New minister brings global perspectives to Elijah Kellogg Church
Bob Ganung started his career as a minister in New Harbor. Fifty-some years later, he's a new minister again, about 25 miles southwest at Elijah Kellogg Church.
Lobster Boat Races again raise record amount for Santa Fund
The Harpswell Lobster Boat Races raised a record $36,000 this year for the Harpswell Santa Fund, which distributes gifts, food, clothing and heating oil to residents in need.
Drivers: District must raise pay, add benefits to end shortage
Bus drivers for the local school district are pressing the school board to offer them competitive pay and benefits in order to end an ongoing driver shortage.
New, $160K bus will alleviate crowding on Harpswell route
The local school board has approved the purchase of a larger, wheelchair-accessible school bus that will reduce crowding on a Harpswell route.
Clam die-off from algal bloom could devastate marine life and harvester incomes in Harpswell
Clam diggers and other harvesters are reporting huge shellfish die-offs in mudflats around town. Harpswell's harbormaster and marine resources administrator, Darcie Couture, said it may be linked to a type of algae that's not toxic to humans but is known to kill shellfish.
PFAS from 2024 spill are showing up in Harpswell’s birds
Eider ducks and bald eagles that nest in and around Harpswell have high levels of PFAS chemicals following an August 2024 spill of firefighting foam on the former Brunswick Naval Air Station.
Lobsters remain plentiful in Maine, but outside forces cast uncertainty on industry
There was a time when lobsters were so abundant along the Maine coast that they could be plucked by hand from shallow water. Those days are long gone, but for most people — whose interactions with lobsters happen on plates and rolls — it might be hard to say how lobsters and the lobster industry are doing. Lobster rolls might cost more, like everything else, but they're still available.
For lobstermen, prices are up — for everything except lobsters
Almost every lobsterman has the same answer about what they're paying too much for: "Everything." They are feeling the squeeze in every aspect: fuel, bait, traps, rope, insurance and more. The only thing that they say hasn't gone up is the price they get for their lobsters.
What’s the biggest threat to the lobster industry?
Lobstermen are under threat. They all agree on that much. The threats they describe vary from one to the next. But they are worried about their future, and the future of a livelihood that many learned from their fathers and grandfathers and want to pass to their children and grandchildren.
Above water?
Harpswell's working waterfront is as vital to its lobstermen as their boats and traps. The working waterfront is where they access their boats, take on bait and fuel, sell their lobsters, and store their gear. Keeping these wharfs, floats, bait sheds and other structures in working order is an ongoing battle. For wharf owners, rising costs, a shrinking fleet and an uncertain future are making that battle even more difficult, and the stakes are high.
