From the Sea Up

If you talk to any fisherman in Maine about the impacts of warming waters, you’re guaranteed to hear about biofouling at some point. To put it bluntly, biofouling mucks up gear. Critters and plants like kelp, sponges, mussels, sea squirts, and algae grow thick on lobster traps and oyster cages, making maintaining gear and harvesting catch more challenging. Every inch of gear that is covered by biofouling organisms is an inch of gear that wild harvesters and sea farmers have to routinely clean to keep gear functional.In this episode we’ll meet sea farmers who are tackling the issue of biofouling in unique and practical ways. On Great Cranberry island: an oyster farmer has found a better way for her team to flip oyster cages, a process necessary to stave off biofouling, and she’s even experimenting with introducing some predators onto the farm. And in southern Maine: a company that developed a plastic-free alternative to oyster bags is testing that product as a promising solution to biofouling on scallop lanterns nets. 

In this episode of From the Sea Up, we explore how adaptation can take shape not just on the water, but in the way businesses are structured. We hear from Kristin Isfeld, an oyster and kelp farmer in Casco Bay who joined the Maine Family Sea Farm Cooperative to share infrastructure, reduce risk, and keep her operation small and flexible. And further up the coast, we meet Seraphina Erhart, the general manager of Maine Coast Sea Vegetables, an employee-owned company built on slow growth, high quality seaweed products, and long-term relationships with wild harvesters.Together, these stories show how cooperative and employee-owned models can help coastal businesses respond to environmental and economic change — by spreading risk, sharing resources, and building resilience without pushing ecosystems or communities beyond their limits.Please note: When this interview with Kristin Isfeld was conducted she was still living and working in Maine and part of the Maine Family Sea Farms Cooperative. Though she is no longer oyster farming on Maine’s waterfront, she offers valuable insight into the inner workings of this unique economic model.

Climate change makes the future of high-value species uncertain. As the ocean and its systems change and become more unpredictable, so do the species that follow them in order to survive. For fishermen that rely on these species, this shift in patterns make it difficult to earn a living working on the water and preserve Maine’s traditional blue economy. Some fishermen and seafood dealers are exploring ways to adapt to this unpredictable future by not only diversifying what they catch, but where and how they market and sell their product.In 2021, Libby Davis of Portland started Ladyshuckers, a catering and event company that’s helped put Maine oysters on the map and redefined how customers interact with these idiosyncratic bivalves. And, in Belfast, Sadie Samuels shifted her lobstering business to focus on direct marketing her catch - she opened a food truck, then a brick-and-mortar restaurant, and sells right off the boat. By direct marketing products and connecting directly with the public, these industry innovators and others all along the Maine coast have created more resilient business models.

Maine’s lobster industry is changing. You may have heard about lobster populations moving to northern waters or about fishery regulations that make lobstermen question the future of the lobster industry as the cost of doing business in the working waterfront increases. For lobstermen Krista Tripp and Emma Fernald, those uncertainties have led them to diversify the species harvest, grow, and sell, seeking out and growing alternative species like elvers, oysters, and scallops. Emma and Krista are strengthening their livelihood in the working waterfront by diversifying their work, building businesses in both wild harvest and aquaculture fisheries and exploring the potential of new species and seafood products. Through programs like Fishing Plus, Island Institute is supporting new entrepreneurial ventures on the working waterfront.

In the newest episode of Island Institute’s From the Sea Up podcast, we’re exploring where data meets Maine’s marine economy. Learn how two Maine businesses, Marine Solar Technologies and Ocean Data Network, are driving innovation in the blue economy while filling gaps in marine oceanography. 

When we talk about “innovation” a lot of times what we’re talking about is how companies increase profit and efficiency, while also improving the environment and sustainability. We’re going to spend this episode focusing on innovations in the supply chain and, specifically, how one Maine company, Luke’s Lobster, worked with Island Institute to assess the carbon footprint of a single lobster - from bait to plate. We’ll hear how Luke’s Lobster is making changes along that supply chain to lower the carbon footprint of the lobster they process, pack, ship, and serve.

