ROCKLAND — The Island Institute today announced that Tom Groening will leave the Bangor Daily News and join the company as editor of The Working Waterfront newspaper at the beginning of February.

A "seasoned reporter and editor," Groening spent 10 years at Belfast weekly The Republican Journal, followed by 14 years with the BDN, most recently as Belfast bureau chief.

Groening will oversee all aspects of the paper's print and online editions, according to an Island Istitute press release Jan. 17. He will also coordinate the Institute's student writing program and assist with Island Journal, the organization's annual publication that celebrates island life and culture.

Jason Mann, the Institute's media director, said in the release he believes that Groening will add a wealth of insight into the issues affecting coastal Maine. "Tom has a strong sense of how to cover the many unique and different constituencies in island and coastal towns, and that's essential to the paper's continued success," said Mann.

Launched in 1993, The Working Waterfront's printed edition is published 10 times a year with a peak summer distribution of 65,000 along the Maine coast.