First Day of Fall: Break Out the Jeans, Rubber Boots, and Sweatshirts

By Jim Field

Today is the first day of fall, technically referred to as the autumnal equinox, where the sun is directly above the equator and the length of day and night are nearly equal. The autumnal equinox occurred early this morning at 3:09 UTC, Coordinated Universal Time. But here in the U.S., the equinox occurred last night, at 11:09 on the East Coast. From this point in time, the sun will move south, distancing itself from the northern hemisphere and causing temperatures to turn colder. We call this winter. In reality, of course, the sun remains static, with the earth tilting on its axis (referred to as "inclination"). Eventually the sun moves north again, giving us hope for the summer ahead.

The good news for today, of course, is that fishing in the fall is excellent. So bring it on!

Day Trip to Ocracoke Island: Just Another Day in Summer Paradise. No Running Aground This Year

By Jim Field

One highlight of our summer stay in Hatteras Village was a day trip we took to Ocracoke Island, which is the next barrier island south of Hatteras Island and only accessible by ferry or personal watercraft. Our destination was Ocracoke Village, the only gathering of humans on this 16-mile ribbon of land, the remaining real estate preserved by the National Park Service as deserted beach and, on the Pamlico Sound side, pristine wet lands. Ocracoke Village, in turn, is located on the southern-most point of land, and organized around a circular harbor called Silver Lake, which offers a beautiful, protected oasis from wind and seas (see photo at left). It is this piece of geography that Blackbeard was known to inhabit.

Approaching Ocracoke from the ocean, one must navigate a rather lengthy, curvy, meandering, channel of extreme beauty, the juxtaposition of sky, white beach, and blue water being exquisite. The seaward shoal and shifting sands make things tricky for the occasional visitor. Once a good way up the channel, and approaching the breakwater, the signage can be especially tricky. Last summer, coming to Ocracoke for the first time--with Fran Jr., Christine, Meghan, and Jack Okoniewski--we put the bow of the Sea Ya Bea into the mud, requiring us to enter waist deep water and push her free, get back onboard and back her down our track, and follow the directions of an irate but ultimately helpful harbormaster. This year I recognized and followed the transitional markers and we entered the breakwater into Silver Lake without a problem. We tied up at the city peer and prepared ourselves for the short walk to lunch on the waterfront at the Jolly Roger (where we ate last year).

The boat's passenger list and landing party that day included:

- Diane, Ollie, Andrew, and Captain Jim Field
- Dina, Emma, Jake, Dan, and Fran Sr. Okoniewski, and
- Steve and Dylan Ebner

Lunch was as expected: lots of chatter, lots of food, hot air beneath fans, and looking out at a million dollar view of birds, boats, and harbor activity. On the way back to the boat, we stopped in at a few shops (e.g., bird decoys) and indulged in ice cream. By the time we cast lines from the pier, a stiff Southeast wind had arisen. The passage out to Ocracoke Inlet threw increasing spray on the bow, eventually forcing everyone back aft. The Inlet channel by this time was in a tempest, throwing considerable spray on cabin windows, the current requiring careful maneuvering to maintain the buoy line. The transit back to Hatteras Inlet was bumpy, causing a few folks (e.g., Diane) some discomfort, although everyone managed to "keep it together" until embraced by the calmer waters inside Hatteras Inlet.

Overall, we had a great day and adventure--for many, visiting Ocracoke Island for the first time. Next year, the plan is to visit Portsmouth Island, next in the chain of barrier islands south of Ocracoke.

Come aboard next year if you can. Can't wait!

Captain Jim (aka Dad) and Ollie at the helm


Dina and Diane chatting on the transit over, enjoying the calm seas


Fran Sr. and Emma kicking back, talking hair


Steve takes in the sun and watches the water


Surveying the inlet from the tuna tower, left to right, Dan, Jake, Andrew, Dylan


Motoring up the channel and approaching breakwater into Silver Lake


Passing abeam of Ocracoke Lighthouse


Through the breakwater, maneuvering in Silver Lake toward pier


Ferry terminal and peer, passed to port with our slip just to right


The Sea Ya Bea tied up at the community pier with Ocracoke Lighthouse in background


Dan strikes a pose and gets ready for walk into town and lunch


Speaking of lunch, here's the spot: Jolly Roger's on Silver Lake


The food is served and the group digs in, with Dan singing a pirate song

Diane listens while "working" on her meal


View from the table: pelicans on the pilings--love these majestic birds!