In this episode, we’re focusing on innovation in workforce training and education. The Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership is just one organization in a growing network of programs that support workforce development for Maine's Blue Economy. In this episode, we'll travel to Hurricane Island and learn how the organization serves students, researchers, fishermen, and ocean harvesters. And then we'll hear from Jaclyn Robidoux, at Maine Sea Grant, about the collaborative Aquaculture in Shared Waters program and how it is adapting to offer targeted training to better support women and non-binary folks in aquaculture. 

In this episode, we’ll hear from four entrepreneurs, Patrick and Amber of Marin Skincare, and Inga Potter and Krista Rosen of Cold Current Kelp. These business owners are rethinking the uses for two of Maine’s prominent marine species - lobster and kelp - and, in the process, they’re creating markets that go beyond seafood. We’ll learn how they built these businesses from the ground-up and how they are contributing to innovations in Maine’s Blue Economy. 

When Abby Barrows and Ben Jackson of Deer Isle Oyster Company bought their oyster farm, they inherited a lot of gear. And all of that gear was made of plastic. For Abby, a marine researcher focused on microplastics in the world’s oceans, this was a big problem. So, Abby and Ben set out to try to change the amount of plastic on their oyster farm. Along with other innovators like Katie Weiler at Viable Gear in Portland, Maine they’re coming up with plastic-free solutions for fisheries and sea farms.In this episode, we’re hearing stories about innovation in materials on Maine’s coast. We’ll learn how Deer Isle Oyster Company and Viable Gear are forging ahead with research and development to try to reduce plastic in the ocean. These individuals and businesses demonstrate how much effort goes into innovation, and how even the smallest change can have a huge impact on the sustainability of our fisheries. 

Islesford resembles a lot of Maine’s outer islands. It has a population that fluctuates with the seasons, multi-generational year-round families, and a community of artists and fishermen. But when you arrive on this island, you may notice something different about Islesford’s waterfront. The roof of the lobster co-op, a classic wooden structure on a long wharf, is completely covered in solar panels.In this season of Island Institute’s podcast “From the Sea Up,” we’re talking about innovation - and bringing you stories about the communities and businesses who are boldly pursuing climate solutions to support the future of Maine's marine economy. This episode looks at how Maine communities and working waterfronts are transitioning away from fossil fuels towards energy solutions that are better for the environment and more cost-effective. From electric boats to solar energy, these transitions will make Maine’s coastal towns and islands more resilient - but access to these kinds of energy solutions is still limited. There are hurdles that the state, utility companies, and individual communities need to overcome - and the problems require flexible, collaborative solutions.

In the town of Cape Elizabeth, in Southern Maine, there’s one last strip of commercial access on the waterfront. This access, situated within Kettle Cove State Park beside neighboring Crescent Beach, is, at high tide, just wide enough to get a boat trailer into the water and launch a skiff to get to the mooring field. In the summertime, this access and the adjacent parking lot are heavily congested. A recent redevelopment plan by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands has caused a lot of anxiety for commercial fishermen, who fear that the state will redirect recreational boating and public access from a small strip on Crescent Beach to the commercial zone at Kettle Cove State Park. In this episode, we hear from fishermen in the Cape Elizabeth Fishermen’s Alliance, who are self-advocating for their final piece of commercial access in this wealthy Maine town.This podcast is made possible by the Fund for Maine Islands and a partnership between the Island Institute, College of the Atlantic, Maine Sea Grant, and The First Coast.

Boothbay Harbor is one of Maine’s tourist playgrounds with art galleries, souvenir shops, restaurants, and hotels that cater to summer visitors. If you drive past the shops and condominiums along the waterfront you will see, sandwiched in and among lobster restaurants and marinas, four commercial piers with buying stations, bait companies, and other marine services that support a vibrant generational fishing community.  This is the East Side of Boothbay Harbor. In 2019, Boothbay Harbor residents voted, by a small margin, to downsize the marine use district on this side of the harbor to just 23%, allowing for 77% of the area to be used for limited commercial use. That decision was yet another blow to commercial fishermen and marine business owners in a years-long struggle to fend off development. In response to increased pressures on working waterfront access, nonprofit groups like the Boothbay Region Maritime Foundation and Boothbay Harbor Waterfront Preservation, as well as local business owners, have come up with innovative and varying solutions to sustain Boothbay Harbor’s fishing heritage. In this episode, we’ll explore the challenges, solutions, and future needs of these organizations and individuals. What do you lose if you lose commercial access? And who should care about it?This podcast is made possible by the Fund for Maine Islands and a partnership between the Island Institute, College of the Atlantic, Maine Sea Grant, and The First Coast.

