Ask any resident in Portland where to buy fresh seafood and chances are you'll hear about the Harbor Fish Market. What makes this place so special? As it turns out, it's not just about the fish.

By Laura Candler

5am breakfast at Becky's Diner in Portland is just daily routine for some; for others it's so much more.

By Nadia Wilson

Nancy Forsell Augenblick captures an image of a sea urchin in South Addison, Maine on March 20 — the last day of sea urchin collecting for the 2012 season.

More than 100 people gathered at East End Beach and jumped into the Casco Bay at the break of dawn on St. Patrick's Day. After the frigid dip, and hopefully a quick change of clothes, the participants headed over to RiRa's for a live auction and free breakfast buffet. The 10th annual RiRa's "Paddy's Day Plunge" raises money for the Portland Firefighters Children's Burn foundation.

 Photo by Alexander Kreher (www.alexanderkreher.com)

Sara Franklin and Jessie Wright-Mendoza of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies combine photos and interviews to take a look at year-round life in Isle au Haut.

"On Isle au Haut, life is hard, the population is dwindling, and the community's future hangs in the balance." — Sara and Jessie from the Salt Institute.

In this collage, five Port Clyde residents describe their sense of pride in the place they live. A young lobsterman, a banjo player, a commercial fisherman, a mother of three, and a retired dentist each express why they embody Port Clyde.

Produced by Molly Jean Bennett, Emily Chin, and Katrina Herzog.

Photos: Katrina Herzog
Audio Editing: Emily Chin
Multimedia Editing: Molly Jean Bennett

From the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.

The description of a place through the lens of postcards sent home. The piece asks the question: why go to Port Clyde? Eight people answer this in their own unique way, via a postcard home.

Produced by: Jordan Fletcher, Radio Producer. Maria Reyburn, Radio Producer. Lisa Mattingly, Writer, Photographer from the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.

This story focuses on the relationship between a grandfather and grandson and the family legacy passed down between generations. Highlighting the Anderson family of Port Clyde, Maine, this short documentary is a portrayal of the strong influence of grandfathers on grandsons. In this family, where fishing has been a historical way of life, ever-changing times raise the issue of impermanence.

As shoppers flocked to stores on Black Friday, marking the official start of the holiday shopping season, two Salt radio producers, Jordan Fletcher and Jessie Wright-Mendoza, headed to the Maine Mall and brought back this story.

On September 24, 1970, an explosion and fire flattened the Port Clyde Sardine factory. "The explosion, it went hundred of feet, those great big timbers went hundreds of feet in the air," remembers volunteer fireman Wayne Hilt in Memories of a Fire, a video produced by Alex Acquisto, Ashley Cleek, Nellie Large, and Emma Weatherill, students at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. "When I looked up, those great big timbers, 24-foot long ones, went spinning. Cans, wood, timbers. I said, 'This is it. I've had it.'"