CAMDEN — The Camden Public Library carries on its Maritime Month tradition this April by hosting a series of marine-themed programs and featuring a month-long exhibit of photographs from the Penobscot Marine Museum’s National Fisherman Collection. Many programs for Maritime Month will be hybrid, welcoming a live audience as well as participants on Zoom.

From April 1 – 27*, the exhibit “Working the Sea: Selections from the National Fisherman Collection” will be on view in the Picker Room Gallery. National Fisherman was introduced in 1954 as a monthly publication focused, then and now, on commercial fishermen: the industry that surrounds them, the boats they use, and the gear they rely on. Fishermen weren’t the only audience, however, and for many years, it was known as “the saltiest magazine on the newsstand” — a good part of its readership owned pleasure boats, wanted to build, or were just interested in maritime history. National Fisherman covered it all: fishing, building and repairing small boats, trending maritime equipment and supplies, and the ordinary drama of life and work at sea, present and past. An upcoming photo book by long-time NF contributor, Michael Crowley, will explore stories from the archives of the magazine. This exhibit draws directly from his book and research, and of course from the National Fisherman Collection at the Penobscot Marine Museum.

The first program in the Maritime Month series, “The Art of Sound: Recordings from the Coast of Maine” will take place on Tuesday, April 11, at 6 p.m., on Zoom. Sound artist Dianne Ballon will introduce listeners to the beauty and richness of sound, share stories about the difficulties of field recording on the coast of Maine, and discuss her discovery of a “lost” maritime sound. To experience the high fidelity of sound that will be presented, headphones or good quality speakers are highly recommended. Register to attend on Zoom here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_d_k5bAMmS2eYennLZeOK9g

Maritime Month continues on Thursday, April 13, at 6:30 p.m., with a program from the Center for Wildlife Studies, in partnership with the Camden Public Library, titled “Stranded: Marine Mammal Stranding Response in Northeastern Maine.” Rosemary Seton is a Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator at Allied Whale, the marine mammal laboratory at College of the Atlantic. Seton will talk about marine mammal stranding response from Rockland to Calais, the various marine mammal species we see here, and what to do when you spot a seal ashore. This is a hybrid event and will take place in person as on Zoom. Use this link to register on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-8nitJDGS-GrU7BnCWmIBQ

On Tuesday, April 25, at 6:30 p.m., naval architect and marine product developer James Bennet will present “Storm Surge Risk & Mitigation in Camden Harbor.” Bennett’s talk will review the history of severe storms that have affected Camden Harbor compared with the most recent severe storm that occurred on December 23, 2021. He will also discuss past attempts to mitigate storm impact by constructing a breakwater at the outer harbor, challenges we face going forward, and possibilities to consider. This is a hybrid event and will take place in person as well as on Zoom. To attend on Zoom, register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fof8Fc99SDyJHwI7-JfjTw

Maritime Month concludes with a presentation to complement the exhibit from the Penobscot Marine Museum. Michael Crowley will give an illustrated talk, “Working the Sea,” on his experience writing and editing for National Fisherman magazine. As Boats & Gear editor at NF, Crowley provided stories on boatbuilding, boat repair, and fishing gear. The geographic coverage of his work included New England, the South Atlantic, Gulf, West Coast, and Alaska. This is a hybrid event and will take place in person as well as on Zoom. To attend on Zoom, register here:  https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_i-drOfuTTj-LgxDmMoRsLg

Visit librarycamden.org/maritime-month-2023 to learn more about the Camden Public Library’s Maritime Month offerings. Visit librarycamden.org to stay up to date on more programs happening this month at the Camden Public Library.

*The Picker Room hosts meetings and library events and is not always open for viewing. Please call ahead or check our website calendar to see what’s happening daily.