And to the left, a newly-arrived shrimper offloads its catch


Headed back to Hatteras, Dan in cockpit taking in last view of Silver Lake


Manning the tower for return transit--Andrew and Dylan

Ocracoke Island Lighthouse--Basic History and Facts to Know

By Jim Field
This summer, while on vacation in Hatteras Village, the Fields, Ebners, and Okoniewskis took a day trip to Ocracoke Island on the Sea Ya Bea. The next blog posting will cover this outing. This morning I thought it appropriate, thematically and as a preface of sorts, to put together a short profile of Ocracoke's lighthouse, given its special history and prominence in the visual landscape of surf, sand, and sky that constitute this island barrier between the Atlantic Ocean and Pamlico Sound.

I found the content below on www.carolinalights.com. I've also supplemented the narrative with information from other lighthouse-oriented sources.

Quick Facts
- The existing Ocracoke Lighthouse was built in 1823
- It's the oldest North Carolina lighthouse still in continuous service
- It's the second oldest lighthouse in the U.S. in continuous service, Boston Light on Little Brewster Island was the first lighthouse built in the United States in 1716
- It be believed that an Indian village once existed at the site of the lighthouse
- It cost $11,359 to build

History
Ocracoke Island is a sixteen (16) mile long barrier island, located off North Carolina’s Outer Banks, made famous by Blackbeard the Pirate, who used Ocracoke Island as a hideout. In 1715, an act was passed to establish Ocracoke Island as a port to help improve trade and navigation around the coast. By 1730, more people began arriving on the Island, and with this increase in population, colonists decided they needed a lighthouse to help vessels maneuver the inlet.

There was debate about building the proposed lighthouse on Ocracoke Island itself, or on nearby Shell Castle Island, which at the time was located in Ocracoke Inlet. In the late 1700s, the North Carolina General Assembly passed an act to build Ocracoke Lighthouse, although construction was delayed when, in 1790, the federal government took control of all navigational aids away from state governments. Eventually, in 1798, Shell Castle Island Lighthouse was built, notably by the same man who constructed the first Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

Shell Island Castle Lighthouse
Built: 1798
Type: Pyramid-shaped wooden tower covered with shingles, on a stone foundation.
Height: 64 feet
Status: Destroyed 1818
Lens: One large lamp with four wicks
History: Shell Castle Island lighthouse was made useless by shifting sandbars and channels, but it remained in operation until destroyed by lightning in August 1818. It was replaced by a lightship for a few years until Ocracoke Lighthouse was built in 1823. The builder of this lighthouse was Henry Dearborn, who also built the first Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

By the 1820s, Ocracoke Island had become a major shipping port. It was logical to once again consider putting a lighthouse on the island. Two acres near Silver Lake Harbor were purchased from Jacob Gaskill for $50. The lighthouse was approved for construction in 1822 and was built and lit by 1823. The new lighthouse only cost $11,359 to build, including a three-room keeper’s quarters.

The lighthouse structure stands 65 feet tall, and rises 75 feet above sea level. It was made of brick and plaster. At its base, the walls are five feet thick. It was originally equipped with a 3rd-order Fresnel lens, which was replaced with a 4th-order lens in 1854. The current lighting apparatus has 8,000 candlepower and can be seen from fourteen miles out to sea. In 1946, Ocracoke Lighthouse was automated and its keeper since 1926, “Cap’n” Joe Burrus, ended his time-in-service. He was a keeper for 45 years and also served at Cape Lookout Lighthouse and on Diamond Shoals Lightship.

In 1989, some minor repairs were made and painting was done. For safety reasons, the old wooden steps have been replaced with metal ones. The four windows from the lighthouse were removed an almost destroyed, but have since been restored by the Ocracoke Preservation Society. The U.S. Coast Guard owns and oversees the lighthouse, since it's a navigational aid, but the National Park Service maintains the lighthouse, grounds and keeper’s quarters.

