The other morning on my walk down Commercial Street here in Portland, I was watching the lobster boats unload at the wharf. Diesels were rumbling and seagulls circling, hoping for a morning snack. A busy working harbor before much of the city is awake.

A school bus rolled past me with kids’ faces pressed to the windows. A few of them looked out at the fishing boats like it was a totally new sight – and for some – it was.

Some of the kids live no more than a few minutes from the harbor. But odds are that many of them have never been on a boat. Never been on the water. Not because they didn't want to, but because they never had the opportunity. Meanwhile, the fishing industry that built this state is in danger of aging out. Including the lobster industry .

Last fall, in 2025, Maine lost Virginia “Ginny” Oliver, better known as t ...