An Overdue Fishue

Shorter days, crisp cool air, pumpkins, and changing leaves.

Maine in October

As most New Englanders are fully aware, Autumn is officially upon us, and classes at UNH are in full swing, and as a result I’ve been neglecting my Fishues Blog.  Like every year, the the semester starts off slow, and I take it easy catching up with my friends, until I pause to look up, at which time all I can see is a Wildcat Transit Bus barreling towards me (figuratively of course), and within it, all the work I’ve been putting off for the first 3 weeks of classes: paperwork, lab reports, graduation forms, meetings, readings, first-round of exams. Perhaps I’m not the only one that knows the feeling. Then following is a week or two devoted to unburying myself from the wreckage to later surface for a breath of fresh air (imagine a whale breaching), where I reclaim my life, grudgingly taking stride alongside a familiar acquaintance, “Reality.”

But have no fear I have not been neglecting the seacoast’s fish issues.  Needless to say, there’s been a lot going on that’d I’d like to briefly share.

First and foremost, GREAT NEWS!

The NH commercial fishing industry has dodged yet another bullet. After a second meeting with John Bullard regarding the porpoise closure for NH gillnetters scheduled for October and November, they have made the ultimate decision to shift the closure to February and March, with the intent of minimizing the economic impact on the fishermen. It is now the second week of October and NH gillnetters have been able to continue doing what they love, without having to look for other jobs.

An October full of Sunrises

Read more about the change in the closure here.

Secondly, a FISHUES premiere film called BY/CATCH

For the past month and a half, I have been working with Brittany Debelis, a grad student studying film, to work on capturing an inside look at the fishing industry in NH with an emphasis on the missing link from boat to table and the overabundance of dogfish sharks.  To fulfill a school deadline, she just released as of yesterday this amazing short film, By/Catch, which you can watch below, however we have plans to continue filming with the hopes of expanding the film further down the line.  Regardless, Brittany has done an incredible job!  The film came out far better than I could have ever imagined.

Brittany Debelis

Thanks for all your hard work Brittany, you should be proud.

Watch the film, By/Catch, here.

Thirdly, FISHTIVAL was a great success.

On September 22nd, we had the 4th Annual Fishtival: Fish and Lobster Festival at Prescott Park in Portsmouth, NH.  The event was a great success, with a wonderful attendance.  Sector Manager Josh Wiersma and I had a table where we featured each of the different fishermen I’ve interviewed and helped to promote the Yankee Fishermen’s Cooperative, one of the best places to buy local seafood in the area.  We also raffled off some large prints of photos from my blog which were so popular at the event that I’ve been considering starting an Etsy site where larger prints can be purchased.  More information about that to come.  I’d love any and all input on the matter…If you have any suggestions, please share.

Here are some pictures from the event:

Josh Wiersma at our Fishues table w/ daughter Alba

Mike Anderson at the “Name that Fish” Table

Tuna head and tale

Sea Grant employee, Ben Metcalf’s fishing gear demo

Trawl Gear

Josh Wiersma speaking at Fishtival

Kyle of Yankee Coop in the dunk tank

And Lastly, Know the Coast Day, October 20th.  

Josh Wiersma and I will have a NH fishing sector table at the Coastal Marine Lab in Newcastle, NH from 10:00-3:00 for the UNH sponsored, Know the Coast Day, where we will be raffling off more of my photos.  Please stop by and say hello!