Nestled within an archipelago in Penobscot Bay, Stonington Harbor is a bustling working waterfront at the southern end of the island of Deer Isle. The towns of Stonington and Deer Isle share an island and a public school system, deep family ties, a culture rooted in commercial fishing and art, and, like much of the nation, a dire housing crisis. In these towns there are simply not enough places for working people to live. Over twenty years ago, a small group of passionate Islanders began brainstorming and researching one solution to the housing problem. In 2020 that group, Island Workforce Housing, broke ground on the construction of five homes, each containing two year-round rentals. This is just one solution to a monumental issue facing this island and other communities in Maine and around the country. In this episode, we'll learn about some of the history behind this community's housing crisis and what, specifically, is at risk if there are no long-lasting solutions for year-round housing. And we’ll learn about two solutions that these communities are exploring: building year-round rental homes, and potentially regulating short-term rentals.  This episode was written and produced Galen Koch and assistant producer Olivia Jolley for the Island Institute. Nicole Wolf takes the photographs that accompany this episode. From the Sea Up’s Senior Editor is Isaac Kestenbaum. Thanks to Kathleen Billings, Linda Nelson, and the town of Stonington for participation in this episode. Thanks to Island Workforce Housing, specifically Henry Teverow, Maggie Kirsch, and Megan Dewey Wood. Special thanks to Anna and Ryan Woosley and their family for welcoming us into their home. This podcast is made possible by the Fund for Maine Islands and a partnership between the Island Institute, College of the Atlantic, Maine Sea Grant, and The First Coast.For more information about ongoing work in the Town of Stonington to address the housing crisis, visit: https://www.stoningtonmaine.org/gov/economic-development.php

Southwest Harbor is located on the “quiet side” of Mount Desert Island. A town of multiple maritime industries, Southwest Harbor boasts a tradition of superior boatbuilding and, for the past two years, has emerged as one of the top ten highest grossing lobster ports in the state. With more than four million visitors at Acadia National Park in 2021, the pressures on this side of MDI are mounting. Increased summer visitorship means business is booming, but commuter traffic, dwindling resources, and a lack of a seasonal and year-round workforce incite questions about how to sustain and support this working town. In this episode, we examine the history of Southwest Harbor’s decision, as a community, to maintain and support its commercial fisheries through zoning and regulations. Visiting two iconic Southwest Harbor businesses, Hinckley Yachts and Beal’s Lobster Pier, we explore the push-and-pull of Maine’s seasonal economy, and the challenges and opportunities where commercial fishing, maritime industries, and recreation meet.Resources:MCP website: Maine Coastal Program | Department of Marine ResourcesShore and Harbor Grant: Shore and Harbor Planning Grants | Department of Marine Resources (maine.gov) – the program statement for the current year’s grant can be found on this pageShore and Harbor Case Studies: Case Studies | Department of Marine Resources (maine.gov) This page has a map showing the locations of towns MCP funded, a list of funded projects, some write-ups about previous projects, and a story map highlighting last year’s MCP projects.Resources for preserving commercial fishing access: Coastal Access | Department of Marine Resources (maine.gov) This document has a list of state grants that could be useful for improving and protecting shore access, as well as grants that can be used for waterfront construction.Penobscot Bay Study: Penobscot Bay_Summary Report 12 23 19.pdf (maine.gov) This study by MCP took a really detailed look at a number of working waterfron

