s fishing community showed up in force
Sea Change: Pew Commission attacks “antiquated” policies
On June 4, the Pew Oceans Commission released its three-year report, “America’s Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change.” The 18-member bipartisan commission included representatives from fishing, government, science, conservation, education, business and philanthropy, including Governors Tony Knowles of Alaska and George Pataki of New York. Leon Panetta, White House chief of staff under
Port security
For obvious reasons, the first target of the United States’ heightened security following the September 2001 terrorist attacks was airlines. It wasn’t long, however, before officials recognized that the nation’s seaports presented a gaping hole in the nation’s security network. In response, the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) established the first framework for security at
Fish of the Future:
By the year 2020, annual seafood demand in the United States will increase by one billion pounds. Assuming that our per-capita seafood consumption remains at its current average of 15 pounds per year, that translates to roughly three billion more pounds of landed fish. Where will all that seafood come from? The statistics and the
Coming soon …to a menu near you
Whether mainstream restaurant menus will eventually offer little-known species with curious names like snakehead depends on several factors. Name recognition is one hurdle, but marketers have a demonstrated agility overcoming that one; witness the popularity of cape shark (a re-branded spiny dogfish) and ocean catfish (Atlantic wolf fish). The perennial quip at the Seafood Show
Fencing off the ocean: Marine Protected Areas are a
The marine protected areas debate has matured to the point where everyone – government regulators, industry, scientists, environmentalists – acknowledges that marine protected areas (MPAs) are a concept that is here to stay. Depending on how you define them, despite pressure from environmentalists and the endorsement of two presidents, Clinton and now Bush, few marine
Safety Forum shifts to Maine Port Authority
On March 1, the United States Coast Guard formally becomes part of the Department of Homeland Security. Maine’s waterfront interests will be watching carefully as the agency balances its traditional marine safety and fisheries enforcement duties with the added responsibilities of countering terrorist threats in domestic waters. While the Coast Guard officially intends to maintain
Working waterfront is a scarce commodity
Rising property values and skyrocketing taxes are putting the squeeze on traditional water dependent uses in Maine’s coastal towns. Maine’s fishing industry is feeling the pinch; about 75 percent of Maine’s waterfront access for fishermen is private, and 40 percent is through residential waterfront property. Escalating taxes on these properties are pricing many fishermen off
Ted Hoskins lays down one role, takes up another
In his role as pastoral minister aboard the Sea Coast Missionary Society’s SUNBEAM, Ted Hoskins has visited Maine’s down east islands and came to know each community, each resident. Through his years of travel among them, Hoskins has connected communities together in an embrace of spiritual and civic vitality. Last month, when Hoskins retired as