Rough and tough and used to hard ships.

We were off to a rough start this June, no squid and a few breakdowns. Exhaust fixed, batteries replaced, nets replaced, doors and wire lost overboard / new doors, but still no squid.  And on and on it goes. And yet my optimism prevails.  If at first you don't succeed - on to Fluke. A friend of Dave's tells me that when Dave catches a fish, it's a fluke. We take that with a grain of salt, knowing that we'd catch more fish if we were allowed. Just doesn't seem right somehow, working so hard to have more restrictions placed on you, like being held back from the feast, knowing it's there, and others are enjoying it, but we can't have it. "What? They have no bread," she said from her palace with a pension plan, "Well let them eat cake."
Fishermen are curtailed and limited.  We, the old timers, long-time fishermen, have given up the most -beginning with our fishing rights. For forty years we have limited our fishing in the name of sustainability, trying to play by Washington's rules and now when we should be reaping the harvest, savoring our rewards for catching less, giving up licenses, reducing our by-catch, fishing for under-utilized species, experimenting with new gear and living by the rules, now when we are in the 'golden years' - we are just about out of business because we are so limited, given an allocation that is laughable, if it weren't so sad, not enough fish to make it profitable. How's that for a government pension plan. I was hoping for better, wishing (rhymes with fishing) that our license would be worth the paper it's written on, wrong again. Seems like not only were we off to a poor start this past spring, but we are finishing dead last. I miss reading Richard Gains' editorials in the Gloucester Daily Times. He knew how to put it into words - the wrongs being perpetuated by people who think they know what's best for us. Like PEW who's acronym  means just what it is if you say it out loud. And don't let me go on about some of the other NGO's who's only thought is money.  Well thank heavens I will be getting away for a week, fishing from the deck of the Richard & Arnold, I need it, I think I may be coming down with political-itis.

P.S. if you want to read a really terrific review of 'Nautical Twilight' as well as hear wonderful electric violin and MDI music - here is the link      http://silzel.com/cgi-bin/weblog.cgi?blogfile=130618

I have just read a tribute to Richard Gaines, the journalist who worked most recently for the Gloucester Daily Times, but who also wrote for the Phoenix and UPI during his career. His talent for telling the story concisely so that everyone understood was a gift to the reader that will be very much missed. He was a true friend of the fishermen. He saw injustice and wrote about it. As a matter of fact he was most likely the only spokesperson that fishermen could rely on. I never met the man and yet I have been brought to tears many times during the past week by the thoughts of his passing. I did get a chance to thank him when I sent him a copy of my book and received a nice letter in return. He was special, I can't tell you how, but the tribute I just finished reading was by Walter Jones on the floor of the House of Representatives so that his name would be read into the record, thanking Mr. Gaines, posthumously for helping bridge the wide water between Washington and fishermen. I would like to add my thanks to that tribute as would anyone who fishes. My husband has always referred to Mr. Gaines as his hero. Thank you for seeing the truth, writing about our plight, and for being unafraid to speak out on our behalf. Blessings to you and to those you have left behind. I am very much afraid that there is no one who will be able to fill Richard Gaine's boots.