Hows the Water - August 16, 2010
(reprinted with permission from the Oyster Bay Enterprise Pilot)
On Sunday some lucky friends of Friends of the Bay took a road trip to Montauk to go fishing for sharks. This shark fishing trip was an auction prize won by Frank Leone at the Friends of the Bay Launch the Season fundraiser, held in May. Frank Leone, four of his friends, and myself boarded Rich Appel’s boat Journey early in the morning for a full day of fishing. We all speculated as to how many sharks we would see, and whether we would catch anything besides sharks.
As has happened so often during my time at Friends of the Bay, I learned so much. The knowledge fisherman have to have about the correct bait, the way to set the lines in the water, bearing in mind the wind, current and drift of the boat, the knowledge of where sharks will most likely be, was a revelation to me. There was much discussion regarding fishing regulations, and the plight of oceanic fish like tuna and cod, whose fishing stocks are being depleted by rampant overfishing. Without some kind of international agreement concerning fishing limits, their future is uncertain. Many species of sharks are also endangered, which is why our trip was strictly catch and release. Even the hook used to catch the sharks was made to dissolve after a month or so in the water.
As a birder, I was thrilled to be able to watch a Cory’s Shearwater, which came right up to the boat and had a great feed off of the chum being left in the water to attract sharks. Wilson’s Petrels also followed the boat for a considerable amount of time.
A Mako shark struck the bait, and I was the lucky one who got to reel him in. I have new respect for the strength needed to haul in a large fish. Our shark was a young one, and it was hard for me to reel him in. I can only imagine what it would take to land a large shark, or one of the fighting fish like a marlin or a swordfish. One day, I want to find out!
It was a great day, spent in great company. Friends of the Bay is very fortunate to have such generous supporters, who care for and respect the marine environment. And we know how to have a good time doing it! Frank Leone, besides being the “Best Friend of Friends of the Bay” is also the President of the Oyster Bay Historical Society. Frank and his lovely wife Stephanie are hosting a party at their home on Saturday, August 28 to benefit the Oyster Bay Historical Society. This is another group that knows how to have a good time in support of a good cause. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 516-922-5032.
Back in Oyster Bay/Cold Spring Harbor, the dissolved oxygen levels continued to be low. This is not to be unexpected due to the hot weather, and once autumn begins the levels will begin to climb again. We noticed many herons and egrets in Mill Neck Creek. They gather there, and then one day, they are almost all gone, heading off to their winter home in the south. Soon the winter ducks will be returning to the Refuge.
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| The fishing crew |
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| We called him "Chewy" - and let him go! |
