A happy angler holds a striped bass caught on the Kennebec River.By Barry Gibson
Coastal Journal contributor

Twenty-nine members of the public attended a hearing in Bath on Monday evening( April 4) on the Dept. of Marine Resources' (DMR) proposed rule to rescind a 21-year ban on using live or natural bait to catch striped bass in the Kennebec and Sheepscot watershed areas during the months of May and June.

Chris Gill, owner of Kennebec Angler Tackle Shop in Bath, voiced frustration from a business perspective. "There's not much fishing activity on the river any more," he said. "It's dead. We need to do something to stimulate interest. Most people can't cast a fly well enough to catch a striper," he said.

These low canisters contain Maine Yankee's spent nuclear fuel.by Raye Tibbitts
Coastal Journal contributor

It's been 15 years since Maine Yankee churned out nuclear power, but 24 years worth of spent nuclear fuel still sits on the now-decommissioned site in 64 dry storage casks. Given the recent disaster at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant, questions have arisen regarding the threat of this spent fuel in the event of a natural disaster.

"In the event of a natural disaster of the magnitude that recently hit Japan, these canisters are designed to withstand extreme weather and geological events," said Maine Yankee spokesperson Eric Howes. The spent fuel is housed in "stainless steel cylinders inside of concrete casks. These are robust canisters, weighing 300,000 pounds apiece, with vents at the bottom and top to allow convection," he said.

by Will Gottlieb
Coastal Journal staff

DAMARISCOTTA — There are some things you should know about Walter Gallant Jr., a local man who passed away in 2004 due to complications from diabetes. Among other things, Walter was a well driller, and unlike the majority of well drillers these days, Walter was a dowser, and found the right place to drill his wells by holding metal rods or willow sticks and just following his instincts.

"I just remember that is was kind of a natural thing for my dad," said his daughter, Kelly Reilly. "As a little girl, I used to go with him, and he always seemed to know right where the water was. One of the last wells he doused was at my house. We built the house in Damariscotta Mills, and he came up. And I can remember he was very unsteady on his feet, and he took the dousing rods, and pointed it in the direction of the well and told us where it was supposed to be. And at that time, my brother and the gentleman that ended up buying my dad's business drilled the well there. And it was a true artesian well, and we ended up having to have drains put in because there was so much water flowing there."

Steve and Kim Brackett have built an award-winning operation in Bath.by Joe Gelarden
Coastal Journal staff

BATH — Once upon a time, a young couple was riding a motorcycle on a winding road in the scenic north Georgia mountains. The passenger snuggled up to the driver and whispered into the helmet-to-helmet intercom system.

"You know, we should buy a market in Maine," she said.

That afternoon ride provided the genesis of a Bath landmark: Brackett's Market.