Volume 3, Issue 2 - Central Coast Women for Fisheries

PELORUS
(“Pelorus” = A fixed compass used to take bearings relative to a ship’s heading.)
The Quarterly Newsletter of
Centra l Coast Women for Fisheries, Inc.
Incorporated 4 May 2006
One Fisherman’s Perspective
Editor’s Note: The following is the text of a speech Ben Platt gave on Sunday,
September 7, at a subdudes benefit concert held at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens.
As many of you may already know, 2008 is the first year in the history of the West Coast
salmon fishery that the ocean season has been completely closed to all sport and
commercial fishing. This action was taken due to the collapse of the fall Chinook run in
the Sacramento River. The biologists predict a very small run this year and think the
season will probably have to be closed in 2009, as well. For the first time since immigrant
Italian fishermen sold salmon in San Francisco in the 1850s, boats are tied to the docks
and hoists are silent. An important way of life on this coast is being threatened, and that
is why I am here speaking to you today.
Salmon are a unique, beautiful fish who are born in the river, migrate to the sea and
return to the river to reproduce. They are resilient fish, but even the mighty salmon can
only take so much abuse. In recent years, conditions in the San Francisco/Bay Delta have
worsened. Increasing diversions of water for agriculture and urban development, pesticide
run-off, irrigation pumps which suck in baby salmon, and the loss of riparian habitat are
some of the problems plaguing this river system.
What is amazing is that, just a few years ago, fishermen were having incredible ocean
harvests. The Sacramento River was producing huge runs of Chinook, with the help of
strong hatcheries and a new program which trucked many of the juvenile fish from their
hatcheries directly to the bay, avoiding problem spots in the delta. Once they were
brought to the edge of the bay, net pens were being employed to help acclimate the
smolts before they were towed to deeper water and released. This program greatly
increased survival rates of the out-migrating fish and helped produce record runs. Up
(Continued on page 4)
Help Save Trees, Carbon and CCWF’s $$
If you’ve noticed, Pelorus arrives by first
class mail. Unfortunately, CCWF’s mailing
is not large enough to qualify for the bulk
mailing rate savings.
To help reduce overhead, we encourage
you to instead have the electronic version
of Pelorus (with color pictures and working
web links) delivered to your email box. Not
only will this save paper, carbons (no
delivery needed) and CCWF funding, but
it is often available almost two weeks before
you would receive a printed copy by mail.
If you prefer a printed copy, the electronic
version is ready for you to print— visit
www.womenforfish.org/pelorus.htm.
Subscribe today by sending an email to:
[email protected]. It’s a good
deal.
FALL 2008 • VOL. 3, NO. 2
Inside this issue:
SAFETY GRANTS DUE
JERRY’S MARINE & TACKLE
FREEZER NEEDED
SUPPORT CCWF
CARTOONIST WANTED
A MATRIARCH’S TALE
CALL FOR RECIPES
UPCOMING MEETINGS
KIDS AT SEA UPDATE
FISHING WITH MIKE
SHARING FISHING VESSEL SAFETY
BOARD NOMINATIONS SOUGHT
FEAR OF THE SEA
FREE COMPUTER CLASSES
LET’S GET NAUTICAL
A NEW GAL IN TOWN
COMM. FISHERMEN OF AMERICA
OUR HOUSE
A PEEK INTO THE PAST
COOKING WITH CCWF
FROM THE HEART
2008 FH SCHOLARS
FISH-FRIENDLY WINE
SALMON DISASTER AID
TAX DEDUCTIONS
CA WATER CRISIS
CCWF MERCHANDISE
BACK ISSUES OF PELORUS
FACES OF CA FISHING
DID YOU KNOW?
HOUSESITTER NEEDS HOUSE
ANDERSON INN
ALOHA
MEET THE IFR
2008 MEMBERS
CONTRIBUTIONS
NICK HOWELL MEMORIAL
FISHING CALENDAR
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CCWF BOARD & COMMITTEES
TRAVIS EVANS’ LAST WORD
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CCWF thanks Central California Joint Cable/Fisheries Liaison Committee for its generous funding assistance.
SLO County Safety Grant Applications Due
CCWF reminds all San Luis Obispo
County-based commercial fishermen
that December 15 is the deadline for
submitting your 2008 Safety Grant
Application to the Central California
Joint Cable/Fisheries Liaison
Committee. First funded in 2002, the
program reimburses qualifying
fishermen for safety equipment
purchased and maintained throughout
the calendar year.
additional funding is available.
Alarms: bilge, watch, smoke,
carbon monoxide and man
overboard
Bilge pumps
RADAR purchase and repair
Navigation lights
APPROVED ITEMS
EPIRB purchase, battery
replacement and maintenance
Fire suppression equipment
Life raft purchase, repacking
and/or replacement
Flares and smoke signal
devices
DSC VHF marine and
HF-band radios (and antennae),
and FCC license fees
Personal flotation devices,
survival suits, and life rings
The Cable Committee reserves the
right to reject any grant
request.
