From the Sea Up

Island Institute

From the Sea Up shares stories of sustainability from Maine’s coastal and island communities. Produced by the Island Institute.

  1. Innovations in the Marine Economy - Innovation in Data

    02/26/2025

    Innovations in the Marine Economy - Innovation in Data

    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.

    31 min
  2. Innovations in the Marine Economy - Innovation in the Supply Chain

    01/29/2025

    Innovations in the Marine Economy - Innovation in the Supply Chain

    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 the carbon footprint of the lobster they process, pack, ship, and serve.

    30 min
  3. Innovations in the Marine Economy - Workforce & Education

    10/25/2024

    Innovations in the Marine Economy - Workforce & Education

    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 Aquaculture in Shared Waters program and how it is adapting to offer targeted training to better support women and non-binary folks in aquaculture.

    47 min
  4. Innovations in the Marine Economy - Uses

    08/23/2024

    Innovations in the Marine Economy - Uses

    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.

    32 min
  5. Innovations in the Marine Economy - Materials

    07/15/2024

    Innovations in the Marine Economy - Materials

    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 farms. In this episode, we’re hearing stories about innovation in materials on Maine’s coast. We’ll learn how Deer Isle Oyster Company and Viable Gear are forging ahead with research and development to try to reduce plastic in the ocean. These individuals and businesses demonstrate how much effort goes into innovation, and how even the smallest change can have a huge impact on the sustainability of our fisheries.

    36 min
  6. Innovations in the Marine Economy - Energy

    06/10/2024

    Innovations in the Marine Economy - Energy

    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 - and bringing you stories about the communities and businesses who are boldly pursuing climate solutions to support the future of Maine's marine economy. This episode looks at how Maine communities and working waterfronts are transitioning away from fossil fuels towards energy solutions that are better for the environment and more cost-effective. From electric boats to solar energy, these transitions will make Maine’s coastal towns and islands more resilient - but access to these kinds of energy solutions is still limited. There are hurdles that the state, utility companies, and individual communities need to overcome - and the problems require flexible, collaborative solutions.

    29 min
  7. Working Waterfronts - Cape Elizabeth

    12/04/2023

    Working Waterfronts - Cape Elizabeth

    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 for commercial fishermen, who fear that the state will redirect recreational boating and public access from a small strip on Crescent Beach to the commercial zone at Kettle Cove State Park. In this episode, we hear from fishermen in the Cape Elizabeth Fishermen’s Alliance, who are self-advocating for their final piece of commercial access in this wealthy Maine town. This podcast is made possible by the Fund for Maine Islands and a partnership between the Island Institute, College of the Atlantic, Maine Sea Grant, and The First Coast.

    24 min
  8. Working Waterfronts - Boothbay Harbor

    03/30/2023

    Working Waterfronts - Boothbay Harbor

    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 residents voted, by a small margin, to downsize the marine use district on this side of the harbor to just 23%, allowing for 77% of the area to be used for limited commercial use. That decision was yet another blow to commercial fishermen and marine business owners in a years-long struggle to fend off development.  In response to increased pressures on working waterfront access, nonprofit groups like the Boothbay Region Maritime Foundation and Boothbay Harbor Waterfront Preservation, as well as local business owners, have come up with innovative and varying solutions to sustain Boothbay Harbor’s fishing heritage. In this episode, we’ll explore the challenges, solutions, and future needs of these organizations and individuals. What do you lose if you lose commercial access? And who should care about it? This podcast is made possible by the Fund for Maine Islands and a partnership between the Island Institute, College of the Atlantic, Maine Sea Grant, and The First Coast.

    22 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
21 Ratings

About

From the Sea Up shares stories of sustainability from Maine’s coastal and island communities. Produced by the Island Institute.

Information

  • Creator
    Island Institute
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 From the Sea Up
  • Show Website
    From the Sea Up