A historic fishing town with over 50 miles of coastline, Gouldsboro has been at the center of a divisive controversy for the past two years. In 2020, the Norwegian-backed company American Aquafarms proposed putting two closed-pen salmon farms, totaling 120-acres, in Frenchman Bay between Gouldsboro and Bar Harbor. That proposal prompted a flurry of opposition from organizations, fishermen, and residents throughout the region. Although American Aquafarm’s initial application for an aquaculture lease was denied by the Maine Department of Marine Resources in the spring of 2022, a question about the future of Maine’s waters took hold in many rural coastal communities. In this episode, we visit South Gouldsboro, a small and active working waterfront with stunning views of Cadillac Mountain and the proposed lease site. With perspectives from a seaweed farmer and cultivator, Sarah Redmond, and Jerry Potter, a longtime lobsterman, this episode explores the identity and needs of one working community along Gouldsboro’s expansive coast. As pressures from outside interests build in rural Maine, we ask the question: What kind of working waterfront do we want to see here in the future?

In the far eastern corner of Downeast Maine there’s a 3.7 square mile island. Connected to the mainland by a causeway and road that passes through the Pleasant Point Passamaquoddy Reservation, Sipayik, this island is home to the town of Eastport, population 1,300. One of the most prominent sardine canning villages along the coast, Eastport’s last sardine factory closed in 1983. With that, a century-long industry was gone.In this episode we learn how Eastport has transitioned from a waterfront of empty factories to a vibrant multi-use working waterfront positioned to respond and adapt to a very uncertain future.

In this final installment of our Sustainable Seafood series, we’re going big and we’re going wild! We’re talking about the mysterious, internationally regulated, strong, and powerful Atlantic Bluefin Tuna. The reputation of this fish and fishery is one of high drama, but despite making great television, it’s a fishery that leaves a lot of consumers puzzled. And so, in this episode we’re going to learn a lot about Atlantic Bluefin Tuna and hear firsthand from fishermen and researchers about why this fish belongs in a series about sustainable seafood.

From Aristotle and Sigmund Freud to modern day times, the eel has captivated us for generations. In this episode, we dive headfirst into the world of this mysterious and mythical fish. The American Eel is a unique creature. And in Maine the elver fishery—the harvesting of tiny juvenile glass eels—is legendary in its own right. Hear from Sara Rademaker, the founder and president of American Unagi, and those working in the industry about the history and future of this curious fish in Maine.

In this episode, we’re talking about Maine’s groundfish fishery, past and present, and the potential that exists, for both fishermen and consumers.  By eating a variety of flavorful, responsibly harvested fish caught by Maine fishermen—species like monkfish, Atlantic pollock, and redfish—we can support a diverse local marketplace and help sustain our fisheries.

In this episode, we’re talking all about vegetables. But not just any vegetable. We’re talking about the oldest vegetable—the fast-growing, nutrient-dense vegetables of the sea—specifically kelp. Hear from those working on the frontlines of this burgeoning industry in Maine to learn about growing and processing kelp and the benefits this powerhouse vegetable offers fishermen and the environment. 

According to Togue Brawn, owner of Downeast Dayboat, you haven’t really tasted a scallop until you’ve tasted a Maine scallop. Maine scallops have made a comeback thanks to regulatory changes and conservation efforts. Hear from some folks who fish for this fresh, sustainable, and frankly delicious variety of Maine seafood to find out what sets it apart. 

We begin this limited series about Maine's sustainable seafood with the story of a partnership between the Island Institute and Luke’s Lobster, the inspiration behind that partnership, and the fishermen and species it supports. 

Craig Olson and Claire Donnelly of the Island Institute's Small Business team wrap up the series with a look back at the past year, what it's meant for small businesses in Maine (and everywhere), and the lessons learned moving forward.

This episode is a little bit different. We’re stepping back from current economic challenges to talk with Thomas “TL” Tutor of ReVision Energy about the clean energy transition, and why now is actually the perfect time to invest in solar infrastructure.

Kate Hall, owner of a microgreens farm and juice business, reflects on the challenges of being a single mom and small business owner during the pandemic. She made the most of it by teaming up with fellow businesses to create a weekly delivery service that provides local goods.

