My View of Life on the Dock
Captain Chris Orsillo and Mate Steve Redfern bang out a trawl.
What is very encouraging and a testament to the conservation efforts of the lobster industry is how many short lobsters there are that will be there to be harvested as they grow. You can see how many get thrown back and it is quite a few.
Once again we used the Kayalu saltwater resistant suction RAM mount to secure the $79 Kodak Playsport Zx3 to the window behind the pilot house of the Trapper John.
Bare handed. Covered with stinging wet salt and herring guts in the warm summer heat.
It’s a tough job but hey, Eddie’s a tough guy.
you know the drill- click the pics for larger versions
click the picture for the slide show
You can also visit Kevin’s site here-
http://kevinjhenry.com/home.html
Kevin writes-
FISHERMEN – I see pride, determination and resignation in the photographs of these men. They are the "last of the independents" in Point Pleasant, NJ. As small commercial fishermen along the East Coast vanish, those that remain persevere and struggle to survive. A centuries old way of life that is rich with tradition and pride may soon be gone, victims of what may be the irreversible consolidation of the fleets. Their culture deserves respect and admiration. Those who work in this inherently dangerous trade are to be admired.
THE FUTURE? – A ghostly view of what may be the disappearing fishing fleets.
Not too many people other than my favorite blogger Doug Maxfield that have the balls to write articles like the one Dave Marciano wrote in today’s GDT-
Click the link above to read what Dave has to say. If what he says is true (and believe me I can’t even begin to understand how complex it all is) the way of life of the independent fishermen in Gloucester Ma will be lost forever within a generation.
i’m not sure how many people understand how sweeping the changes will be to our port but if it all is privatized the way it sounds like it’s going, go grab all the copies you can of John N Morris’ book Alone At Sea about the Schooners and Ron Gilson’s book about the waterfront An Island No More because the way of life as independent fishermen in Gloucester will be history and those two guys captured it in a real (non-romanticized way) better than anyone.
Unfortunately for the industry guys like Doug Maxfield don’t get book deals. His truths and clear cutting of the bullshit that gets reported about commercial fishing for one reason or another gets ignored by major media and instead bananheads with very little real commercial fishing experience get anointed experts in the field.
In the current day and age when it is so fashionable to hop on the green train the general public and even worse- food writers buy into whatever crap the environmentalists label green or not green or safe or not safe and more often than not once one of these people say it’s so the rest of the minions of loyal environmentalists fall right in behind them without ever doing real investigative work for themselves.
They ought to talk to guys like Doug or better yet read his blog- North Shore Waterman for the real deal.
Like the header for his blog?
It’s from a picture I took.
Here is your warning-Doug is RAW. If you are offended by sexual innuendo or harsh truths with extremely salty language about all things commercial fishing don’t bother going there.
But if you want to read about what is really going on in the fishing industry from a back man’s perspective check out Doug’s blog and make it part of your daily reading.
Here’s the first post that I’d suggest you read to further illustrate why I think Doug Maxfield should be the guy that gets the book deal-
So I’m on the crapper the other day, and with no other options within a step the width of my under-pants, I found myself flipping through the New Yorker. Wouldn’t you know it I found an article about the tragic state of the worlds fisheries (http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2010/08/02/100802crbo_books_kolbert?currentPage=1). Always interested in people’s take, I read it. HOLY-SHIT. Do people outside of the industry and the towns of New Bedford and Gloucester actually believe any of the tripe?
click the link to read the rest of his post
From Stern To Stem We Look At An Abandoned Dragger
A Sad State Of Affairs For Sure
File Under: Beautiful Industry
The Jocka Offloads Old Wire Onto A Mobile Net Reel
Here is a dragger’s net spread out so that it can be worked on. The orange balls act as floats at the top of the net as it gets towed through the water the boyancy of the orange balls keep the opening of the net as wide as possible to catch the most fish efficiently. Along the bottom you see the rubber rollers which make up the bottom part of the net as it gets towed behind the boat.
Our pal from New Jersey shows us they do things much the same way down there as they do up here in this beautiful slide show
During Fishing Family and Friends Health and Safety Day at US Coast Guard Station Gloucester Marine Technician Second Class Jim demonstrates the parts of a survival suit.
Showing the effects of ice and the proper way to secure an even load of fish during rough seas.
The noise you hear is the hydraulic pump which runs the winch.
Click the pic to view the video-
Good Morning Gloucester 