who we are, how we fish and our connection to the sea

FISH TALES

New fishermen's wives group has big plans

When Sasha Tomasek-Little came to the Cape more than five years ago from farm country in Connecticut, she was struck by the ocean and fishermen who build their lives on it.

“It was mind-blowing how hard they work and the brotherhood,” Tomasek-Little said.

She was surprised the industry wasn’t celebrated more. Coming from a marketing and public relations background, it seemed to her there is a wealth of knowledge and stories to share, along with the local catch. 

PLUMBING THE DEPTHS

Will EBFM work better than the current reulatory regime?

A few years ago, dragger fishermen were calling John Pappalardo, CEO of the Fishermen’s Alliance, saying they were catching a lot of fluke.

There is a good market for the tasty, white fish, but fishermen were frustrated because they were throwing them overboard.

“They don’t have permits to catch them,” said Pappalardo.

The New England Fishery Management Council, which Pappalardo serves on, manages more than 30 fish species. But they don’t manage fluke. 

Climate change had brought an abundance of summer flounder to Georges Bank, but the fishery management system wasn’t designed to adjust to changes in fish movement and help fishermen respond. 

AIDS TO NAVIGATION

Let us give thanks, for oysters

Morgan Ward, an oyster farmer, was sitting on the tailgate of his truck on the sand flats of Dennis, excited.

“Oysters are best in fall and winter,” Ward said, recorded by a video camera. “Make them a Thanksgiving tradition … Cook them, fry them, roast them. They are magic, they are delicious, they bring people together.”

Ward, in the documentary film “Tide to Table” shown at the Chatham Orpheum Theater last week, wasn’t done with his ode to oysters.

“Someone tries an oyster on Friday and by Sunday they are eating three dozen and saying I love them, eat oysters!,” he told 100-plus laughing audience members gathered to see the film.  

CHARTING THE PAST

Dave Jerauld and the Pocahontas

David Jerauld stopped fishing decades ago, but stories of his boat, the Pocahontas, still find their way into conversations.

“A legendary name for a legendary boat,” said Paul Gasek from Brewster, who crewed for Jerauld back in the 1970s before going on to another kind of career in fisheries; producer of the popular television show, “The Deadliest Catch.”

Photo courtesy of Paul Gasek 

A DAY IN PHOTOS

Photo Gallery: A different kind of fish market

By Seth Rolbein

Comparing fish markets around the world is always fascinating, and always reminds me of the historic depth and power of our fishery back home.

Latest example: Sicily.

Mondello, at the fringe of muscular Palermo, perches on the sea with a fine sand beach that lures tourists – sound familiar? A Coast Guard station abuts a small fishermen’s market. Mondello residents swing by to peruse and buy.

The market is makeshift, if something centuries old can be called that. There is modern canvas shade but no ice; best to get this fish to a cool place straight away. See photos of the market, and what’s for sale, in our photo gallery.

OVER THE BAR

With herring, fears realized, we have to keep fighting

By John Pappalardo

We are now witnessing the bitter, devastating impact to our fishing community and ecosystem caused by a single federal judge who overturned years of effort to protect our small-boat fishery and small fish crucial to the ocean’s health.

After years of effort by Cape fishermen, our community, and like-minded interests across the region, last year the National Marine Fisheries Service approved a 12-mile buffer zone, with a 20-mile bump off Cape Cod, to protect ocean herring, a vital forage fish, from mid-water trawls. This was a huge victory that many of you helped make possible with your support and public advocacy.

At the same time, this new protection would help river herring return to the streams and runs many of us cherish around the Cape.

On the Horizon

We have lots of exciting stuff happening.

 'Tis the season to pick up the perfect fishy swag. Visit our online store to shop chowder, hats, sweatshirts, cookbooks and more. All items are in stock and ready for pick-up in Chatham or for delivery (soup products are for pick-up only). Shop to support Fishermen’s Alliance, while completing your holiday lists.

