The summer season is officially upon us, and now is the time to enjoy all our marine environment has to offer. Whale watching has been fantastic, and people on board […]
Fisheries
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Learning to Expect the Unexpected
Melting icebergs send colder, more acidic fresh water our way
The Provincetown waterfront is coming alive with the lifting of the bay-wide 10-knot speed limit. Our first high-speed ferries from Boston arrived this week. Our first cruise ship also came […]
FISHERIES
Fishermen Join Fight for Herring Trawler Rules
Push to save river herring may help protect the oceangoing species
The marine ecosystem around Cape Cod is built on the backs of Atlantic herring. These baitfish school in massive numbers, providing food for marine mammals, seabirds, and large fish like […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
The Whales Have Moved North, and the Stripers Are Here
Special speed rules to protect whales are lifted for the season
The bass are here, and the right whales are not. The whales left a week ago, and the latest aerial survey found no right whales in the area, so NOAA […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Too Soon to Tell, But Not Too Soon to Worry
Seeing fewer striped bass and bigger storms in the Caribbean
The striped bass are continuing to move into our area, and there seem to be a fair number of fish in Buzzards Bay, but the fishermen to our south in […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Minimum Sizes for Summer Flounder and Scup Inch Up
And traveling bass, stranded dolphins, and wandering whales
The striped bass are finally heading our way. Reports from south of the Cape indicate slot-size fish have entered the west end of Long Island Sound and the bigger-than-slot-size fish […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
The Spring Show Begins
Watching Provincetown Harbor in wonder as right whales come in close
We are still waiting patiently — or not so patiently in some cases — for the warmer weather to return to get those striped bass moving north. Water temperatures remain […]
ON THE BEACH
A New Old Favorite Fishing Spot
A tiny fly pattern reveals the bounty in a Wellfleet kettle pond
You would think that after 50 years of obsessive globe-trotting in search of new and better places to fish, the last place I’d find would be a pond in my […]
ON THE BEACH
A New Old Favorite Fishing Spot
A tiny fly pattern reveals the bounty in a Wellfleet kettle pond
You would think that after 50 years of obsessive globe-trotting in search of new and better places to fish, the last place I’d find would be a pond in my […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
A Look at Early Predictions for the 2024 Hurricane Season
Cold water for now, but a warmer ocean could mean a big year for tropical storms
Spring in winter and winter in spring. That’s what this crazy year has brought us so far, along with copious amounts of rain. The more unpredictable the weather seems, the […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Striped Bass Are Stopped Cold for Now
Reading the rules while waiting for warmer water and pogies
The striped bass spring migration has come to a screeching halt for now. There has been no evidence of any significant movement north in the past week. It seems that […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Can Cape Cod’s Namesake Fish Come Back?
NOAA says there are signs of hope for cod, but a recovery still seems daunting
Cape Cod is named for the fish that for centuries was extremely abundant in these waters and became the focal point of a major fishery that is no more. I’ve […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Whales Are in the Bay, and Stripers Are on the Way
New rules to further reduce striper catch will soon be set
Spring is in the air on the Outer Cape. If you don’t believe me, just ask the whales and the stripers. The right whales are in Cape Cod Bay now, […]
AQUACULTURE
Wellfleet Has Its Opening Day
Wild harvesting begins, and growers return to the flats with overwintered oysters
WELLFLEET — The season opened for commercial shellfishing permit holders on March 15, and the next day, a partly sunny, mild Saturday, a dozen or so wild pickers waded and […]
ON THE BEACH
Fishing for Solace in the Cold Months
With the sun fading, a fisherman winterizes his psyche
The semiannual changing of the clocks couldn’t come at a worse time — just after the fishing has slowed to a near stop, when the days are getting colder and […]
