by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Ross v. Acadian Seaplants had its day in the Maine Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday, Nov. 14, when oral arguments were heard in Portland. 

Originally filed in Machias, the outcome of the case will determine whether rockweed — Ascophyllum nodosum — is the private property of coastal landowners or a marine resource held in the public trust. The case is the first in more than 100 years that seeks to settle the question of who owns the rockweed that grows in Maine’s intertidal zone.