National Fisherman's Melissa Wood shares her stories as a writer and editor covering the U.S. fishing industry.
Tuesday, 19 March 2013
Salt of the Sea: Stories Told by the Fishermen of Point Judith
By Cindy Follett Guldemond
Fowler Road Press, 2012
Paperback, 210 pages, $22
http://www.amazon.com/Salt-Stories-Fishermen-Point-Judith/dp/0982168551
What's the worst thing you've ever caught in your net? You probably can't beat Rhode Island fisherman Leon "Buddy" Champlin who hauled up a torpedo:
"In 1947, the boat was blown up. We picked up a torpedo in the net. We were steaming and pulling it behind the boat, going two to three miles an hour. It was heavy. We were trying to get it up to the surface so we could pull it in. I was looking for it to come up, and just as it got to the surface, it blew up. Bent the stern of the boat up and sheared off sixteen five-eighths bolts, which left the engine sitting in the bilge."
Buddy is one of the fishermen interviewed for the book "Salt of the Sea: Stories told by the Fishermen of Point Judith" by Cindy Follett Guldemond.
These stories come direct from the people who lived them. Guildemond, who grew up in a fishing family in Point Judith, interviews 28 elderly fishermen from her community. She also includes a section of old photos and of the true "old timers" who fished these waters from around the turn of the last century.
The sea has plenty of bombs it can throw, and these fishermen have seen it all. From decades on the water they share stories about surviving hurricanes, sinkings, run-ins with the law and being run through the middle by a Norwegian steamer.
Besides drama, the book also provides a look at what it was like to be a fisherman back in the 30s, 40s, 50s. Back then electronics included a short-wave radio at best. You had no facilities, no heat in the wheelhouse, and certainly no fish-finders. The fishermen interviewed here were dedicated professionals who knew what they were doing.
In her introduction, Guldemond said growing up in Point Judith, she always idolized the fishermen, who included her father and now three brothers. "Above all I loved hearing the stories they told when they returned from the sea. Having talked about recording their stories for the past twenty years, I finally raised my nerve and did it."
She should be commended for doing so. If you like stories about fishing, check out this book.
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Hooked
Hooked!: True Stories of Obsession, Death, and Love from Alaska's Commercial Fishing Men and Women
Edited by Leslie Leyland Fields
Everybody's a greenhorn at some point: Mike Crowley (National Fisherman's boats and gear editor) had been working dockside at Seward Fisheries when he got his chance to sail out of Petersberg on the halibut schooner Attu. The promise of a quarter share if he proved his worth was more than enough for Mike, who admits he would have gone for nothing (even though he spent the first part of the trip hanging over the railing, puking). Before they set gear, he was told to watch the water and "holler out" as soon as he saw the first halibut come to the surface. After hearing laughter from the fo'c's'cle, he very soon leaned that halibut are bottom feeders. Add a comment
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Four Fish
The Future of the Last Wild Food
By Paul Greenberg
Penguin Press, 2010
Hardcover, 284 pp., $25.95
www.penguin.com
www.fourfish.org
Last call of the wild? Author spotlights species to study sustainability issue
If I feel like making haddock for dinner, I can stop at the grocery store or fish market on my way home from work and pick up a fillet. It’s a simple but also modern idea: The industrialization of agriculture allows us to take for granted that we can buy whatever food we want, whenever we want, as long as we have enough money to do so. Add a comment
Callifornia crabbing: Here's a fun video shot on the decks of the Majestik while catching Dungeness crab off the coast of northern California.
The United Fishermen of Alaska, a statewide commercial fishing industry trade association representing 36 member organizations, announces the election of Jerry McCune of Cordova District Fishermen United as president.
NMFS has announced two senior leadership changes that the agency says align with changes it is making to its West Coast operations.
National Fisherman has been the industry standard for over 50 years. Readers from coast to coast depend on it to stay up to date on news, regulations, fish stocks, to research purchasing decisions and to stay informed of the newest vessel and product technology.
