Kay Neufeld

Portland

Business Reporter at The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram

Beyoncé fanatic/major yenta reporting on labor and lobstering in Maine @ the Portland Press Herald - they/them - Tips @ [email protected]

Articles

Maine leads the country with first aquaculture apprenticeship program

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Kay Neufeld

Jun. 18—BRUNSWICK — Max Burtis isn't used to talking shop with his employees. So it's something of an unusual situation when on a sunny weekday in early June, his employees are helping him strategize for the day — purchasing equipment, counting the bags of clams and oysters they sold, tallying the money they earned and brainstorming about how to get by during an algal bloom that has temporarily halted their harvesting.
Maine lobster industry urges Trump to deliver on pledge to ease rules

3 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Kay Neufeld

Jun. 3—Members of Maine's fishing community are calling on President Donald Trump to change policies they say are harming the state's lobstermen. "The Maine lobster fishery has, unfortunately, been no stranger to federal regulatory abuse," Patrice McCarron, president of the Maine Lobstermen's Association, wrote in a recent letter to Trump.
Pineland Farms sells its historic Maine dairy herd

3 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Kay Neufeld

Jun. 2—NEW GLOUCESTER — Echoes reverberate off the walls of the dairy barn at Pineland Farms like they never have before. There's no hay covering the floors. The chirps of birds are no longer drowned out by moos. The barn is pristine because there are no more tenants. Pineland Farms has shut down its milking operation and sold off all but two cows in its Holstein herd, considered one of the oldest in the nation. It's keeping a pair of youngsters for educational purposes.
Pineland Farms sells its historic Maine dairy herd

3 weeks ago | sunjournal.com | Kay Neufeld

NEW GLOUCESTER — Echoes reverberate off the pristine walls of the dairy barn at Pineland Farms like they never have before. There’s no hay covering the floors. The chirps of birds are no longer drowned out by moos. Pineland Farms has shut down its milking operation that once filled those stalls and sold off all but two cows in its Holstein herd, considered one of the oldest in the nation. It’s keeping a pair of youngsters for educational purposes.
Job openings in Maine are dropping, signaling return to 'normalcy'

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Kay Neufeld

May 27—The number of available jobs in Maine is the lowest it's been since a pandemic-induced drop in 2020, according to new data from the federal government. There were 28,000 openings in March in Maine, according to seasonally adjusted data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That number has been trending downward for the last 18 months. Experts say it is a sign the state's labor shortage is easing as available workers and available positions start to balance out.
Patagonia drops lawsuit against Marden's over fake jackets

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Kay Neufeld

May 23—Patagonia has dropped its trademark lawsuit against the Maine bargain retailer Marden's Surplus and Salvage. The outdoor gear and clothing company sued Marden's in March in the U.S. District Court of Maine. It claimed Marden's was knowingly selling counterfeit jackets and down sweaters with replicas of Patagonia's trademarked mountain-range logo. Patagonia called the fakes "virtually identical," according to the lawsuit.
Wild oysters are returning to Midcoast Maine waters

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Kay Neufeld

May 22—Wild American oysters, long considered extinct in Midcoast Maine, have returned to the region, according to a recent study. With the help of local shellfish harvesters, researchers from the University of Maine identified the oysters in nearly 40 areas along the coastal Damariscotta River. And they raised questions about whether aquaculture farms could be responsible for the species' return to the wild. The study also reported steep declines in soft-shell clam and mussel populations.
Wild oysters are returning to Midcoast Maine waters

1 month ago | sunjournal.com | Kay Neufeld

Wild American oysters, long considered extinct in Midcoast Maine, have returned to the region, according to a recent study. With the help of local shellfish harvesters, researchers from the University of Maine identified the oysters in nearly 40 areas along the coastal Damariscotta River. And they raised questions about whether aquaculture farms could be responsible for the species’ return to the wild. The study also reported steep declines in soft-shell clam and mussel populations.
Maine marine scientist elected to America's oldest honorary society

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Kay Neufeld

May 19—A University of Maine marine scientist has earned a place among the likes of George Washington, Albert Einstein, Duke Ellington and Madeleine Albright as members of the nation's oldest honorary society. Bob Steneck is one of nearly 250 members elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences this year.
Orange baby lobsters, the rarest of their kind, find a new home in Maine's ocean

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Kay Neufeld

May 12—BIDDEFORD — With steady hands and firmly planted feet, students at the University of New England gently lowered tiny orange lobsters, no bigger than their thumbs, into the cold salt water. UNE's marine biology students had stepped in as "foster parents" for 30 baby lobsters since they were hatched last year. And the time for reunification with the sea had now come.