The Process Begins for Designating Bluefin Tuna an "Endangered Species." At Least in the U.S., That Is

By Jim Field

NOAA promulgated this notice today on bluefin tuna (see below). It says, in a nutshell, that NOAA has acknowledged that it was petitioned by an interest group (the Center for Biological Diversity) to officially declare the bluefin tuna endangered, which would presumably place it off limits for all types of fishing for the forseeable future. The purpose of the notice below--working through the double-speak--is to announce that preliminary evidence supports a closer look, which they now intend to take via a formal study group to be created and chartered.

Is this the beginning of the end of bluefin tuna fishing along the U.S. coast for a long time to come, and, alternatively, the end of the beginning phase of building governmental and public support for saving thse creatures? Let's damn well hope so!


Atlantic Highly Migratory Species News
NOAA Fisheries is initiating a status review for the Atlantic bluefin tuna in response to a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity to list the fish as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

NOAA Fisheries has reviewed the information submitted by the Center with the listing petition along with commercial and recreational fisheries data, publications and results of studies, and has determined that the petitioned action may be warranted.

This 90-day finding that a petition under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to list a species contains "substantial information" that the petitioned action may be warranted; it is not a listing for Atlantic bluefin tuna. The finding is the first step in a prescribed process for responding to every petition filed with NOAA Fisheries to list a species under the ESA. An affirmative 90-day finding is required if the petition presents sufficient information to meet criteria specified in the Act.

NOAA Fisheries asks for documented information for use in the status review, such as descriptions of current or past distribution, abundance, population condition and structure, and details on any ongoing conservation efforts. The agency is also accepting the names of recognized experts who could serve as peer reviewers for the final status review report on Atlantic bluefin tuna.

A full explanation of information sought can be found in the Federal Register. A determination on whether a listing is warranted is due in May 2011, a year after the date of the petition, upon completion of a comprehensive status review.

Go to http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/fish/bluefintuna.htm for a copy of the Federal Register Notice, Center for Biological Diversity petition, information on the ESA petition and listing process, and links to more information on current management of Atlantic bluefin tuna.

White Marlin Bite Moves to Oregon Inlet--It's Hot! 70 Releases in Two Days! Scaly Minnows Targeted. Here Are Some Photos

By Jim Field

Well, we've all heard about how "white hot" the white marlin bite has been along the East Coast, and particularly off of Ocean City, Maryland--the WHITE MARLIN CAPITAL of America! (Should we need reminding.) Well, it's now moved South into our waters, suggesting we may get a piece of it next weekend, when we head down to the Outer Banks.

The white marlin frenzy is a wonderful development, making one feel good about the possibility of the stock rebuilding its strength, going against the tide--affecting almost every other species--of a gradual death spiral towards extinction. Is the white marlin population really back? Who knows? Maybe the recent blitz confirms this, maybe not. But at least we can smile about the activity with some hope for better days ahead for this noble fish.

Which takes me to a perpetual sore point: yes, the activity is hot....but guess who's not in the game? Answer: us. Why is it that we are largely observers, as opposed to major protagonists? Sure, we're sometimes the lucky ones getting salty and wet, but most oftentimes not. Will this ever change? Alas, likely not.

But thinking about this for a moment...about our "station" in life as husbands, dads, and working stiffs...maybe it's not all bad...maybe the need to get "more in the game"...which we'll never fulfill...is actually good, in that it's a goal we can cling to, one that will never get stale, that gives us a reason to always come back, to want more, to never give up, to always find our way back to our boats. We're always hungry, see, so there's always hope we'll wade in deeper, some day...some day. HEY! Maybe we hit it big next weekend, when we head down to Oregon Inlet on Saturday, and then down to Hatteras Village on Sunday (if all goes according to plan).

You never know: We could be in the thick-of-it with the whites. Anything can happen! That's why we love it.

Here's the soundbite from a writer at Marlin Magazine, which posted the story and photos on its website. Thank you sirs for the content.


