Frontier Canning , Robbinston - Employees of the Frontier sardine cannery in Robbinston , 1929 . River herring were historically harvested with a variety of different gear types , including weirs , seines , dip nets , drift nets , and set nets . Although river herring populations in Downeast Maine have been seriously impacted by human activities , many restoration efforts are underway to restore their populations to historic abundances . Photo courtesy of St . Croix Historical Society . seasonally between their coastal and inland homes to follow food supplies ( fish and game ) and other resources . Places and communities carry Wabanahki names based on landscape features and natural resources .
The eastern part of Downeast Maine is within the Bay of Fundy , home of the world ’ s highest tides . Intense tidal flows carve the rocky ocean shores , and filter immense amounts of water through the long narrow coves such as Cobscook Bay , creating rich habitat for marine life . Fresh waterways and coastal waters fed by deep , cold sand and gravel aquifers support fish and shellfish that still feed people around the nation . Wild blueberries grow lushly on eskers left by glaciers and still provide a food resource to an extent found nowhere else in the world .
Major water-dependent industries like shipbuilding , quarrying granite , logging , and mills afforded the wealth to build vibrant and architecturally distinct villages , some of which are National Historic Districts today . The streets and buildings of Eastern cities were built on the abundant lumber and granite extracted from Downeast Maine and transported via river and ocean . The swift rivers and waterfalls enabled powering mills , tanneries , and more to process raw materials into usable goods . Tides in Downeast Maine are so significant that they have been tested for their potential to generate electrical power , reflecting how the region ’ s natural resources continue to inspire innovation .
The natural resources that built Downeast Maine and the American nation remain vital to the current
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