Provincetown is still beautiful in black and white. Photo by Dusty Curley of F/V Rolex.
We have gotten a lot of questions lately about whether fishermen fish in the winter. Absolutely they do. If the weather conditions are alright, which means not too windy (snow and bitter cold are no barrier) they’ll go. There is beauty on Cape, and off the shores of the Cape, at every given moment, but many of us are hunkered down and don’t get to experience it. That is why this gallery, full of photos all taken by fishermen, is a rare gift and a glimpse of the workaday world in winter of those who choose the sea over an office. We also hope it is another reminder to buy local fish.
This picture on the F/V Midnight Our was taken during a recent snow storm. Good thing Jesse Rose and his crew still go fishing as there is a waiting list for their scallops.
Another snowy scene, another dredge, this time at Rock Harbor and Captain Tom Smith brings up quahogs.
F/V Helltown, captained by Zach Bennett, comes into Saquatucket Harbor after making use of a short weather window to go scalloping.
Captain Beau Gribbin, of Provincetown, has two boats going in the winter: F/V Glutton and F/V Kahuna both supplying Salt Seafood Company
This beautiful sunrise shot is from the F/V White Cap, a scalloper that also has direct sales at the dock. Captain Jared Bennett has a sense of humor too as this shot of “How it started” was followed by the boat enveloped in a snow squall, entitled “How it ended.”
This image is also from Dusty Curley of F/V Rolex, captained by Bob Dutra. Curley is a fisherman, but his images give credence to his side gig and Instagram handle fishfotographer.
This year’s weather pales in comparison to other years, as you can see in this 2017 image from Captain Chris Viprino, who owns the F/V Miss Em a quahogger that has been busy this winter. He can be found at Rock Harbor Shellfish.
There are lots of historic photos of boats frozen in Chatham Harbor, but this one from Captain Nick Muto is from 2018.
This photo, courtesy of Tom Leach and on the Commercial Fishing Boats of New England Facebook page, is from the 1980s and longtime fishermen remember Wychmere Harbor being frozen for weeks.
We can’t forget that even though it may be too windy to go fishing, commercial fishermen are still busy working on their gear, such as Tom Smith fixing his strike netting.