Charlie Levine
Marlin Magazine Staff Writer
September 10, 2010

The white marlin bite that exploded off of Ocean City, Maryland, in late August and early September has moved south and the boats out of Oregon Inlet are now putting up huge numbers.

Capt. Arch Bracher on the Pelican caught 70 whites in three days. With the fishing so good, the crew on the 70-foot Spencer Makara decided to take a quick break from the action and jump overboard with a camera. Capt. Billy Gerlach sent us these photos from his iPhone which show the white marlin on the hunt.

The bait that the marlin are feeding on are very small, 2- to 3-inch minnows. "They're these really little, really scaly minnows almost like a sardine," Gerlach says. "When we were in the water it was just raining scales."

Thanks for sharing these photos Billy, and make sure to read the article we're preparing for the November issue about this epic bite.

Top Fishing Ports in U.S.--Can You Guess Which Two Are the Busiest?

By Jim Field
The answer is New Bedford, Massachusetts--based on the monetary value of fish handled--and Dutch Harbor, Alaska--based on bulk amount of fish handled. Personally, I am surprised by New Bedford: I have envisioned it as depressed area full of unemployed commercial fishermen in the wake of the gradual collapse of the cod industry. On the other hand, Dutch Harbor is no surprise to those of us who have religiously followed the Deadliest Catch TV series. My first pick, however, would have been Seattle or some other Washington State port.

Here's the FishNews announcement published by NOAA's Fisheries Service. Note the statistic on domestic commercial fish/seafood harvested in 2009: 7.9 billion ponds! Wow! Beneath the photos I've posted the Top Ten List, which surpisingly includes Cape May NJ (#5) and Hampton Roads VA(#6).

FishNews
A NOAA Fisheries report finds the port of New Bedford, Mass., the top spot for value of landings for the tenth year in a row. For the 21st consecutive year, Dutch Harbor, Alaska was the country's top port for the total amount of fish landed. Nationwide, the total domestic commercial landings for 2009 were 7.9 billion pounds, valued at $3.9 billion. This is a decrease from 2008, when the volume reached 8.3 billion pounds, with a value of $4.4 billion. Accounting for most of the decrease was a decline in landings of both pollock and Pacific whiting.

The report on the nation's ports is part of Fisheries of the United States 2009, a detailed statistical report on the nation's commercial and recreational fishing, landings, import, export, per capita fish consumption and consumer expenditures for fish products.

Aerial view of Dutch Harbor--pretty spectacular


A view of New Bedford docks


2009 Commercial Fishery Landings by Port Ranked by Dollars
First figure: millions of pounds
Second figure: millions of dollars
1 New Bedford, MA 170.0 249.2
2 Dutch Harbor-Unalaska, AK 506.3 159.7
3 Kodiak, AK 282.9 103.8
4 Naknek-King Salmon, AK 119.4 76.1
5 Cape May-Wildwood, NJ 63.9 73.4
6 Hampton Roads Area, VA 18.0 68.1
7 Empire-Venice, LA 411.8 67.1
8 Honolulu, HI 22.3 59.4
9 Sitka, AK 78.4 51.3
10 Dulac-Chauvin, LA 42.4 50.9

Something About Bull Sharks--They Keep You on Edge. Two Just Caught in Potomac River. Feed Them a Politician?

By Jim Field

I admire and love sharks and believe that they should not be killed--many species are endangered and only mako is really edible. Sure, people will, and do, eat anything, but I'm talking about what tastes good to a normal palette--and it's not shark meat barring this one species. So if you can't eat it, why kill it, other than for the perverse joy of killing for killing sake? Go kill insects instead.

Now, having said all this, I will admit to being unnerved by sharks (perfectly normal given their fierceness), and among all shark types, I find the bull shark to be particularly worrisome. For one thing, they are notably aggressive and will attack anything--so rank them right up there with tigers and great whites. Second, they are found in both salt and brine--meaning they will come way up into rivers, where sharks aren't supposed to be. So when we find them there, and because they're so "mean" (or rather, so "natural," i.e., doing what they're programed to do), it tends to grab out attention and direct our imaginations to entertaining all types of horrid possibilities.

