Penobscot Bay Stewards

We were excited to welcome 24 Penobscot Bay Stewards to Hurricane Island last week to learn about Hurricane's natural history, ecology, and quarry era. The Stewards Program is sponsored by The Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition in collaboration with the Maine Coastal Program, and provides participants with an opportunity for adults to learn about the Penobscot Bay region and ways to conserve its resources.  It meets through the month of May and addresses such topics as Penobscot Bay history, marine life, island ecology, coastal land, intertidal and marine habitats, geology, fisheries, aquaculture, the Penobscot Nation, water quality, conservation issues, and current regional issues with impacts on our environment and human life. After the program ends, each Steward is expected to do at least 30 hours of volunteer work in a related organization or project. 

We met some wonderful future volunteers through this visit, and look forward to their help and expertise in the future!

Proctor Academy Mountain Classroom

Procotor Academy’s (Andover, NH) Mountain Classroom program (10 students, 2 faculty) came out to Hurricane Island May 16-22, 2013 to finish up their cross-country trip investigating fisheries and food systems from California to Maine.  Students spent the first part of their stay on Hurricane completing their independent culminating projects, projects that covered a range of topics including herbalism, codfish, and shifts in the symbolism of coyotes across Native American tribes.

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After listening to some fantastic project presentations, we transitioned into exploring the world of the Maine lobster fishery, and on May 20th we dedicated the day to talking about lobster biology, how the fishery is managed, and the events that set the stage for Maine’s current lucrative lobster monoculture. We then used this knowledge to frame a conversation about recent shifts the lobster industry has seen: plummeting lobster prices, concerns with increasing water temperature affecting lobster survival, shedding patterns, and settlement in the Gulf of Maine, and concerns about the long-term sustainability of lobstering as the primary occupation in coastal communities.

After a break for lunch, we transitioned to looking at some of Hurricane Island’s research and demonstration traps, discussing how they work, and different construction restrictions lobstermen have to follow so they avoid ghost fishing if their traps are lost. Proctor students helped us paint our new lobster buoys (see image below) for our additional traps which will be used this summer. 

Part of our afternoon was also spent hiking around Hurricane collecting trash that has washed up in the intertidal.  We collected 5 contractor bags of mostly buoys, rope, empty Clorox bottles, and soda bottles. Given the number of traps in the water, it was not surprising that a high percentage of the marine debris we found were associated with the lobster industry.

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The next morning, we traveled to Vinalhaven and spent the morning talking with different community members about their experiences in the lobster industry and learned a little bit about the culture and flavor of a piece of Maine’s working waterfront.

We then regrouped for lunch and met with Doug Littlefield from the Vinalhaven Co-op, one of the oldest Maine lobster buying Co-ops (Est. 1974).  Doug explained more about the cost of doing business as a lobstermen, and helped us wrap our heads around the thousands of pounds of bait distributed from this facility and thousands of pounds of lobster coming into Carvers Harbor.  We also met with Tristian Jackson who is part of a group working to form a new IAM lobstering union, Emily Lane, who spoke about challenges and strategies in marketing Maine lobster, and finished off the day with a trip out on lobsterman Jason Day’s (F/V Alexander Gabriel) to watch him haul a few lobster traps. That evening we warmed up from a chilly and wet day with a Maine lobster dinner.

Proctor Academy Mountain Classroom

The Hurricane Island Foundation hosted ten Proctor Academy students and two of their staff for 6 days on Hurricane Island. Their work included a Lobster Fisheries Program for two days in May.

These students had been traveling from the West Coast to East Coast of the continental US studying food systems from fisheries on the West Coast to agricultural farming in the Midwest. Proctor students used Hurricane as a place to work on their independent projects as the culmination of their cross-country trip. They also did service work, including digging the ditch for the cable for our power system. In addition, these students spent two days doing a program on lobster fisheries, and visited the Vinalhaven Fisherman’s Co-op as part of this study.

A snapshot of materials covered in this course:

• Overview/Presentation of Lobster Fishery in Maine- Policies, Regulations, Zone descriptions, DMR, Trap limits, Annual Yields, Bait industry, Distribution, Canada/US, Stock Assessment, Lobster research in Maine etc., take Department of Marine Resources (DMR) Recreational Lobster License Exam.
• Overview of lobster gear (traps, rope, buoys, bait, tools etc.).
• Buoy painting
• Coastal Cleanup—collect fisheries related marine debris around Hurricane
• Lobster Anatomy and Biology
• Trip out on a Vinalhaven lobster boat

Inaugural dip of the Eastern Flyer

We are happy to announce that our new boat, the Eastern Flyer is now in the water and ready to steam us to and from Hurricane Island for this season! She is a 31’ Parker, with twin 130hp 4-stroke outboard engines

Eastern Flyer being lowered into Rockland harbor at Journey's End Marina

North Haven ROV Building

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North Haven 9th and 10th graders spent a little over a week in March, 2013 building three “Sea Perch” remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for future underwater exploration.  The ROV design process taught students how to solder components onto a printed circuit board for the control box, assemble a PVC frame, and mount thrusters or underwater propellers to help steer the unit.  Students also learned how to deal with the complications of working underwater—dealing with visibility issues, waterproofing, and factoring in the buoyancy of their robots.

North Haven Middle School

In September 2012, North Haven Community School middle schoolers stayed overnight for a learning expedition exploring Hurricane Island’s wild edibles using Euell Gibbons’ book A Wild Way to Eat, written for Outward Bound students in 1967. Students used a nature journal designed by our science educator, along with Gibbons’ detailed descriptions of the plants and animals that existed locally 45 years ago to track the changes that the intervening time has wrought. They collected and analyzed samples of plants, fungi, and sea creatures, and they helped to prepare a meal created with wild foods they collected! Each student also produced a field guide entry for their assigned edible plant.

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One student's field guide entry for Rosa Rugosa

North Haven Edible Botany

In 2012, North Haven Community School middle schoolers stayed overnight for a learning expedition exploring Hurricane Island’s wild edibles using Euell Gibbons’ book A Wild Way to Eat, written for Outward Bound students in 1967. Students used a nature journal designed by our science educator, along with Gibbons’ detailed descriptions of the plants and animals that existed locally 45 years ago to track the changes that the intervening time has wrought. They collected and analyzed samples of plants, fungi, and sea creatures, and they helped to prepare a meal created with wild foods they collected! Each student also produced a field guide entry for their assigned edible plant. 

A North Haven student learns about the wild beach pea