Daily Archives: August 31, 2014
In the LA Times: Cape Cod’s namesake fish population rapidly disappearing
Today’s catch: pounds of skate, a fish that looks like a sting ray until fishermen catch it, when they cut off its wings and throw the body back into the water. The skate wings, white triangular pieces of flesh trailed by streams of blood, slide down ramps onto the loading dock. “Eeeewww,” says 5-year-old Felix Haight. “It looks like raspberry jelly,” he adds, as his mother wrinkles her nose. The next boat brings in dogfish, which looks like a mix between a shark and a lizard, Read the rest here 19:34
Virginia watermen fight mounting regulations
Virginia waterman are passionate. One wrote into [email protected] that the watermen have been cut short on income through the early closing of their oyster season. Another told us on Thursday that in less than 25 years, there have been more than 20 new regulations, and none of them have done what they’re supposed to do. Read the rest here, Video 12:45
Here’s The Hard Work That Goes Into Catching Your Lobster – Lots of great photos in this article
Lobster boat captain Craig Stewart and sternman Tim Lovett start work before sunrise and haul traps for hours on end. To experience the life of a Maine lobsterman last summer we headed to Portland, Maine and spent a day aboard Stewart’s 36-foot working lobster boat. Read the rest here, lots of photos 11:22
Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance Weekly Update, August 31, 2014
“The Rhode Island Fishermen’s Alliance is dedicated to its mission of continuing to help create sustainable fisheries without putting licensed fishermen out of business.” Read the update here 11:00
Twenty-thousand Turkish vessels will set sail on Monday as the country’s fishing season starts in earnest.
Almost 20,000 registered fish boats will cast off on Monday. The Turkish phrase for this event is “Vira Bismillah” – literally ‘raising the anchor in the name of God’. Another veteran, Mehmet Reis – “Captain Mehmet” – an experienced sailor with a deeply-lined face who has spent more than a third of his life fishing, claims Turkish people do not have enough appreciation for fish. “This is medicine, do not call this ‘fish’,” Read the rest here 10:28
The CG36500 Historic Coast Guard lifeboat rescues kayaker
More than 62 years after the CG36500 lifeboat rescued 32 men off the coast of Chatham in what became known as the greatest small-boat rescue in Coast Guard history, it is still saving lives. Read the rest here 09:37
Lobster season’s assessment: ‘normal’ with good eating ahead
A recent Associated Press story citing a slower-than-usual lobster harvest in Maine. Executive Editor Rod Doherty asked if I was interested in doing a comparison piece about our New Hampshire lobster catch. I giggled and thought, “Rod you’ve come to the right place.” Read the rest here 08:30
Parasitic lampreys feed on bumper Fraser River sockeye run
The parasitic Pacific lamprey is taking a bite out of the estimated more than 21 million sockeye returning to the Fraser River this year — a bumper harvest but short of the unexpectedly high returns of 2010. But sockeye are showing up this year with chunks taken out of their bodies, raising concerns about the lamprey’s impact on the spawning migration. Read the rest here 01:50
