By Stephen Rappaport, Working Waterfront Reprinted with permission Like the schools of menhaden that roil the summer waters off the coast of Maine, a proposed law that would open that lucrative fishery to more participants has been raising turmoil among fishermen, legislators, and state regulators. Menhaden has become a significant part of the bait supply for Maine’s lobster industry, especially over the past several years when herring have been in short supply. The debate over how many...

By Julia Tilton, Maine Monitor. Reprinted with permission Karen Stamieszkin, a senior research scientist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, was out on the Gulf of Maine three years ago when she saw red pooling in different directions beneath the waves: a large spring bloom of plankton. “You could see these plumes of this fat, rich copepod population right at the surface,” said Stamieszkin, referring to a type of tiny crustacean. “That is what drives the Gulf of Maine’s iconic...

By Brian Robbins 2025 saw a mix of projects in Maine’s boatbuilding shops –new boats and older boats reborn (refurbished and/or repowered), boats targeted at fishing up in the bays, and bigger hulls built to run off outside. Hutchinson Composites adds a 4' extension to their 42'x15' model to create the Mussel Ridge 46 hull. Two of the fleet’s new additions were for veteran lobstermen who have put in their time on the water, paid their dues, and aren’t ready to hang up their oil pants just...