On the Move: Jerry’s Marine & Tackle
Freezer Needed
Okay, so he’s not moving far, but we’re all happy that business is going well
enough for Jerry that he’s expanding his store. Jerry’s Marine & Tackle will
now reach all the way from Scott Street through to Market Street in Morro Bay
— hopefully now
he’ll have room
for more than
two customers at
a time!
San Luis Obispo County Historical
Society is looking for a chest freezer in
good working condition. (Freezing
artifacts kills bugs!) If you’ve got an old
one lying around maybe taking up too
much space and/or
electricity, consider
making a taxdeductible
donation — to
help out, call
Kimberly Alfaro
at 805-543-0638.
For 2008, the maximum grant
amount for items other than life
rafts is $1,500.
For life rafts,
Stop in at Jerry’s
soon, and see
what’s in his new
store that you
can’t live without.
Support CCWF
CCWF is a 501(c)(3) organization, so not only are
all donations guaranteed to directly benefit fishing
families, they are tax deductible, too.
If desired, donors may direct funds toward a
specific program, such as our Fishing Heritage
Scholarship, Kids-At-Sea or the planned Memorial.
For more information on all of our programs, visit
our website at www.womenforfish.org.
If you have questions, please contact any board
member.
Donations should be addressed to:
CCWF
430 Quintana Road, #106
Morro Bay, CA 93442
Page 2
For eligibility requirements and
other details, including details
regarding raft repacking and/or
replacement, visit www.slofiberfish.org
or call Chris Kubiak at (805) 771-9638.
Cartoonist Wanted!
Pay: None
Benefits: Our gratitude
Hours: Flexible — 4
cartoons/year
Pelorus desperately needs a
cartoonist. There is such irony in our
world — we need someone to help poke fun
and ease our pain.
If you or someone you know with artistic
ability is interested, contact Barbara Stickel at (805) 8012663 or [email protected]. Although we’d be happy to give our
cartoonist the freedom to supply the topics and/or captions, help is
available if needed.
Pelorus
A Matriarch’s Tale:
NOTE: In what she promises is the first of
a four-part series, Port San Luis fisherman
Barbara Hawkins shares their family story.
We hope you enjoy it as much as we are.
Never in my life did I think that I
would end up being the matriarch of a
fishing family. But in the summer of
2008, my husband is salmon trolling in
Southeast Alaska with my nephew. My
younger son and three of his closest
friends are gillnetting salmon in Bristol
Bay while my older son is financing his
college education by marketing salmon
to his fellow Berkeley students. Only
my daughter is not making her living
from fishing.
But none of these careers is what I
expected for my family. My teenage
dreams consisted of marrying a pipesmoking professor with whom I
discussed existentialism while our
genius children played violin concertos
in the background. All of that changed
when I met up with a curly-headed
blond diver who might have been
finishing a math degree at Cal Poly but
whose true passion was spending all of
his time on the ocean.
For some reason, on all of our dates we
ended up checking out fishing boats.
The Hawkins Family
Fishing Heritage
Even though we were both still college
students, soon I knew how to locate
trolling poles and the difference
between a wood boat and a fiberglass
one. By the time we both graduated in
1976, we were engaged and figuring
out how to buy our first boat. I was
waitressing at a local San Luis Obispo
deli and Reid was working as a
deckhand on a party boat out of Port
San Luis.
“I now know that I blew my only
chance to become a corporate
wife instead of a fishwife.”
Our families—Reid’s dad was an
engineer and my dad was an Army
officer—thought we were freaking out
of our minds, so borrowing money
from them was not an option.
Somehow Reid located a thirty-foot,
plywood slab that was barely floating,
but could be leased to someone with
no experience and less money. In May
of 1977, we got married, but rushed
home from our short honeymoon so
that he could haul out this object of
our dreams and get it ready for salmon
Call for Recipes —
“CCWF Cooks”
We are all aware of how
successful fishermen’s
wives’
seafood
cookbooks are, and so
next year CCWF plans
to produce a cookbook.
We are now collecting recipes
— please share your best, to help
ensure our success.
CCWF welcomes and invites you to
contribute not only your seafood
recipes, but also your recipe for that
special dessert, the one that takes a
little extra trouble, but everyone loves.
If you have family stories that go along
with the recipes, or other tidbits
o f
information, be sure to send
them along, too.
Send your recipes to:
CCWF Cooks
430 Quintana, #106
Morro Bay, CA 93442
or via email: [email protected]
(Continued on page 7)
Upcoming Meetings — All Members Welcome
CCWF welcomes and encourages all
members to attend and participate in
our regular monthly Board of
Director meetings.
Wednesday of the month as its regular
meeting date until further notice. All
meetings begin at 6:00 p.m., with a
light dinner served at 5:30.
The next meeting is scheduled for
Wednesday, October 15, at 6:00 p.m.
A pot luck dinner will be served at 5:30
to help those coming directly from
work. (Note this is a change from the
standard meeting date, to allow
time for everyone to
recuperate following the
Harbor Festival!)
Board meetings are held in a number
of locations throughout San Luis
Obispo County. It is suggested that
members planning to attend a meeting
contact CCWF Secretary Jackie
Nungaray at (805) 772-8281 or
v i a
e m a i l
a t
[email protected] to
verify the location.
