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It’s
pretty quiet here at the harbor these days. The local fishing
fleet is not fishing for much out of Blaine harbor. There
are two or three local draggers going out for sole, bringing
their catch back the same day to Sea K Fish Co. The crab
fishing is ended for now, and it is too early in the season
for salmon to be coming in in commercial quantities.
 The
larger local boats fishing off the Washington Coast have
been catching sole, cod, and other bottom fish, with an
added bonus of midwater fishing. The midwater net is used
to “herd” fish into the bag of the net, and does
not drag on the bottom of the fishing grounds, but stays
midway between the ocean bottom and the top of the water.
The top part of the net is unlike most nets, with huge spaces
between the meshes. The web, like a giant sieve, guides
the fish into the bag at the end, and for some reason the
fish do not swim out of the large spaces on the sides, but
go on to be caught in the “trap” at the end.
There
are fifteen Washington coastal draggers which are taking
part in an “Experimental Fishery”for green rock
cod, using the midwater nets for their catch. In earlier
years, all draggers off the coast had the option of using
a regular drag net or a midwater net - but not both on the
boat during a trip offshore. This year, eight of these larger
draggers have been allowed to use the midwater nets for
the summer season, the other seven boats are allowed to
fish with midwater nets twice- for three days each time
- in May and June.
They
are highly regulated, with an observer aboard to watch what
is being caught and to report back to the fisheries department
on actual catch. There is a limit of how many fish may be
caught, if this limit is exceeded during the first trip,
the second trip is cancelled. Also, for the group of seven
experimental fishing boats, if over one hundred pounds of
canary rockfish is caught during the midwater fishing, the
boat is forced to quit fishing with midwater net for that
period.
These
and many other regulations are constantly set for the ocean
draggers. Each month, new sets of regulations may come out,
giving different numbers of fish that may be caught. The
captain of the boat has to keep close attention to what
is being caught, both with drag and midwater gear. If he
goes over the limit for a certain type of fish, he (or the
boat owners) may be fined for overage.
Many
local fishers are now fishing in Alaska for salmon. They
fish in Prince William Sound, Southeast Alaska, Kodiak,
False Pass and Bristol Bay. The prognosis is spotty for
salmon this year, we shall have to wait and see what happens.
Another
local boat, the Marco J, has been sold to fish in another
area. She sailed out of Blaine a couple weeks ago with new
owners aboard. It is sad to see so many of our local boats
leaving the area, never to return. At least, some of the
better boats are to continue fishing, unlike the many that
have been destroyed for lack of a buyer, and/or poor fishing
prognosis.
The
Port of Bellingham had a meeting for port tenants at the
Blaine Harbor to let them know about the new breakwater
plans as well as plans to open up the rest of the fishing
pier. Work is to start this summer to replace the sixty
year old wooden pilings which are used for the wall at the
mouth of the harbor, replacing them with steel pilings and
skirting. This work is scheduled to start soon and go on
until the end of the year, or until finished.
The
goose population is thriving in the harbor. Last week, I
was watching two goose families which were swimming in the
harbor area, mom, pop and babies, then periodically would
climb up over the rocks to the road, and waddle across to
the park side. Then they would go back across the road to
the harbor again. When I started driving home from work,
I was stopped by these two families, which were slowly walking
down the middle of the road, with parents carefully guarding
their offspring from any enemy cars, bikers, etc. I had
to stop in the middle of the road, so I got out, and walked
behind these geese to see what they would do. They were
going to a large mud puddle on the park side - near the
old sewer treatment plant - for fresh water to drink, then
back again to the harbor. Maybe we need to install a bird
bath for geese and ducks on the harbor side so they don’t
have to get onto the road.
Hope
to see you down here - the weather is much better now, and
a walk in the park to see what wildlife is around is a fun
way to spend an hour or two..
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