The nut doesn't fall far from the tree

Our son Robert is squid fishing in Nantucket sound. Sound familiar? It's been a slow start and just like his dad he's already changed nets, had a new net built by Jerry Lavin, broke a tow wire, added more balls, and changed the sweep. This is how most squid fishing begins, always with hope in the fishermen's heart, always trying to get the net to fish just right, and always listening to  your fellow fishermen looking for words of wisdom. The squid business has always signaled the end of winter, the renewal of life in the ocean and the prospect of a good weeks pay. It's good to see that our son  loves fishing. I had thought that maybe the family tradition would die with Dave, but it looks like there are more boat nuts in the family. Squid fishing inside state waters will close in a few days then Robert will change nets, change harbors and change his mind set. He will be gearing up for Fluke, a completely different type of fishing even though you tow a net, nothing else is the same. Living gets a little easier, he'll be able to go home at night and there is always the hope for an early day. The State of MA only allows commercial fluke fishing for five days a week, you have Friday and Saturday off. The regulations say you can only have 300 pounds per day, sounds like a lot, but it's only three fish boxes. And the overall amount of fish that can be taken in Massachusetts has been decreased by 30 % this year. That much less fish will cause the season to end earlier and the inshore fishermen will make less money. It was only a few years ago when Massachusetts had an overall quota of over a million pounds, now it is down to 385,988 pounds, and already 29 % of that has been caught as by-catch, before the season even opens. It's a wacky world out there on the ocean. It's a hard way to make a living and as the regulations tighten, fishermen have to find other ways to keep afloat.

David's uncle Michael Diogo 96, died on Memorial Day. Very fitting because he served in the Army Air Corp as captain and pilot in WWII. Then during the Korean conflict he joined the Air Force and served as a pilot. Now that's service to your country. He loved to fly as much as Dave loved to fish. I was reading some materials that his daughter sent to me about his life and I discovered that his grandfather, and his father, and my David's  father were fishermen.  So it is only natural that our son Robert carry on the tradition. That's five generations of fishermen.  The nut doesn't fall far from the tree.  Stay safe, warm and dry. Fair winds.