Well....this exact incident recently occurred twice in the Potomac River, which we locals tend to think of as such a gentle body water--slow moving, history-laden, the ancient highway of colonial commerce, and so on, habitat for small fish, crabs, and an occasional turtle. Overlay onto this image a sizable dorsal fin cutting horizontally and silently through the water, and swimmers, kiyakers, and small boat owners are left to deal with a hole new set of possibilities next time out on the lazy water. Betcha that fewer hands and feet hang down over the sides.

Here's the coverage from the Washington Post.

(Accompanying photo)
The bull shark shark was caught in Cornfield Harbor and measured 8-foot-1-inch, the marina said. (Courtesy of Buzz's Marina)


Cue the 'Jaws' theme: Fishermen are catching 8-foot sharks in the Potomac River

By J. Freedom du Lac
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 3, 2010; 12:07 AM

Willy Dean was on the Potomac River in a 22-foot skiff Tuesday morning when he realized there was something both abnormal and enormous in his net. It was a deadly 8-foot-1 bull shark, a 300-pound-plus killer that had likely been feasting on cownose rays at Cornfield Harbor, just off the shores of Point Lookout State Park.

Buh bump. Buh bump. Buh bump buhbump buhbump. . . .

"When I first seen it, it was like 'Jaws' -- we need a bigger boat!" Dean said Thursday. "I'm not kidding you. It looked huge. I didn't know how we were gonna get it out. It's my first shark. I've been fishing here a little over 30 years, and it's the first time I've even seen one."

But it wasn't even the only one caught on the river during what has apparently become Shark Week on the Potomac. Thomas Crowder, a commercial fisherman from St. Mary's County, said he and his crew were cutting a net near Tall Timbers on Wednesday when an even bigger bull shark was trapped. "He couldn't swim and breathe, and he drowned," Crowder said. "We kept saying for years that we wanted to catch a shark. . . . And Willy gets one, and then all of the sudden we get one. What are the odds? It's just bizarre."

Crowder measured the shark (8 feet, 3 inches), took a few photos, then dumped it back into the river, its stomach split open to keep it from floating.

Bull sharks -- among the world's most dangerous fish, at least for humans, ranking right up there with great whites and tiger sharks -- are unique in that they can tolerate fresh river water.

But they're almost never spotted in the Potomac or elsewhere around St. Mary's. Ken Kaumeyer, curator of estuarine biology at the Calvert Marine Museum, thinks the last one was in 1973, "when two of them showed up in a town down here in the lower Patuxent."

Kaumeyer was more than a little shocked when he and another biologist went out with Dean on a routine ray-collecting trip and wound up netting a Carcharhinus leucas where the Potomac spills into the Chesapeake Bay.

"Well, that was different," Kaumeyer said, having perfected the science of the understatement. "I've been working on the bay for almost 40 years, and you get these odd things -- like when the whale came by this summer. Uh, what's a humpback whale doing here? You never know what you're going to find," he said.

"The sharks are in the bay. They feed on rays and probably crabs, and they have the ability to migrate into fresher water. But you very, very rarely see them down here."

Dean, a commercial pound-net fisherman from Scotland, Md., spent more than two hours trying to wrestle the somewhat controversial catch onto his boat. "It was a real fight," he said. The shark died soon after being pulled out of the water, but not before Dean's black Lab got a good look at it.

"The hair was standing up on her back; she didn't know what to think of it, either," Dean said Thursday on his cellphone, while fueling up his boat. "She walked up to that shark, sniffed it and yapped at it. We had to keep her back so she didn't get bit."

The shark -- photographed at the marina for posterity (and proof) -- is now in Dean's walk-in freezer, right there with all his bait fish. "We had four, five people bring him in there, whole," he said. "I took a stick and propped open his jaws so people can see how vicious he is."

This weekend, Dean figures he'll fillet the fish, which he named Jody for reasons he will not explain. He plans to get the head mounted. The rest of the rare river catch? It's what's for dinner.

"We're gonna steak him up and try him. Some people say shark is good to eat. We'll see."