What's it like to sell or buy a business in the middle of the pandemic? Laura Serino recently sold Island Apothecary, the natural skincare company she founded, to longtime employee and friend, Fiona Robins. They discuss navigating this transaction in uncertain times.

Tessa Rosenberry and Davis Saltonstall co-founded ScrapDogs Community Compost. We talk about their start-up story, the importance of sustainable food systems, their goal to create an organics management business, and how they have navigated the pandemic.

Merritt Carey is the Community Relations Director at Luke’s Lobster. We talk about her extensive and diverse career, the importance of adaptive learning, and how she’s "never been afraid to drink from the firehose."

Maine’s fishermen and coastal communities have been challenged due to the impacts of the pandemic. We discussed the trajectory of the lobster season this summer and the future of the industry with small business owner and commercial lobsterman, Dave Cousins.

We checked in with some of the business owners we first spoke with at the start of the pandemic to see how things are going—Melissa Raftery & Megan Wood of 44 North Coffee and Gabe Pendleton of Pendleton Yacht Yard. 

We checked in with some of the business owners we first spoke with at the start of the pandemic to see how things are going—Alison Thibault, owner of WindHorse Arts  and Liz Lovell of North Haven Brewing Company.

Cyndi Prince is the founder and CEO of LooHoo, which makes wool dryer balls—a reusable, energy-saving alternative to dryer sheets. Cyndi started LooHoo—a women-owned and Black-owned business—in her home and now leverages a local supply chain to meet a global market. Cyndi discusses how Maine’s business community can address racial injustice, and how organizations can help amplify black voices.

The hospitality industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, and unfortunately, the Topside Inn is no exception. Rather than shut their doors, Innkeepers Mark and Brian Osborn got creative and rethought their business model. Produced and edited by Galen Koch of The First Coast.

As global food systems break down due to the pandemic, restaurants already utilizing local food systems have an advantage. We discuss how Sammy’s Deluxe, a restaurant known for its hyperlocal supply chain, has adapted in uncertain times with owner Sam Richman.Produced and edited by Galen Koch of The First Coast

Melissa Kelly is the executive chef and owner of Primo Restaurant. She shares how she was able to pivot quickly in response to the pandemic, the importance of embracing innovation, and how her new business model cultivated a hyperlocal community.Produced and edited by Galen Koch of The First Coast.

In our first mini-episode, we hear from Mandy and Dylan Metrano of La Nef Chocolate on Monhegan Island. We discuss the challenges of running an exclusively e-commerce business on a remote island, and the importance of cultivating a community with their customers.(Photo: Kelli Park kellipark.com/)

Peter Piconi, Marine Business Specialist at the Island Institute, talks with Brendan Parsons of Black Stone Point Oysters LLC. Brendan is an oyster farmer, a restaurant owner, and a three-time Maine Oyster Shucking Champion. They discuss the importance of network building in an uncertain economy. This episode features Galen Koch of The First Coast.

We talk with Liz Lovell of North Haven Brewing Company about how they're adapting in uncertain times. We also chat with Rebecca Falzano, co-founder of Helm Digital, the marketing firm that created Maine Open Online, the free online directory for small commerce in Maine.

Small businesses everywhere are struggling to make sense of the current world. To better understand the state of our local businesses, we talked with Shannon Byers of the Maine Small Business Development Center at Coastal Enterprises. Shannon has been helping businesses navigate federal aid, innovate, and think creatively.

Craig Olson, Senior Community Development Officer at the Island Institute, discusses the nuts and bolts of the CARES Act. Alison Thibault of WindHorse Arts, takes us through her application to the Paycheck Protection Program and shares her concerns about the future of brick-and-mortar shopping.

Gabe Pendleton of Pendleton Yacht Yard shares his experience navigating the SBA relief loans and the recent CARES Act.

These short conversations with Maine's small businesses provide an opportunity to check in and find bright spots in this confusing economic landscape. Melissa Raftery and Megan Wood of 44 North Coffee talk about the changes they've made to keep business going.