“At the end of the day, the important question is, will fishermen use it?”

Compiled by Tom Groening

My spring to-do list emerges as the snow and ice retreat in my yard this time of year. Gone are the excuses that sub-freezing air and snow cover provided for my home- and yard-improvement projects.

Atlantic herring, a small fish known to school in the several billions, is a favorite bait of the lobster industry. They’re easy to catch. Lobsters love to eat them. But...

A quick, random survey of a half-dozen fishermen on their use of personal flotation devices, or PFDs, at the annual Maine Fishermen’s Forum in Rockport on March 1 led to a telling moment.

Five years and 15,000 miles later, the changing of the guard at Anderson Marine & Hardware in seaside Gouldsboro has so far been smooth sailing.

Scallop farming in Maine has been in a long period of gestation. But after initial trials to market last year, it’s about ready to debut as a commercial venture.

Coffin donated his photographic archive to the Penobscot Marine Museum in 2013 and it was digitized and cataloged over the past four years. Sadly, Coffin passed away last May, but his efforts to preserve and share Maine’s Midcoast maritime history will be a perpetual asset.

The event included an informal conversation between Hannah Pingree, who had just been appointed to a new role in Gov. Janet Mills’ administration, focusing on innovation, and Island Institute president Rob Snyder.

“We are the squid capital of the East Coast,” said Dan Costa, the port manager at Galilee. “Squid is our mainstay fishery here.