Last year, the town contracted with water transportation consultant Charles Norris, of Norris & Norris Associates in Cambridge, Mass., to assist the task force in identifying various combinations of public and private management and operation plans.

Chef Altiero suggests cranking your oven up to a high temperature, sometimes 500 degrees F (and “get yourself some good potholders.”)

Like many new Mainers, Subha Raghavan’s first impressions were about the state’s population. “I was really surprised because it was not very diverse. Before coming here I had been to New Jersey, New York, all university towns. Even though they are small places there were lots of different cultures and languages," she said.

Together, they want to establish at least 1,000 acres of oyster reefs by 2030…

“A small city like Rockland is very popular. A lot of different people see our work," said Martha Morris-Gibson.

Since lobsters live among the rocks and muck of the bottom, often feeding on dead organisms, they are on the front lines of water pollution.

As founder and director of Greenhorns, a young farmers organization whose mission is to recruit, promote and support the incoming generation of sustainable farms and farmers, I’m pleased about this summer's flagship event, Maine Sail Freight.

Bobby Beckman is just 22, but when it comes to the lobster business, he takes the long view. "I figure, lobsters have been here millions of years," he says, foot propped up on the console of his boat in Vinalhaven Harbor. "I think there'll always be lobsters."

Briana Warner, the Institute's director of economic development, toured the state's 15 unbridged, year-round island communities and listened to local leaders talk about their needs. "Many," Warner reported, "said that the lack of reliable broadband is one of the biggest hindrances to economic growth."