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

FISH TALES

Fishing and science mix for Ligenza and Davis  

One of Will Ligenza’s first jobs was crewing on a boat out of Chatham 20 years ago with a skinny high school kid named Farrell Davis, and the captain said, “If you make that kid cry I will give you $50.”

PLUMBING THE DEPTHS

The Circle of Research and Scallops

After a day at work Melissa Sanderson hustled home, ate a quick dinner, and set off for the Chatham Fish Pier to meet Captain Bob Keese who was coming in from a scallop trip.

He had just finished unloading and was putting his boat, F/V Sandra Anne, on the mooring. But he left something for her:

AIDS TO NAVIGATION

Commercial Fishing: The Blue Glue of Communities 

Selectman Paul McCormick lives on the south side of Dennis where there are still signs of an ancient weir fishery that began with Native Americans and later helped build the Cape. 

CHARTING THE PAST

The Story of Old Harbor Fish 

There once was a man named Stanley Bishop who worked for an outfit called Railway Express, similar to FedEx, and his route included Chatham.

A DAY IN PHOTOS

Falmouth Meet the Fleet in Photos 

Colleen Barry, CEO of Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty, opened up our Meet the Fleet event at the Fisherman's Pantry in Falmouth by highlighting the power of community, and how commercial fishing has always bound those ties together.

Those connections were front and center when fisherman Ken Baughman spoke about his efforts to get more people to enjoy delicious local scup and Jesse Remund and Tracy Sylvester talked about their fishing lives here and in Alaska and their new store, which features sustainably-caught seafood and responsibly harvested food, such as Chatham Kelp.

OVER THE BAR

More numbers, this time bringing in farmers

By John Pappalardo

I tracked down an annual survey created by the United States Department of Agriculture. It’s called “Crop Values,” and breaks down the value of different harvests across every state as well as summing for the nation, showing what farmers actually get paid for what they grow – pretty much identical to what we call “ex-vessel” in the fisheries. The latest one I found is from 2020, so the comparisons are one year off, but still close, still interesting as hell.

On the Horizon

We have lots of exciting stuff happening.

We have wonderful support from fantastic local businesses that go above and beyond. Last month, Chatham Candy Manor donated a portion of fudge sales for an entire week to support our work, totaling $2,784. This month, Aline Lindemann of Cottage helped to coordinate a 12-artist fish art auction, Cods for the Cape, that raised almost $5,000! All year long, our friends at Quahog Republic donate a portion of sales of their Golden Ale that boasts our logo and mission on the can. And long-time supporter Cape Cod Cellars just launched a new beverage, Nantucket Red, and are donating a portion of proceeds to the Fishermen’s Alliance.  

We held our second Meet the Fleet event in Falmouth at the Fishermen’s Pantry earlier this month with 40 guests. See our photo gallery.  Meet the Fleet events celebrate the local fishing community and seafood recipes – a combination that deepens appreciation for sustainably caught seafood. The next Meet the Fleet will be in September at Nauset Marine East in Orleans. Visit the event section of our website for updates and to reserve tickets.

Click, visit and explore our new and improved website! Now in our 30^th year, we have a lot to share and decided it was time for an upgrade to bring you even more great content. Browse the categories and learn more about our important work on the water and in meeting rooms across the East Coast. See how your support has impacted our work, meet great personalities in our community and pick up tasty seafood recipes and good local info such as where to buy scallops direct from fishermen. 

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?

News traveled fast – Roscoe “Rocky” Chase, long-time fisherman and owner of Rocks Lobsters, had passed away. Within days, close to 10 lobstermen had retrieved 800 lobster traps Chase never got to bring in.

“He was an awesome dude, a true character,” said Ben Bergquist, who had flown back from Idaho to help haul the traps, which are old-school wooden ones, not the metal ones that most of the fleet uses. 

Chase, 63, had a long history in the fleet. He graduated from Harwich High, went into the Marine Corps for four years, but when he returned to Harwich in 1980 he started fishing and never stopped. 

Mark Leach, of F/V Sea Holly III, and his son, Sean, also a lobsterman, helped bring the traps in. "(Rocky) would do the same for us in an instant," he said, adding Whiteley Fuel Company donated fuel to those who helped. Leach remembered Chase as a great guy, a hard worker who was extremely fit. Chase was involved in different fisheries, from longlining cod to tuna fishing, and crewed for a number of years for some notable names, such as Linda Greenlaw, of Perfect Storm fame. He went out on his own in 2006 and had worked with the Fishermen’s Alliance on important fisheries issues, including traveling to Washington, D.C. to talk to legislators about the importance of forage fish.

“He will be missed on the waterfront,” said John Pappalardo, CEO of the Fishermen’s Alliance.

Kurt Martin, who went out on his boat F/V Time Bandit to help bring in hundreds of pots to the Chatham Fish Pier, said there was one thing that always brought a smile to Chase’s face – no matter what he was talking, or railing, about.

“All I had to do was ask him about his son,” said Martin. Chase’s boat, the Brady R., was named after the 13-year-old.

On the Shore

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

We find stories about our fishing past fascinating and fun, but are also important to the Cape’s collective identity and how we see our future selves. We’d find it more difficult to tell these stories if not for the wonderful, extensive archives at the Chatham Historical Society, and Cape Cod Chronicle articles in the archives of the Eldredge Library.

Through our Haddock Chowder and Provencal Fish Stew programs, we work closely with Greater Boston Food Bank and food pantries across the state who work hard to bring growing numbers of food-insecure people healthy, tasty food. So we’re happy to see We Can, a non-profit that supports and empowers women, recognizing the work of Catherine D’Amato, chief executive officer of the Greater Boston Food Bank, with its Woman of the Year award. 

Earlier this month we spoke at a rally at Mayo Beach in Wellfleet that supported every Cape town that overwhelmingly said, “No dumping of radioactive water into our bay.” We joined Rep. Sarah Peake and representatives from Sen. Edward Markey's and Rep. William Keating’s office. Our board of directors voiced their concern last year: “We believe that a proposal from Holtec International, responsible for decommissioning the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth, to discharge into Massachusetts Bay is a serious breach of public trust and environmental stewardship, with potential for wholesale economic harm as well.” 

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. 

Our partners at the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association have a regular podcast and a recent one highlights a study out of Massachusetts that examines the feasibility of fishing gear known as “on-demand” or ropeless, designed to reduce whales entanglements. Listen here for an interview with Noah Oppenheim of Homarus Strategies, who researched and wrote on behalf of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. His one-year project, funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was designed to characterize issues and challenges associated with integrating on-call fishing gear technology into New England fisheries.

We talk a lot about the importance of forage fish, but now there is a greater worry: phytoplankton, a crucial feeder for the marine food web, looks to be drastically reduced in the Gulf of Maine. A recent NASA-funded study reveals that the gulf is increasingly warm and salty, due to ocean currents pushing warm water from the Northwest Atlantic. The changes have led to a substantial decrease in the productivity of phytoplankton. Read more here. 

Although this piece from The Guardian deals with an invasive species, important in its own right, perhaps it’s also instructive when it comes to making creative use of all fish parts.