Herring spawn
I try to resist but I can't. Accuse me of "blogging a dead horse" if you will. It's winter and my thoughts revolve around the little guys. Clupea pallasi and whatnot. Sorry. If you want something beyond that go to the Fish Sniffer.
Just for the hell of it, I went ahead and phoned one of my favorite old-time commercial herring boat captains and talked with him for over an hour yesterday. Unbeknownst to him I was keeping notes. So I guess I won't post his name here. Call him Captain W., that's vague enough. Captain W., is one of those few people who is more verbose than MFN Head Honcho, Lombard of the Intertidal. Imagine that!!!
There actually came a point in our conversation when I thought I would never be able to get off the phone. They'd find the withered, dusty husk of my corpse, phone fused to my ear, in the corner of my living room, 6 years from now.
"They'd find the whithered, dusty husk of my corpse..."
When I asked Cap'n W., to compare the current projected 38,000 ton biomass of SF herring to the biomass of the old days. He sighed and said, "we'd easily mark 100,000 tons of spawners." How big were the spawns? Cap'n W., confirms that there were years where the spawns literally blanketed the shoreline "from the Gate to Hunter's Point, from Yellow Bluff to Tiburon, Treasure Island and... all over the East Bay too."
What was the most herring he ever caught in one day?
"One day, we set our nets up near the Alameda Rock Wall, there was no one else around. Everyone was fishing Sausalito getting a few tons here and there. My wife wanted to head up North but I said, damn it the fish have to come down here at some point. About five minutes after we dropped the nets, my son said: 'dad, you gotta see this.' I walked around the boat, the nets were totally dunked. We hauled in 34 tons of herring. Offloaded at Alameda {MFN Editorial Machine: in those days there were herring pumps set up in key locations all around the bay} and went back for more. In one day we caught almost 70 tons of herring. The price was 3,000 dollars per ton. I paid off my house and my boat in one day."
Alameda Rock Wall
When we were through with the conversation I found myself deeply troubled. Not that a guy caught 70 tons of fish in one day. Only a fool would decline the chance to make 210,000 dollars in 7 hours of fishing--but what, pray tell, was the Fish and Game Department doing all those years? And why in the name of the ever-bleeding Christ did they allow the net size to be dropped to its current mesh diameter? At this point our herring fishery consists primarily of 3-4 yr old fish. There hasn't been a 6-11 year old
I have no idea what this photo is doing here. I put it here last night as some kind of reference to what I was writing and then erased the relevant text. Just thought you'd like to know.
herring caught in the bay in something like 20 years! Why is a commercial fishery even allowed? I do not ask this question rhetorically, I'd really like to know. I mean at 600 dollars a ton it seems unlikely that the thing is really making anyone rich anymore, right? Why not give the poor little herring a few years to come back? Seems like such a no brainer. Most of the boats, or a good percentage of them are from out of state aren't they? I mean its not like anyone fishing herring is doing it as their primary source of income, right? (If so, what the hell do they do for the other ten months of the year?)
I'm not saying to end it. Keep the recreational throw net fishery open. I mean, seriously, what do we take... 3 tons a year? Just let it come back for christ's sake. AAAAAggghhhh!!!
I'm sure some outraged herring guy is going to chew my ear off for this. But even Cap'n W., suggested that closing it down for a few years wouldn't be the worst idea. Again, let the people who really want a few herring throw a net from shore. Anyway, targeting gravid females ain't the most sustainable way to go about things, is it?
The Wild Within
Okee dokee. I'm off my low horse. (Wait... "low horse"... this, I think, is the lost reference to the sway backed horse mentioned above! Yeah... I know it's kind of a stretch but that's what happens when you write blog posts at 3AM). Starting to get nervous about my guest appearance on Travel Channel's: The Wild Within. Episode 6 or 7. Great Gawd almighty, what if I come off as a total idiot! (Always a possibility where idiots are concerned). I'll be ruined! Tarred and feathered and run out of town. Holy Christ what was I thinking? Song Slinger is going to hunt me down and kick my ass. The eel population of Ft Baker is going to plummet. Look, forgive me, they called and asked me if I could put them on some Monkeyface Eels in an urban, San Francisco context. I was facing unemployment. I needed the 800 bucks. Exposure for my blog, I figured, was a good thing, might lead to success and fame. For Christ's sake it's a public fishing jetty! Hardly a secret. AAAAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!!!
Not too shabby: the view from St Francis Jetty
In short the temptation was too great. Ask yourself if you could have resisted it. Seriously. Network calls and asks you to put them on the fish for 800 bucks. Are you in?
No. sorry, can't do it. My code of ethics precludes me from giving this public info away.
Sorry. F--k that noise. I got bills to pay. Worlds to conquer. (Hate mail to receive).
Anyway, forgive me... the financial crisis made me do it!
Kirk-out
Don't go all hollywood on us! Saw the Wild Within show last night. It was good. I think you are going to come of just fine!
Posted by: EWB | 01/17/2011 at 09:42 AM
Sheeit, you shoulda got more money out of them!
Posted by: Rol | 01/17/2011 at 02:11 PM
As long as you don't blow up my favorite crab snaring beach... doh, you did that already w/the foraging article. Just kidding btw - PFIC has blown that spot up to a point where people pick up their first license and fishing pole from wallyworld and proceed to snare while avoiding eye contact with the old tea bags.
I'm sure you'll do fine and I can't wait to see that episode. I like the concept but they could have done a better job in choosing the host.
Posted by: nudling | 01/17/2011 at 07:30 PM
don't sell yourself short!
But don't worry you'll do great. Just don't wear your work shirt.
Posted by: wutwut | 01/17/2011 at 07:44 PM
I was gonna say, don't wear your work shirt and you won't look like an idiot.
When are you going fishing?
Posted by: wutwut | 01/17/2011 at 07:46 PM
".....in those days there were herring pumps set up in key locations all around the bay."
Herring pumps!? I want to know more about herring pumps!
Posted by: Northern Boy | 01/18/2011 at 02:33 AM
Maybe "herring pumps" are what stylish Scandinavian and Japanese women wear on their feet to New Years Eve parties ... it would certainly be a good way to encourage shrimp jobs!
Sorry, the pun just entered my head, and I had to spew.
Kirk's unemployed, and I'm overworked - it's a dangerous combo. Yes, indeed, let's blame the financial crisis for our desparation!
Posted by: Finesmell | 01/18/2011 at 12:18 PM