Tag Archives: Barnegat Light
Food Fight: Offshore Wind a Risk to Cultural Fabric, Fishing Industry of LBI
Discussions about the impact of wind farms planned off the coast of New Jersey have been in the broad sense recently, but last week two commercial fishermen brought it home to Long Beach Island. “Our lives are on the line. We wonder whether we are going to pay our bills,” said Kirk O. Larson, who has spent more than five decades on the water as a commercial fisherman, while serving as Barnegat Light mayor for more than 30 years. “It’s not for lack of product. It’s for the brashness of these people from Europe to just come in and push us around, buy up all our fishery services people, who are quitting their jobs to go work for offshore wind companies. They are taking the best of the best.” >click to read< 12:32
Barnegat Light Matriarch Marion Larson Remembered
With her passing June 3, Barnegat Light commercial fishing industry matriarch Marion Larson is remembered as a respected businessperson and a “legendary” woman in the local community. Marion and her late husband John founded Viking Village commercial fishery in Barnegat Light with the late Louis Puskas and his wife Frances. Marion was her husband’s bookkeeper until his death in December 2009 when daughter Karen Larson assumed duties to assist her, including the business operations of the 90-foot-long fishing catamaran, the Miss Barnegat Light, 61 years on the water. Generations of the family are still involved in the fisheries industry. >click to read< 07:55
Harvesting the sea
Working out of six major fishing ports, New Jersey fishermen rank No. 1 in the nation when it comes to landing clams, scallops, squid and Atlantic mackerel. “It supports thousands of jobs.’’ Fishermen are the heart and soul of this industry, risking both life and livelihood to land the fish that feed their families, and millions of Americans. “Commercial fishermen are some of the hardest working people,’’ said Wayne Reichle, president, Lund’s Fisheries in Cape May. “They are paid on what they harvest. If they go out to sea and don’t catch anything, they don’t make anything. They take a lot 
of risk both financially and personally.’’ “In the winter, our guys go anywhere from 75 to 150 miles offshore,’’ said Dave Tauro, manager of Belford Seafood Co-Op in Highlands. “It takes them sometimes 18 hours. Imagine what the fuel cost is. They spend three grand before they leave the dock.’’ photos, >click to read< 13:45
Obituary: Louis Puskas Jr. of Barnegat Light, New Jersey has passed away
With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Louis Puskas Jr. of Barnegat Light, New Jersey, born in Rocky Hill, New Jersey, who passed away on September 2, 2020 at the age of 89. He is survived by : his wife Frances “Fran” Puskas; his sons, John Puskas (Shannon), Paul Puskas and Matthew Puskas (Cheryl); his sister Linda Jane Richardson; and his grandchildren, Jill, Christina, Mary, Paul, Jacob, Logan, Jennifer, Matthew, Andrew, Shea, John and Grace. He is also survived by many loving cousins, nieces, nephews and many, many friends. >click to read< We posted this in 2014 about Capt. Lou Puskas – From the historical archives of the commercial fishing industry, Captain Lou Puskas certainly steps into the limelight. He has had a tremendous career and seems to be somewhat of a legend. This man rediscovered tile fish, lobbied against foreign fleets fishing in US water and survived three boat sinkings. >click for video< 11:33
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, September 9th 2020 from 3:00 to 9:00 PM at 1801 Bayview Avenue, Barnegat Light, NJ
Legendary Commercial Fisherman Lou Puskas Jr. Dies – Puskas has been described as “a legend” and a “fearless” fisherman by members of the Barnegat Light commercial fishing community – he survived three boats sinking under him and is credited for starting the tilefish industry out of Barnegat Light. >click to read< 9/9/2020, 13:02
Barnegat Light longline boat’s surprise catch
You can file this in one in the category of unique catches. An opah weighing 125 pounds was landed by longline vessel Alexandria Dawn, which docks at Viking Village in Barnegat Light. The boat returned Aug.4 from nearly two weeks of fishing for tuna and swordfish at the Georges Banks, near the Canadian line. The vessel’s Captain Bob Brewster made about two dozen sets, one of which caught the opah, said Viking Village employee Austin Schwerzel, who photographed the crew with the fish. >click to read< 15:02
From Sea to Shining Recipe – Home Chefs Step Up Retail to Replace a Bit of Restaurant Deficit
Just 25 hours after Nantucket scallops were dredged and loaded from Georges Bank, they glistened like treasure at Viking Village in Barnegat Light. Aboard the 97-foot Kathy Ann, Capt. Cory Karch, mate Todd DeVito and crew had brought back dinner by the boatload on a recent Sunday to be packed out at the dock. “There is good demand, and the demand is coming from the retail mostly,” reported dock General Manager Ernie Panacek. Dining at home has turned into a pastime. “People are realizing that they can cook their own, and seafood is very easy to prepare.” photo’s, >click to read< 08:21
