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 ...

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 Aquacultur...

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 f...

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...

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...

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 r...

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 brai...

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,...

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...

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 waterfr...

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 wh...

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.