Trans-Atlantic travelers and furious fighters, bluefin tuna are making a comeback
Atlantic bluefin tuna appear to be making a comeback, here in the Gulf of Maine and across the entire Atlantic.
Once a form of currency, quahogs remain a steady source of cash
With the dramatic decline of soft-shell clams in Harpswell, harvesters here have become increasingly dependent on quahogs — also known as hard clams — for their livelihoods.
In Harpswell Sound, Bowdoin researchers are unlocking the secrets of a red tide hot spot
Collin Roesler wants us to have a better understanding of the algae that cause red tides in Maine. A professor in the Earth and Oceanographic Science Department at Bowdoin College, she studies phytoplankton, notably Alexandrium fundyense.
State testing in Lombos Hole often provides early warning of red tide
When it comes to monitoring for red tide in Maine, one of Harpswell's countless inlets and coves often provides the first alarm. During a red tide event, concentrations of potentially lethal toxins begin to accumulate in shellfish that feed on phytoplankton, one-celled plants that thrive in the sunlit upper layer of the ocean.
2024 striper season looks promising, but data shows possible downturn ahead
Barry Catlin knows a lot about fishing. He makes his living as a commercial lobsterman operating out of Cundy's Harbor on his 45-foot boat, Miss Quahog. He is also an avid angler, pursuing striped bass in the area's bay and coves, as well as bluefin tuna offshore.
A marine ‘foundation,’ rockweed provides climate control, predator protection, and a slimy smorgasbord
Rockweed, a kind of seaweed that thrives all along Harpswell's rocky shoreline, is often referred to as a foundation species. That's because many other creatures in the intertidal zone depend on it.
Source to horse: Harvesters turn Quahog Bay rockweed into equine supplements
Harpswell is surrounded by rockweed. At low tide, wherever you look along the town's rocky shoreline (and almost all the shoreline is rocky), you will see this seaweed delineating the boundary between land and water.
10-year green crab study links warming waters with continuing growth
Paul Joyce, at the helm of a 21-foot center-console motorboat, slowly maneuvered the vessel away from the dock at Bowdoin College's Schiller Coastal Studies Center on Orr's Island.
Tuna buyer puts his faith and his base in Cundy’s Harbor
Seth Richards, tuna buyer, is back where he got his start, at Holbrook's Wharf in Cundy's Harbor. More than three decades ago, as a teenager, he got a job buying sea urchins for Maguro America.
In a town of bedrock surrounded by salt water, groundwater is a precious — and vulnerable — resource
Harpswell's dramatic rocky shores are a big part of what makes the town such an attractive place to live. They also make it a precarious place to call home. The great majority of the residences here depend on drilled wells for their water.
