Coastal Conversations

Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel

Coastal Conversations: Conversations with people who live, work, and play on the Maine coast, hosted by the University of Maine Sea Grant Program.

This episode:
Many people in Maine have heard of Atlantic Salmon and Alewives, but do you know about Rainbow Smelt? These migratory sea-run fish may be swimming up your backyard streams right now! And historically, these fish have all featured in the lives of Maine residents for sustenance, income, and recreation.

Smelt and tomcod populations are believed to have declined in recent decades. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the restoration of salmon and alewife habitat benefits all members of the sea-run fish family.

Our show today features a compendium of smelt stories plus a few about tomcod and other sea-run fish, from interviews conducted over the course of the last year in an effort to document the traditional ecological knowledge of people who harvest, interact with, and observe sea-run fish.
So make a note to tune in Friday afternoon, May 27, 2022, from 4-5 OM, when this month’s Coastal Conversation features stories and voices talking about seasons of change for Maine’s sea-run fish. Only on WERU community radio, 89.9 FM in Blue Hill and online at WERU.org.

Key Discussion Points:
-The seasonality of migrating fish
-Stories and memories from people who have fished and observed smelt, tom cod and other searun fish since the 1970’s.
-The ecology and biology of changing fisheries in Maine’s rivers, streams and estuaries

Guests:

Chris Johnson, ecology manager with the Passamaquoddy Tribe Sipayak Environmental Department
Danielle Frechette, a marine resource scientist with Maine Department of Marine Resource’s bureau of sea-run fisheries and habitat
Sean Beauregard, a student at the University of Maine and Smelt interview project intern
John Melquist Sr., smelt fisherman, South Thomaston
Kurt Soneson, a retired Marine Patrol Officer
Sharon Morrill, wildlife watcher from Damariscotta Mills
Dick and Max Grimm, a father and son fishermen from Yarmouth
Lawrence Moffet, retired commercial lobsterman and recreational tomcod fisherman

Special appreciation for support in producing this show goes to: Sean Beauregard, University of Maine student and intern; Justin Stevens, Maine Sea Grant sea-run fish ecosystem project coordinator; and Danielle Frechette, marine resource scientist with Maine Department of Marine Resources bureau of sea-run fisheries and habitat.

About the host:
Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel

Today, April 22, 2022, is Earth Day! And what better way to celebrate Earth Day than to explore the realm of one of the earth’s most interesting group of species: Seaweed.

Seaweed has seen a surge in interest in Maine in the last few years, with a growing number of people paying attention to seaweed – from consumers to nutrition experts, from harvesters to farmers, from restoration ecologists to beauticians. And Maine finds itself at the center of it all.

This week, just in time for Earth Day, Maine is celebrating Maine Seaweed Week – multiple days full of activities and opportunities to taste and learn about this incredible seafood. Maine Seaweed Week was founded four years ago by one of our interviewees on today’s show, Josh Rogers of Heritage Seaweed and Cup of Sea teas. Our second interviewee, Jaclyn Robidoux of Maine Sea Grant, has also been very involved with organizing this week’s special seaweed events. We turn to both of them to learn about the various seaweeds found on the Maine coast, how it can be used, and how you, our listeners, can join in on the seaweed celebrations happening up and down our shores through May 1st 2022.

-Earth Day
-Maine Seaweed Week 2022
-Maine seaweed species and products

Jaclyn Robidoux, marine extension associate at Maine Sea Grant
Josh Rogers, Founder of Heritage Seaweed, Cup of Sea teas, and Maine Seaweed Week

Other credits: Thanks to Ellie White, our radio production assistant for this show, for all of her production help, her interviews with our guests and her vision for how we could celebrate Earth Day today by taking a deep dive into seaweed. Ellie is a senior at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor where she has been studying storytelling, audio production and human ecology. Thanks also to Galen Koch of The First Coast, who helps train our radio production assistants.

About the host:
Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel

Maine coastal and ocean issues: Rare Steller’s sea-eagle sparks attention and imagination

Since late December 2021, a rare Steller’s sea eagle has been repeatedly sighted by hundreds of people on the Maine coast. This raptor is significantly bigger than our own beloved Bald Eagle. Its home range is very far away in coastal Siberia, around the Sea of Okhotsk and the Kamchatka Peninsula, down to Northern Japan and as far as the Korean Peninsula.