Wooden Boat Breaks Up Off South Jetty in Barnegat Light After Crew Rescued
The captain of an older wooden boat registered in Shinnecock, N.Y., told Coast Guard crews he was bringing the vessel to Barnegat Light for repairs when it ran into trouble near Barnegat Inlet Wednesday night.,, But on Friday, any destination that would have been in the commercial fishing segment of town was unknown. “Nobody knows anything about anybody coming here to work on a boat,” said Mayor Kirk Larson, a fishing fleet owner at Viking Village commercial dock. Thursday, the boat was snagged on low rocks and torn open, “taking a beating,” as observers reported. By Friday, the boat had broken up. “The rigging is collapsed into the water and there is nothing left but the bow of the boat,” Larson said. >click to read< 09:31
In New Jersey! Support The Local Fishing Industry With Seafood Made Simple
Like everyone else, our local fishermen have been hit hard by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Support your local fishermen by purchasing fresh seafood from these participating markets & restaurants. Then, use their own recipes at the bottom of this page to prepare yourself a delicious meal. This is how we preserve generations of livelihoods – keep guys fishing to teach their kids who teach their kids. Locations through out the state. Information, and lots of links! Gus Lovgrens “Sea Bass over Pasta”, and the other recipes sound great! Atlantic Offshore Fishery, Point Pleasant, Point Lobster Co, Point Pleasant, Viking Village, Barnegat Light, Belford Seafood Co-Op, Belford, Fisherman’s Dock Co-Op,Point Pleasant. >click to read< 18:19
Barnegat Light, Shining at the North End
“It is a quintessential port town that boasts one of the busiest commercial fishing operations on the East Coast, and all the culture that comes with such standing.,, Like the lighthouse that beckons, the town of Barnegat Light is a compelling attraction to visitors and those fortunate enough to live there. There’s something – many things – unique about the historic, scenic, tightly knit community at the far north end of the Island. Just ask the people who are its proud and loyal fans. They’ll share some common themes, but invariably they’ll add something personal about what Barnegat Light means to them. >click to read<23:02
A Talk – Commercial Fishing Navigates Change to Bring Home Profit
A taste of the enthralling work of commercial fishing Saturday described a tug-of-war with not just the deep, but also a sea of federal regulations. How the captain and crew know where to set up the hooked lines for tuna, how the moon rules when fish bite, the extent that Big Brother’s eye is on the industry, the astounding amount that a scallop fishing permit is worth, what happens when one guy, days out to sea, gets a fever,,, Karter Larson’s talk on commercial fishing from Barnegat Light’s Viking Village dock is standing room only each year at the LBIF. >click to read< 21:39
Boat Worker Rescued from Water as Ice Rescue Drills in Barnegat Light Prepare for the Worst Case
Ice rescue practice is getting out there to know and conquer the element before it rears its ugly head – and icy weather now has. The Barnegat Light Volunteer Fire Co. and the Barnegat Light First Aid Squad already had two ice rescue drills in the first two days of 2018 when they were called to respond to a fall from a docked fishing boat on Jan. 2. Fortunately, the victim was quickly pulled from the 40-degree water by co-workers. That incident at 10:30 a.m. at Viking Village commercial fishing dock was a 911 call when a male fell in the water from the outer dock. click here to read the story 11:36
Sad news: Barnegat Light Scalloper ‘Apparently Fell Overboard’ and Dies in Massachusetts
The Fishermen’s Story Memorial at the tip of Barnegat Light will have another name engraved in memory of commercial fishermen who died in their line of work, this one Pete Benya. “Barnegat Light is again mourning the loss of one of our own,” says the Facebook page of the Fishermen’s Story Memorial Fund. Capt. Pete Benya, 59, died the weekend of Sunday, May 14, when his body was found floating in Saquatucket Harbor, Mass., and later identified, according to the Cape and Islands district attorney’s office. Benya owned the Resolute and had been scalloping out of Barnegat Light for several years.“Pete was making a few trips out of Harwich, Mass., and apparently fell overboard while at the dock,” said representatives from Lighthouse Marina, his home port in Barnegat Light. “He will be sorely missed.” Click here to read the story. 19:33 We extend our deepest condolences to Captain Peter Benya’s loved ones, and his community. Rest in Peace, Captain.
