Living Fisheries rises from cyberspace hibernation!

Hi All,

The fishing adventures haven't declined, despite the lack of blog documentation! I keep planning to post new stories and to rekindle old tales, but time slips away from me...

The F/V Icky Thump, my 22' jet-black Tolman skiff, continues to allow me to search for halibut:

as well as salmon and crab (for the dinner table):

Being a flat-bottomed craft, she handles a heavy load well but is prone to making all hands on deck leave an inch shorter than when they stepped on deck, due to spinal compression. Heck, I was never good at basketball anyway. Since returning from overseas, we've had two good fishing seasons on the Icky Thump, injury-free and almost profitable! Much of the success of the past couple seasons is due to excellent deckhands, who double as friends and family:
Eben. Who says Vermonters don't take to the water?

My dad. In the 1970's, he lobstered out of a 14' skiff along the Maine coast. That makes 22' seem spacious!

Katie. A Kasilof (Alaska) native who has seined and setnet for salmon for many summers, and now works with subsistence fishing communities in northwest Alaska:

Two good friends in Homer made the transition from skiff fishing to a "real" boat. Skiff owners always take slight offense to this designation of 'real', but I think we all know what is meant. A foc'scle, steering station, and fish holds are 'real' treats that few skiffs afford! In recent years, Kyle and Emily have transitioned from the Galway Girl (a 22' V-hull Tolman), to Bong Hits For Jesus (a 26' fiberglass setnet skiff), and now to the Northland (a 32' Rawson gillnetter). Just when the bottom line of a fishing operation start to go from red to black, fishermen go and buy a new boat or a new engine! Who says passion follows logic?

You can follow the adventures of the F/V Northland up close and personal at their own direct-marketing venue:
http://emilyandkylescatch.wordpress.com/

I've made a few trips to a great community of 200 or so folks in the village of Nanwalek, located about 35 miles from Homer. Here's an idea of the layout around Homer/Nanwalek:

Subsistence fishing is a major part of life in Nanwalek- sockeye salmon, coho salmon, halibut, bidarki, and octopus. I'm fascinated by the use and valuation of octopus by the community. In industrialized ports like Homer and Kodiak, octopus is caught as bycatch (mostly by pot cod fishermen) and is used mainly for longlining bait. In Nanwalek and other remote communities in the Gulf of Alaska, octopus is hunted during low tides and is a highly prized delicacy used in special meals!


I visited the whaling community of Wainwright (Alaska) this November, located on the Arctic Ocean to the west of Barrow. This is a Alaska Native community where most of the meat consumed is harvested locally. Whale, seal, caribou, and bear are hunted, as well as lots of fish (mainly smelt, whitefish, cisco, char). Unfortunately, the timing of my trip didn't align with good smelt fishing or whaling season, but it was incredible to hear stories of recent harvests, and the region is beautiful.


I also migrated back to Maine for a while around the holidays and explored fisheries in the northeast, although most of this was shoreside 'research'- very different than jumping right into the gurry on deck. I did get the chance to turn over a few lobster pots one icy January morning with a new friend, Curt, in Portland Maine. Curt also recently made the shift from skiff fishing to a larger vessel with the entertaining name "Li'l More Tail". I think the name makes Curt cringe, but it can be bad luck to change a boat name. If it were me, I might take my chances with Lady Luck.


Hopefully I'll make the time to type up a rant or a tall tale more often this coming year, and maybe I'll get around to expanding on some of the above experiences. There's a lot to share about small-scale fishing!