There are reportedly only around 4000 Steller’s sea-eagles on the planet, and they are listed as a vulnerable species on The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.

Starting back in August of 2020, birders noticed its presence in Alaska. A few months later in March of 2021, a raptor presumed to be this same eagle was sighted in Texas. And then in June multiple confirmed sightings were reported all the way east, in Québec’s Gaspé Peninsula. November in the Canadian Maritimes, December was Massachusetts, and then, December 30, 2021, it landed in Maine and continued to be sighted in the Georgetown to Boothbay region until March 5th.

Why has this Steller’s Sea Eagle been wandering the northern hemisphere? What do we know about its ecology and conservation? And how has its presence captured the imagination of seasoned birders, coastal residents, and a growing cadre of community scientists? These are the topics for today’s episode of Coastal Conversations.

Guests:
Doug Hitchcox, Staff Naturalist at Maine Audubon
Jeff Wells, Vice President for Boreal Conservation at National Audubon
Brent Pease, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor of wildlife conservation and management at Southern Illinois University

About the host:
Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel

Working waterfronts are those spaces along the shoreline that connect land and sea; places that provide critical access for people who make their living on the water.

Pressure on working waterfronts is on the rise again here in Maine, due to a bunch of reasons, not the least of which is the increasing real estate market triggered by the global pandemic.
We explore the threats to Maine’s working waterfronts, who is most affected, and what might be done about those threats.
We explore statewide policy questions and how this issue is playing out on the ground, specifically in the case of one town grappling with change, Bar Harbor.

Guests:

Val Peacock, Bar Harbor resident, Town Councilor and Harbor Committee member
Nick Battista, Senior Policy Officer, Island Institute
Merritt T. Carey, Esq, author of The Critical Nature of Maine’s Working Waterfronts and Access to the Shore

About the host:
Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel

Happy New Year from our team at Coastal Conversations where we are launching season 8 of our show!

For our first show of 2022, we are once again teaming up with The First Coast and the Island Institute to feature the final episode in our series about innovative people in Maine who are sustainably harvesting and growing products from the sea.

First up, we’re talking about Maine’s groundfish fishery, past and present, and the potential that exists, for both fishermen and consumers, to support a diverse local marketplace and help support our fisheries. Then, to wrap up our series, we learn about the mysterious, internationally regulated, strong, and powerful Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, a fishery that leaves a lot of consumers puzzled. Listen up as we untangle these fishing stories and meet some of Maine’s leaders in the seafood marketplace, on the waterfront and at sea.

These stories were produced by Galen Koch of The First Coast as part of an Island Institute podcast called “From the Sea Up.” The podcast is made possible by the Fund for Maine Islands and a partnership between the Island Institute, College of the Atlantic, Luke’s Lobster, Maine Sea Grant and the First Coast. We are grateful to all of them for sharing their stories with Coastal Conversations on WERU

Guests

Thanks for listening to From the Sea Up, presented by the Island Institute and produced by me, Galen Koch. Special thanks to True Fin, Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, and the Island Institute. Special thanks to Brian Pearce and his crew, the Portland Fish Exchange, Ben Martens and Mary Hudson, Kyle Foley, Dr. Walt Golet, Dr. Lisa Kerr, and Elijah Miller, Jen Levin, Pete Speeches and Michael Flynn.”

From the Sea Up is made possible by the Fund for Maine Islands and a partnership between the Island Institute, College of the Atlantic, Luke’s Lobster, Maine Sea Grant, and The First Coast. For more information visit www.islandinstitute.org/podcast

About the host:
Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel

It’s the holidays season here in Maine, where we like to celebrate with stories about sustainable seafood!

On this week’s coastal conversations, we are once again teaming up with The First Coast and the Island Institute to feature stories about innovative people in Maine who are sustainably harvesting and growing products from the sea.

First up, we are talking about sea vegetables, specifically that fast-growing, nutrient-dense sea vegetable kelp, and the people behind getting this powerhouse to the market while offering economic opportunity and environmental sustainability. Second up, we dive headfirst into the world of the mysterious and mythical American eel, a species that drives our legendary elver fishery and, more recently, an aquaculture start-up for a Maine grown fish.

