In June 2018, the Town of Penobscot installed five new interpretive panels at Pierce's Pond. A new nature-like fishway provides passage for alewives and other sea-run fish, along with viewing platforms and a picnic area at the public boat launch. The Town and alewife steward Bailey Bowden, along with local partners at Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Blue Hill Heritage Trust, and Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries, are leading the effort to restore migratory fish to the entire Bagaduce watershed.

The Spring issue of UMaine Today magazine features an article about coastal storms-related research by Sea Grant and other UMaine programs and departments, including the Southern Maine Volunteer Beach Profiling Monitoring Program (with the Wells Reserve and Maine Geological Survey) and Ph.D.

Soft-shell clams are a unique fishery in Maine because coastal towns, the state, and, in many cases, harvesters themselves, work together to co-manage this popular seafood. Residents can join their town’s shellfish committee and participate in monitoring their clam resource, making decisions about how it’s managed for conservation as well as recreational and commercial harvest.

The Heart of the Sea: Alewives Bring Ocean Nutrients to Inland Lakes, an article in the May-June 2018 issue of Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors Magazine. The article provides an overview of sea-run alewives and their role in lake ecosystems, and interviews with researchers studying the impact of alewife restoration on Maine lakes. The article is part of our work on the Penobscot River Habitat Focus Area with The Nature Conservancy and NOAA Fisheries.

Sears Island have been stewarding the island's natural resources and human history, and providing educational programs for all ages in its woods, fields, and shorelines.

This is Natalie Springuel, from the University of Maine Sea Grant, host of Coastal Conversations. On our next program, we'll explore Sears Island, or Wassumkeag as its original inhabitants called it, through colonial settlement, farming, fishing, industrial threats, and into today.

After the success of our 2017 calendar featuring Karen Talbot's illustrations of all 12 diadromous fish species native to Maine, we decided to produce a poster featuring the same paintings with updated text. The 24 inch x 30 inch posters are available at no cost. Call our office or stop by an upcoming event to request a copy.

Telling stories about fishing is a tradition that's been passed down through generations of Maine fishing families. Stories about close calls, huge catches, surprising fish, controversial management, family moments at sea… These stories are the heart of Maine's coastal communities.