Although the market for bluefin tuna is oversaturated, which has led to a price collapse, the state of the bluefin population continues to improve. In 2010, the western Atlantic bluefin […]
Fisheries
FRESH BROOK: PART 2
The Sea-Run Trout’s Return to Wellfleet
Understanding a subspecies that starts in fresh water but needs access to the sea
In May 1840, a small group of sport fishermen set out from Newport, R.I. in search of sea-run brook trout. Traveling first by ferry, then by coach and horseback, and […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Gearing Up for the Season
Striped bass catches have been reported in southern New Jersey
Last week, I wrote about all the things boaters need to do to get their boats ready for the season. Now, what if you’re not just a boater, but also […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
So You Want to Be a Boat Owner
While rewiring and barnacle scraping, a captain feels the pain and recalls the pleasures of a day on the water
With the summer fast approaching, the vibe on the waterfront and in marinas Cape-wide is high energy. Everywhere you hear the whine of disc sanders, the hum of air-compressed paint […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
DMF Takes Watch and Wait Stance on Stripers
The rules for striped bass fishing, such as they are, won’t change for 2025
We’ve been on quite the roller-coaster ride since the close of the 2024 fishing season, trying to follow rumors and meetings about what to do with striped bass regulations for […]
FRESH BROOK HISTORY
The Sea-Run Brook Trout of Wellfleet
Along a stream where fishing flourished, stillness, and a chance for restoration
It’s hard to imagine what Wellfleet’s Fresh Brook — or Trout Brook, as it is labeled on some old maps — looked like a half millennium ago, when it was […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
When More Stripers Overwinter in Northern Waters, Poaching Follows
Massachusetts does not have a winter moratorium, at least not yet
As we wait for the weather to warm and trigger the striped bass spring migration, there are some interesting — albeit troubling — issues to follow regarding the effects of […]
SHELLFISHING
How to Bring In Four Bushels of Wild Winter Oysters
A day on a dragger, in pursuit of deep-water Wellfleets
WELLFLEET — When Dave Seitler got up at 5 a.m. on Sunday, the first thing he checked was the temperature. Through nearly all of February, low temperatures had stymied his attempts […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
A Look Back on the Fishing Season
In 2024, fewer bass and blues on the bay side and the return of fluke
As we wrap up the year, there’s some recent news: the early arrival on Nov. 18 of two North Atlantic right whales. Scientists from the Center for Coastal Studies were […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
A Fisherman’s Glimpse of a Simpler Life
Awaiting whales, watching corals, and avoiding parrotfish in Tortola
Greetings from sunny, warm Tortola — a place my mate and I love so much we visit twice a year. I often write about the challenges fishermen face in our […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Long Island Sound Lost Its Lobster Fishery. Is Cape Cod Bay Next?
With warmer water and a steeper thermocline, it’s hard to know where the lobsters will go
Cape Cod and lobster are as much a match as peanut butter and jelly. It’s hard to imagine a summer without lobster rolls or that quintessential Cape Cod food adventure, […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Long Island Sound Lost Its Lobster Fishery. Is Cape Cod Bay Next?
With warmer water and a steeper thermocline, it’s hard to know where the lobsters will go
Cape Cod and lobster are as much a match as peanut butter and jelly. It’s hard to imagine a summer without lobster rolls or that quintessential Cape Cod food adventure, […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
A Look at a New Kind of Ark
Maybe floating open-water fish farming will take the pressure off wild stocks
It’s hard for me to wrap my head around fish farming. I grew up commercial fishing the old-fashioned way, for one thing. Besides, it seems to me fish farming produces […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
A Leveling Off of the Steep Right Whale Decline
Births have increased but so have deaths caused by human activities
There is some good news about the population of North Atlantic right whales: after seven years of declining numbers from 2013 to 2020, there has been a small increase in […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Chesapeake Bay Results Are In, and They’re Not Good
Striper spawning success is low for sixth year in a row
The results are in from the annual seine in the Chesapeake Bay to determine the status of the juvenile striped bass population, and the news isn’t good. Samples of fish […]
