The Boston Globe and Portland Press Herald collaborate to launch new series on the way climate change is disrupting life on the Maine coast

BOSTON, Dec. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Boston Globe and the Portland Press Herald today jointly published "The Lobster Trap," a deep exploration of the way climate change is upending Maine's signature industry and the lives of the coastal people who depend on it.

The two-part series finds that the warming waters of the Gulf of Maine are steadily driving the lobster population toward the cooler waters off Canada. Already, the epicenter of the lobster population has shifted more than 100 miles northward, and once prosperous lobster ports in southern New England are largely bereft of lobster. Meanwhile, climate change has also disrupted the food supply of the endangered North Atlantic right whale, bringing them into increasing conflict with lobstermen.

"The Lobster Trap," written by Jenna Russell of the Globe and Penelope Overton of the Press Herald, transports readers to Vinalhaven, an island 15 miles off the coast of Maine where virtually everyone depends on the lobster. These rugged islanders face a difficult choice: fight to keep their traditional livelihoods or find ways to adapt to the rapidly changing world.

 "We can see the harmful effects of the climate crisis right here in our backyard from Cape Cod to the Gulf of Maine," said Boston Globe editor Brian McGrory. "It made perfect sense for us to team up with the Press Herald to investigate the impact it's having on one of our region's iconic industries."

"Teaming up with the Globe and its superb staff allowed us to go deep on one of the most important issues facing Maine and immerse ourselves in a community that will be profoundly affected by the changes taking place," said Steve Greenlee, the Press Herald's managing editor. "Because of this partnership and the funding that came with it, we were able to tell a major story that we wouldn't have been able to tell otherwise."

The yearlong project, during which the reporters and photographers stayed in a rented house on Vinalhaven, was funded by Participant, the company that co-produced the movie Spotlight and funded the Spotlight Fellowship at the Globe. The five-year-old fellowship program allows outside journalists to work with the Globe's famed Spotlight Team.

"We are so proud to support the Spotlight Fellowship," said David Linde, CEO of Participant. "This investigation is a critical glimpse into how our localities are being impacted by the forces of climate change, and further underscores the importance of local reporting to tell global stories."

Readers can find "The Lobster Trap" at either globe.com/lobstertrap or pressherald.com/lobster and can follow social chatter using #TheLobsterTrap.

About Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC
Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC provides news and information, entertainment, opinion and analysis through its multimedia properties. BGMP includes The Boston Globe, Globe.com, Boston.com, STAT, and Globe Direct.

About Portland Press Herald
The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, the state's largest newspaper, and PressHerald.com are part of Masthead Maine, the state's largest media network.

Press:
Heidi Flood, Boston Globe Media, [email protected]
Allison McCann, Portland Press Herald, [email protected]

SOURCE The Boston Globe; Portland Press Herald