Seafood Buyers Visit the Source at Viking Village
The Wegmans supermarket chain chooses seafood from Barnegat Light for 20 stores in the tri-state area. One recent summer Monday, Viking Village Commercial Seafood Producers hosted a visit from several Wegmans officials, who were there as guests of purchasers Trinity Seafood of Lakewood. “Wegmans is proud to say their fish comes from Barnegat Light,” reported Trinity General Manager Mike Carson. “They have some of the highest-quality seafood on the Eastern Seaboard.” Carson said Trinity is Wegmans’ primary local seafood vendor, and is able to supply the chain with quality products caught close to the stores. “For instance, we get a lot of oysters from Cape May, clams out of Sandy Hook, and we do a lot of monkfish, scallops, sword, albacore, mahi and flounder between Point Pleasant and Viking Village,” he said. Ron Vreeland, director of operations at Viking Village, led a tour of the facilities at the dock and outlined sustainable fishing practices. Read the story here 13:45
Brad Hunter: Modern day hunter-gatherer
Is Brad Hunter a paleo man? Well, almost. Between 15,000 and 7,000 B.C., paleo people were migratory, following their food sources. They ate animals that they hunted or fished as well as nuts, berries and vegetables that they gathered. Not until the development of agriculture were people able to stay in one place without risking starvation. Today, Brad hunts fish for animal protein and gathers seeds and cuttings to grow food on his farm. (early days) During these youthful travels, Brad visited a surfing friend in New Jersey. While there, he was offered a lucrative job with a commercial fishing fleet out of Barnegat Light, just north of Atlantic City. He stayed with the company for 10 years, doing longline fishing 200 miles off shore in the Gulf Stream. Read the rest here 18:18
Now here’s a true fish story
Those scallops you ate last week — where do you think they came from? China maybe? Most people don’t bother reading the labels on their food. They don’t know where it was grown or caught or packaged and to what bacteria or viruses it may have been exposed during any of those processes. Karter Larson, one of the Larson family of commercial fishermen in Barnegat Light talked about life on the sea and details of how the operation runs, to a standing-room-only crowd on Saturday at the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences. Read the rest here 07:48
BARNEGAT LIGHT – Commercial fishermen ready for 2015 whatever comes
The fishing party boats like the Doris Mae, about to get out of the business. (See story by Dan Radel in this issue) are not the only ones to be affected by changes in fishing regulations. The commercial fishing fleet — with the really big boats, has been operating out of Barnegat Light for more than 175 years. “Our commercial fishing industry has. Without it, our businesses like the bars, gas stations, restaurants, and deli would not be able to stay open all year.” Read the rest here 12:45
Karter Larson says Thank you to all the sponsors of the 6th Annual Jazzy Scallop and Seafood Festival.
We greatly appreciate everyone’s generosity and support as we strive to educate the public about the commercial fishing industry and stand with our commercial fishermen to protect and develop an industry that serves us all. <Read more here> 14:29
