Climbing the ladder to DC, so the herring can run here
We’ve talked a lot about herring over the past few months, and it sure looks like all that talk is paying off: The New England Fishery Management Council is now calling for a 12-mile buffer zone off the coast from Montauk to Canada, to move factory-style mid-water trawlers away from inshore fishing areas. And just as important for our community, two more “boxes” east of the Cape would protect vital spawning grounds out to about 20 miles...
New twist on a well-respected clam debuts to applause at Oysterfest
SOOOO good! Wonderful – clams had a great flavor! This is much better than any clams and linguine I have ever had in a restaurant! Definitely my favorite, will make at home! Those are a smattering of comments from people who attended the Clam Slam at Wellfleet Oysterfest October 14 and enjoyed surf clams, mini ones, prepared by Boston chef and part-time Eastham resident, Marc Orfaly...
Surf clam recipe
Recipes from Wellfleet OysterFest 2018 By Chef Marc Orfaly Culinary Director for ReelHouse Clams ceviche I like using top neck clams, the shell is large for presentation and there is a lot of meat, and do not require a lot of cleaning. For the demo we will be featuring red clams, or blood clams named for its presence of hemoglobin molecules in the red blood cells The texture of this clam is more similar to a geoduck clam which has almost a crunchy texture, verses a more traditional little neck clam...
Herring get hearty support at New England Fishery Management Council meeting
“This is a very good day.” Career fisherman Charlie Dodge had just witnessed the creation of what many feared the New England Fishery Management Council would delay once again: vital protections for Atlantic herring, a small fish that has a larger-than-life role in the health of the Cape’s environment and economy. “It’s something we have been fighting for for 15 years,” said Dodge, as he stood outside a hearing room at the 1620 Hotel in Plymouth...
Remembering the Hurricane of 1938, the storm without a name
Florence. Harvey. Katrina. Bob. The names speak to the destructive power of wind and water, but for the people of New England the most devastating hurricane may have been the unnamed storm that battered our coastline 80 years ago this week. The Great Hurricane of 1938 came as a surprise to many, which seems incredible in our own era of constant weather news and satellite projections...
A history of handlining connects Ted Ligenza with Chatham’s past
Heading around Monomoy Point just after 3 a.m., with no moonlight, the dark is encompassing. The lights on Ted Ligenza’s boat offer no respite from the blackness as he heads to the fishing grounds. The controls throw a faint blue glow on his face as he stares into the night. Do you like doing this commute? he is asked. His look speaks volumes...
Supporters hope that dogfish by another name sells better, and benefits consumers
Longtime fisherman John Our knows some people who love calamari, but won’t eat squid. Doesn’t matter that they are same thing; calamari just sounds better. “Dogfish” seems to provoke a similar visceral reaction; people turn their noses up at the name. “I’ve always thought that if you changed the name you would make it more attractive,” Our said...
The strengths of this industry, and community
For a long time now, I’ve been reacting against a certain perspective about our fishing industry as a whole, and the men and women who make it work. We hear it a lot, from well-intentioned, sympathetic people around the community, around the country, who don’t mean to be negative or condescending. Sometimes I even hear echoes of it from within the fleet...
Finally, a herring hearing with a shot at real change
Some of us are old enough to remember when large foreign factory ships, often working in pairs, trawling nets the size of football fields between them, fished our waters so hard that they practically wiped out herring on Georges Bank. We saw what happened to the rest of the ecosystem; our fishermen took the hit. National outrage was so strong that Congress created what came to be called the 200-mile limit, forcing foreign boats to stay that far away...
When it comes to managing fish, check out their ears
Located in Pocasset, a few miles away from the heart of the research mecca that is Woods Hole, sits a boxy, industrial building with old “rockhopper” fishing gear – nets built to drag the bottom with big tires bouncing over rocks – piled outside and a cavernous space inside where fishing nets are fixed and prepped to be used in scientific studies...