These stories were produced by Galen Koch of The First Coast as part of an Island Institute podcast called “From the Sea Up.” The podcast is made possible by the Fund for Maine Islands and a partnership between the Island Institute, College of the Atlantic, Luke’s Lobster, Maine Sea Grant and the First Coast. We are grateful to all of them for sharing their stories with Coastal Conversations on WERU Community Radio at 89.9 FM in Blue Hill and streaming online at WERU.org.

Guests:

“Thanks for listening to From the Sea Up, presented by the Island Institute and produced by me, Galen Koch. Special thanks to Bri Warner, Thew Suskiewicz, Jesse Baines, Justin Papkee and his crew, Sara Rademake, Glen Melvin, and Pat Bryant for their participation on these episodes.”

From the Sea Up is made possible by the Fund for Maine Islands and a partnership between the Island Institute, College of the Atlantic, Luke’s Lobster, Maine Sea Grant, and The First Coast. For more information visit www.islandinstitute.org/podcast

For more information about Luke’s Lobster and the online market where you can purchase Atlantic Sea Farms products visit www.lukeslobster.com.

For more information about American Unagi and their online market, visit www.americanunagi.com.

About the host:
Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel

Maine coastal and ocean issues: From the Sea Up #1

With the holiday season upon us, it is time to talk seafood. Fresh, sustainable, Maine seafood that is!

For the next three episodes of Coastal Conversations, we are featuring a series of stories produced by The First Coast and the Island Institute. The series, called From the Sea Up, introduces the people and species that make Maine seafood so incredible, both for our taste buds and for our coastal economy. It’s perfect listening to inspire your holiday feasts!

First up today, we hear how Luke’s Lobster and the Island Institute formed a creative partnership to build resilience in the seafood supply chain in the wake of the pandemic’s early shut down of traditional seafood markets.

Our second story today explores the freshness and flavor of Maine dayboat scallops that have been caught, sold, and eaten or frozen in less than 24 hours. These are inspiring stories about people in the Gulf of Maine who are finding ways to ensure the future of our oceans while diversifying our seafood economy.

Both of our stories today on Coastal Conversations were produced by Galen Koch of The First Coast as part of an Island Institute podcast called “From the Sea Up.” And we are thrilled to announce that we’ll be featuring more of these great stories in upcoming episodes of Coastal Conversations.

I mentioned at the top of the hour that a lot of folks were involved in producing these stories and we wanted to make sure to thank them here. Ok, here goes. First, From the Sea Up is presented by the Island Institute and produced by Galen Koch of The First Coast. The stories are made possible by the Fund for Maine Islands and a partnership between the Island Institute, College of the Atlantic, Luke’s Lobster, Maine Sea Grant, and The First Coast.

For our first story today, thanks go to Rob Snyder, Luke Holden, Ben Conniff, Merritt Carey, and Sam Belknap. For the second story, thanks go to Togue Brawn, Dan Miller, Tad Miller, Merritt Carey, Raymie Upham, and Silas Miller.

If you are interested in learning more about how to purchase local sustainable seafood for the holidays, you can check out the online markets LukesLobster.com and at DowneastDayboat.com that were talked about in today’s stories.

And finally, extra gratitude goes to Galen Koch, the producer of these stories, for helping us get them on the air on Coastal Conversations, here at WERU community radio.

About the host:
Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

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Producer/Host: Natalie Springuel

Maine coastal and ocean issues: Ocean Acidification, how can states and local communities respond?

-What is Ocean Acidification? Much like carbon dioxide wreaks havoc on the atmosphere, C02 in the ocean triggers a series a chemical processes that lower the pH of the water, making it more acidic. This can cause problems for shellfish, a concern in a state like Maine where shellfish harvesting is an important part of our coastal economy.

-What can states and communities do about it? We’ll explore the last decade of how states and communities have been responding to ocean acidification, including Maine, with lessons learned for the East and West coasts.

-On today’s show, you’ll learn how new modeling and forecasting tools will help fishing communities and water quality management adapt to changing conditions. You can hear about a region-wide, simultaneous monitoring event to expand Ocean Acidification research through community-science organizations and private-public partnerships.

Guests:

Jessie Turner: Secretariat of the Ocean Acidification Alliance, guest editor of special Ocean Acidification issue of Coastal Management Journal
Aaron Strong: Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Hamilton College and formerly professor at the University of Maine
Parker Gassett: Marine Extension Associate with Maine Sea Grant, coordinating efforts on climate resilience at the community level.

About the host:
Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download