Typical gill netter tied up at the wharf. Portland.

Meet the Italian Gill Netters of Portland, circa 1920s

1/10/2013 - Italian immigrants living in Portland during the 1920s pretty much cornered the market on gill netting. In 1926, about 100 fishermen operated twelve vessels from 30' to 50' in length. At the height of the season, it was not uncommon to see children out on the docks mending nets. This… SEE MORE
Friends carry the new Grand Banks dory to the harbor for launch.

Apprenticeshop Launches a Graduate, Two New Boats

12/16/2012 - The Apprenticeshop, a school for traditional boatbuilding and seamanship on the Rockland waterfront, honored Kit Macchi, the most recent graduate of the school's two-year apprentice program, on December 14. Following the graduation ceremony, Macchi and her boatbuilding partner Brigit Jividen launched a new Grand Banks dory they had built as… SEE MORE

Celebrating the Good Side of Fat

12/15/2012 - Food writer and historian Sandy Oliver gave a great talk December 15 at the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport on her new cookbook Maine Home Cooking. She spoke about the importance of fat in the diet of earlier years when people needed it for energy and body heat. Let's all… SEE MORE
COLUMBIA,PILGRIM, PURITAN, and YANKEE, Eastern Rig draggers/seiners owned by Capt. Ben Pine.

The Long, Salty Heritage of Gloucester

12/13/2012 - Few cities have played as important a role in America's commercial fisheries as Gloucester. These historic images, from the archives of Atlantic Fisherman and housed at the Penobscot Marine Museum, give a taste of this important harbor. SEE MORE
Sweden Coast Guard Vessel

Sabre Yachts Visits Volvo HQ in Sweden

12/7/2012 - Earlier in November, Kevin Burns, Vice President of Design and Product Development at Sabre Yachts, attended a Design Seminar hosted by Volvo Penta in Gotenborg, Sweden. The seminar was attended by naval architects and engineers from around the world in addition to Volvo Penta distributors. The seminar lasted a few… SEE MORE
From the pages of Atlantic Fisherman.

Portrait of an Unknown Maine Fisherman

12/3/2012 - This gent is showing off periwinkle traps used in Biddeford Pool. Though this photo lacks the depth of context we typically like in our posts, we thought it was a striking portrait and couldn't resist sharing it. This image is from the Atlantic Fisherman collection housed at the Penobscot Marine… SEE MORE
On Board the ELLEN J.

Historic Oystering Images from South Norwalk

11/27/2012 - These circa-1950 harbor scenes from South Norwalk depict the small fleet of Captain Fred Lovejoy, an oyster fisherman, and are taken from the Atlantic Fisherman collection at the Penobscot Marine Museum. Atlantic Fisherman was a well-respected fisheries publication originally based in Boston; by the time these photos were taken, the… SEE MORE
Canadian Myrtle Stuart Mitchell with her boat in Eastport for the 4th of July festivities,1924.

A Real Daughter of the Sea’ in Eastport

11/20/2012 - “A real daughter of the sea,” Mrs. Myrtle Stuart Mitchell “was brought up on the salt water, handles a fishing boat like a man. She can sail ‘em, run the engine and lay her course with the best of them. And she boxes the compass as fast as she can… SEE MORE