Thank you to all our Meet the Fleet Partners of 2022! This year we have worked with some amazing guest speakers, chefs and partners to bring you four events that focused on local seafood – the people who catch it, and the people who cook it. Thank you to those who went above and beyond to make these events possible: Dancing Spoons Chef Services, Fisherman’s Pantry of Falmouth, Nauset Marine, The Rail, Pizza Shark, Chatham Orpheum Theater, Chatham Bars Inn, Quahog Republic, and Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty. And to our fantastic fishing industry guests for sharing their knowledge and on-the-water experience: Mike Anderson, Tracy Sylvester, Jesse Redmund, Ken Baughman, Andrew Spalt, Bill Amaru, Kurt Martin, Stephanie Sykes, Steve Wright, Farran Jalbert, Paul Wittenstein.    

 We are already planning for next year’s line-up. Be sure to visit our website for information, news and event details. Preparing for cold winter nights and cooking local seafood? Join our virtual cooking class in February 2023. Dreaming of summer already? Save the date for Hookers Ball XXII on Saturday, August 5. Regardless of which events you participate in, we hope you leave with a closer connection to the fishing industry, a better understanding of local seafood, and an appreciation for the work we do to preserve the Cape’s historic fishing tradition. We look forward to seeing you soon!   

On the Water

Ever wonder how a boat, or a fish, got its name? Want the word on what people are catching --- or how to cook it?

After years of effort by Cape fishermen, our community, and like-minded interests across the region, the National Marine Fisheries Service approved a 12-mile buffer zone, with a 20-mile area off Cape Cod, to protect ocean herring, a vital forage fish, from mid-water trawls. In 2019, around Thanksgiving, we celebrated the victory. Earlier this year, a federal judge threw out the buffer, causing consternation up and down the coast. The New England Fishery Management Council is considering revisiting the midwater trawl buffer zone and we are asking people to urge the members to include it in their 2023 priorities. Before Dec 1, please send an email to comments@nefmc.org. Read more from John Pappalardo.

On the Shore

This community thrives in large part because of a constellation of non-profit organizations and engaged businesses.

Those in the industry know the huge economic value of commercial fishing, but decision makers don’t always. That’s why we appreciate the efforts of staff at the state Division of Marine Fisheries and the Urban Harbors Institute to invite municipal, state and federal officials to a virtual briefing on needs and opportunities within the Massachusetts Seafood System. Speakers offered insights and questions on aspects of the Commonwealth’s commercial fishing industry including access, infrastructure, marketing, workforce development, emerging issues, and areas of innovation. The virtual briefing was a success and plans to hold others are in the works. Count us in again!

We want to thank and welcome our newest board member Dan Wolf, who many of you know through his work as a former state senator, owner of Cape Air, and with various nonprofits. We have an amazing board – we absolutely mean to brag – and you should get to know all of them. Here is a link to all their bios so you can find out why they volunteer their time to support the Cape's commercial fishing industry.

Fishermen are facing increasing, sometimes unnecessary, pressures in their essential work of bringing good, healthy, local food into our communities. Their job is dangerous. We want to thank one of the bright lights in the industry, Monique Coombs, a lobsterman's wife and community organizer at Maine Coast Fishermen's Association. Coombs worked for years to start a wellness program that provided mental health support to the commercial fishermen community. She writes a blog about being a fishing family that you can read here.

On the Hook

We do a lot of reading, searching through the wide world of fisheries, and often find intriguing pieces to share. In the old days, you might call this your clipping service. 

Attorneys for lobstermen argue the Endangered Species Act requires federal agencies to rely on “best available data, not the most improbable scenarios.” The last documented entanglement in Maine lobster gear was in 2004, and no whale deaths have been attributed to the industry. Read the whole story here. 

In another story involving litigation, Loper Bright Enterprises of New Jersey, associated with several fishing vessels that target herring, are taking a federal requirement of daily observers to the land’s highest court. 

The disappearance of billions of snow crabs from the Bering Sea has captured the world’s attention and Alaska shut down the fishery for the first time. Where the crabs went and why is still a mystery, but climate change is the most cited hypothesis for the retreat. Read more in National Fisherman.