Articles
The CAT comes to Portland: CAT spokesman: Portland operations will be safe and reliable
Donald Cormier came to Portland again last week to work with city officials and assure others that The Cat ferry service between Portland and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, will be efficient, environmentally responsible and above all, safe. The Cat, a high-speed catamaran, expects to start the run on Friday, May 26. Cormier, Vice President of Operations
New Portland Research Institute welcomes middle school students to labs
This school year each of Maine’s nearly 16,000 fifth or sixth graders will be doing some detective work at the new Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) in Portland. The GMRI, which officially opened Oct. 1, is committed to busing every upper level elementary student in Maine to the Commercial Street campus, where each will
CONFERENCE: Ecotourism could help Downeast economics
In the midst of the first ecotourism conference held in the United States, Judy East, Director of Washington County Council of Governments, unveiled Hancock and Washington counties’ plans to develop sustainable tourism there. It’s a tall order for the state’s two easternmost counties, both economically stressed. “Hancock County has a 23 percent share of Maine’s
The Yeas and the Nays – Legislature passes some fisheries bills, kills others
The way Dennis Damon sees it, the real story about a season’s lawmaking is the bills that don’t make it out of committee. Senator Damon (D-Swan’s Island) is co-chair of the legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources. In this session more than 3,000 proposed bills never made it. Another story, says Damon, is that
A Bond Issue for Working Waterfronts
This summer the Maine Legislature approved a $12 million bond package for The Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) program. Of that amount, $2 million is fixed specifically for keeping working waterfront lands in private ownership. “There was a strong bipartisan desire to do something in this area,” commented David Etnier, Maine’s Deputy Commissioner of Marine
Legislature OKs another current-use tax referendum
Heeding the need to maintain fishermen’s access to the water, both houses of the Maine Legislature voted this session to pass a resolution to tax their property at current use. Because the resolution is to change the constitution to assess at current use “waterfront land used for or that supports commercial fishing activities,” both houses
SCOTIA PRINCE cancels season; Portland looks for alternatives
In early April, just a few days from the start of its 2005 season, the owners of the SCOTIA PRINCE abruptly cancelled the sailing season. They cited toxic mold in Portland’s International Marine Terminal as grounds for terminating the season. The ferry, with a capacity for 1,000 passengers, has made the run between Portland, Maine,
Merrill Marine sells its Portland terminal
Sprague Energy Corporation will purchase Merrill Marine Terminal Services, Inc., on Portland’s waterfront. Located on the Fore River inside the Casco Bay Bridge, Merrill Marine Terminal has been a vital part of the working waterfront for 25 years. P.D. (Paul) Merrill, president, said that he had been in conversation with Sprague over the years, but
Portland Fish Exchange – Fuel prices, lower volume hurt fishermen’s bottom line
The federal fishing regulations in force since last May 1 continue to challenge fishermen, fish markets and fish policy makers. Known as Amendment 13, the regulations severely restrict effort on groundfish stocks traditionally fished by New England fishermen. Hank Soule, manager of the Portland Fish Exchange, reports that fish prices since May 1 average out
SHAMROCK: “A Glorified Collections Case”
For most of the summer an empty container vessel has been riding at anchor in Portland harbor. In July, U.S. Marshals arrested SHAMROCK for defaulting to its creditors. SHAMROCK was the only container ship to service Portland. Container cargo shipments in and out of the port stopped with its impoundment, a blow to Portland’s International