CASTINE — It wasn’t that long ago that just about the only maritime jobs open to women were limited to the housekeeping and stewards departments on commercial vessels and large yachts. On the first weekend of November, Maine Maritime Academy and the Federal Maritime Administration (MARAD) hosted an event that reflects the changes in the …
DEER ISLE — Two Hancock County lobstermen are among the four lucky winners of a Department of Marine Resources lottery for the opportunity to get a scallop dragger license in time for the upcoming fishing season. The winners have the chance to become the first new entrants into the scallop fishery since 2009. More than …
ELLSWORTH — The courts of Hancock County took a solemn break from their usual business last Friday for a memorial ceremony honoring members of the county bar association who died in recent years. In a formal, oral motion, Bar Harbor attorney Lynne Williams asked the Superior Court overseen by Justice Bruce C. Mallonee “to pause …
ELLSWORTH — A federal administrative law judge has ruled that Maine Coast Hospital engaged in unfair labor practices when it fired an employee for writing a letter to the editor that was critical of the hospital. The judge also ruled that the hospital must offer the former employee, Karen-Jo Young, her job back and compensate …
BEALS — For years, Maine shellfish harvesters have been complaining that there are fewer softshell clams while arguing that the diggers who go out on the mud flats aren’t the cause of the problem. A recent study by researchers from NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources backs them up …
ELLSWORTH — The wait will soon be over for gourmets and harvesters who yearn to know whether Maine shrimp will be on their plates — or in their nets — this winter. Next week, fisheries regulators will meet over two days in Portland to consider the health of the Northern Shrimp resource and changes to …
ELLSWORTH — It’s no secret that commercial fishing can be an extremely dangerous occupation. According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Center for Maritime Safety and Health Studies, the rate of fatalities in commercial fishing is more than 30 times higher than the average industrial fatality rate and falling overboard is the …
ELLSWORTH — The jump from processing insurance claims to registering new vessel ownership with the U.S. Coast Guard may seem a long one, but for Susan Brown, owner of the Bayside Documentation Co,. the transition was natural and successful. More than two decades ago, Brown moved to Downeast Maine from Vermont and took a clerical …
PORTLAND — It’s no secret that shellfish aquaculture is expanding rapidly in Maine with the farming of oysters leading the charge. In 2013, according to the Department of Marine Resources, oyster landings in Maine totaled some 966,167 pounds, virtually all of it farmed product, worth about $2.4 million. Last year, Maine producers landed some 2.7 …
ELLSWORTH — The Department of Marine Resources has adopted a new program to provide funding for Atlantic salmon recovery work and reduce regulatory hurdles for road and bridge construction projects. The Atlantic Salmon Restoration and Conservation Program gives public and private parties working on road and bridge construction projects the flexibility to pay a fee …
