The lobstermen of Little Cranberry Island are doing their part to combat climate change. The fishermen's co-op, where I used to work as a boat crewman, has converted its facility to solar power, part of local efforts to achieve energy independence by 2030. bit.ly/2PQfiZO

Tiny lobster-like snapping shrimp are filling the oceans with "pervasive crackling noise" as the planet warms. "When enough shrimp snap at once, the noise can dominate the soundscape of coastal oceans, sometimes confusing sonar instruments." Listen: bit.ly/2HKp2Q5

To protect ourselves "against the emergence of diseases ... we need to figure out how pathogen-fighting processes work in nature. ... The sea is a good place to start." nytimes.com/2020/04/17/opi…

"With the nation in chaos, President Trump is keeping his eye on … the lobster" (tinyurl.com/yaudxd7n). Trump hurt lobstermen with tariffs on China, but in a "garbled and fact challenged" visit to Maine he aimed to win lobstermen over for November: tinyurl.com/ydadsjol

Tests for coronavirus vaccine need this ingredient: horseshoe crabs nyti.ms/3fgJVAZ

A new low for lobster? In case you missed it, a hacked-open boiled lobster co-starred in the latest episode of the Roger Stone affair. bit.ly/2XT9oKD

Microplastics in the sea are really bad for Maine's baby lobsters, interfering with their gills. bit.ly/2DPDUOl

The seas can be helped to save themselves, using chitin from lobster shells to replace plastics; the military is also interested, for lobster-based armor. All this & more, including me discussing lobster eyes, lobster pee, & lobster sex, on Gastropod. bit.ly/2EU7WBd

A union of seafarers in Finland is showing worker solidarity with sailors from Myanmar, and taking collective action on their behalf to try to help them get paid fair wages. Think about that. bit.ly/3c2uyvy

Lobster protests: Native fishermen trapping year-round for a "moderate livelihood" vs. non-Natives who trap only part-year for "sustainability." A question: what is a sustainable moderate livelihood for all, esp. against a history of ethnic discrimination? bit.ly/3jkFy9E

This portrait of voting on a tiny Maine island, in a small working-class community, makes me think of how much I learned about the U.S. during my years living and lobstering on Little Cranberry Island. Much has changed since my time there, and much hasn't. bit.ly/3oL7NSW

"We need a lobsterwoman AOC" says Mainer, arguing that big-money establishment Democrats don't address local working-class issues, which could have tipped the U.S. Senate. (Ds spent $68 million failing to unseat Collins.) dissentmagazine.org/online_article…

Baby "superlobsters" may have the genetic ability to adapt to climate change, but that superpower comes at a cost. phys.org/news/2021-01-i…

A small feel-good story to start the week: Maine fisherman donates a $10,000 sushi tuna to his local soup kitchen. bangordailynews.com/2021/09/24/new…

Here's a visual dictionary of traditional sushi ingredients. Bookmark this before your next meal at an old-school sushi counter and use it for reference. sushiuniversity.jp/visual-diction…

Why don't we farm lobster? An interesting dive into the history and technology of possible crustacean aquaculture, and one that also entertains another question—why is it that there's so much seafood that we do have to farm? pressherald.com/2023/03/02/why…

In 1989 in China as an exchange student I witnessed violent gov repression, & as a journalist in the decades since, I've written abt China's authoritarian control of info. Today US is about to become much like China if this RESTRICT Act passes. Terrifying. responsiblestatecraft.org/2023/03/29/tik…

Today is election day in Finland. Finland was again recently named the "Happiest Country in the World." When you vote in Finland you can choose candidates from seven or eight major political parties. In the US, you can choose from two. US happiness ranking: 15th.

So much about the LA sushi scene is revealed in this enjoyable investigation into the paradoxically exorbitant-ordinary restaurant Sushi Park, penned by the skillful Dalya Benor. It's a story about how difficult it is for famous people to feel normal. theface.com/life/inside-su…

In a vulnerable democracy next to Russia, I worry Niall Ferguson might be right about US policy: "Not so much to help other countries defend themselves as to egg on others to fight ... without ... sufficient weaponry to stand much chance of winning" thefp.com/p/were-all-sov…