CCWF Board of Directors
has established the second
Volume 3, Issue 1
If you have a topic which
you would like the board to
consider, please let Jackie know so that
she may include your item on the
agenda. If there are documents or
reports related to your topic available,
if possible please make them available
to Jackie in advance so that copies may
be provided to the board. The more
information you provide, the better we
will be able to meet your needs.
REMEMBER: CCWF IS YOUR
ORGANIZATION, AND FOR IT
TO BE SUCCESSFUL AND MEET
ITS GOALS, YOU MUST
ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE.
Page 3
One Fisherman’s Perspective, cont.
until 2006, an average of over 500,000
and as many as one million adult
salmon were returning to spawn in the
Sacramento River every year.
In 2003, when the fisheries council
allowed three and a half months of
commercial fishing north of Point
Arena, $11.7 million in salmon income
was generated by boats fishing out of
our own Noyo Harbor. A few short
years later and we find ourselves
literally “up the creek without a
paddle.”
Why is it important to support us in
our effort to restore the salmon fishery?
Well, you might say that the salmon in
our rivers are like the canary in the
gold mine; that is, if salmon can’t
survive, then you have something
seriously wrong with your river. A
recent study of salmon released
upstream from Coleman Hatchery
showed that only four fish out of 200
survived to reach the Golden Gate
Bridge. Time to get out of the gold
mine. Or, in this case, to fix the river!
What would happen if there was a
referendum on your ballot in
November asking if you would like to
have clean rivers and robust salmon
runs for generations to come? I would
bet that most Californians would vote
an enthusiastic “hell yes!” Well, the
problem is that nobody is asking you
what your opinion is; they are just
stealing as much of your water as they
can and polluting what is left of it. And
they are doing it without your
permission.
I think commercial fishermen
often get a bad rap, and it
deeply bothers me because I
know that we don’t deserve it.
I think commercial fishermen often get
a bad rap, and it deeply bothers me
because I know that we don’t deserve it.
Why? I believe that we are a valuable
part of our coastal communities. I think
that we embody the true spirit of the
American dream, to be free and
independent while contributing to the
whole. Our dream just happens to take
place out there on the ocean. All West
Coast fisheries are tightly regulated and
conducted in a sustainable,
environmentally sound manner. We are
family-operated businesses who care
about our communities and care deeply
about restoring salmon resources.
So why should commercial fishing
matter to you? Well, this ocean and
these rivers are resources that are held
in trust for the public. Fishermen
provide you with access to this
resource. The ocean’s bounty is fresh,
wild seafood, and it is something that
most Americans would never have
access to if we weren’t here to harvest it
for you. Without us, all seafood would
be imported, mainly from corporate
fish farms complete with pesticides,
harmful levels of antibiotics and
serious lack of flavor.
As bleak as the salmon picture may
look right now, the solutions are fairly
simple. Salmon are a sustainable
resource. Salmon don’t demand a
whole lot, but they do need cool, clean,
quickly-moving water to survive their
journey to and from the sea. United we
have a powerful voice. If we just
demand that these conditions be
restored to our three major salmonproducing rivers, the Columbia,
Klamath and Sacramento rivers, and
hold our regulators accountable to the
water quality laws which are already in
place, we can have healthy rivers and
salmon runs for generations to come.
Ben Platt is a second-generation
commercial fisherman from Fort Bragg.
You can contact him at
[email protected].
Kids At Sea Update, by Sharon Rowley
The Kids at Sea trips held last summer
were very successful and the program
has been growing in popularity. There
has been a great turn-out of volunteers
to assist the kids on each trip. Kids of
various ages really get excited about
catching a fish, and Michele does a
great job of teaching them the
techniques and about doing it safely.
The trips begin with a bay cruise where
the kids and volunteers learn about the
wildlife in the bay, the commercial
fishing, and boating safety. There are
Page 4
several different kinds of fishing boats
in the harbor that are pointed out along
with a description of gear types and the
fish they catch.
olds, who learned how to handle the
rods with a sinker and hooks. It was
heartwarming to see their glee at
bringing a fish over the rail.
A few of the kids that came on trips
during the summer were boy scouts
trying to earn merit badges. Some of
their assignments besides catching the
fish were identifying each one caught,
cooking their catch later, and learning
about the electronic equipment and
boat operations.
Michele has enough funding for a
couple of more trips this year,
including one over Thanksgiving
vacation when kids are out of school.
The next fundraiser for Kids at Sea will
be at the San Luis Yacht Club near the
end of October, date and time TBA.
There may be another fundraiser in
Morro Bay in the spring. — Sharon
Some of the kids were 6- and 7-yearPelorus
Fishing with Mike, by Mike McCorkle
In 1964, I was tied up in Morro Bay
while fishing for albacore.
It was
around 5:00 in the afternoon when a
friend came running up to me and said:
‘’Get out on the t-pier, quick!’’
I hurried out and saw a bunch of people
looking over at the dragger ‘Wave
Crest,’’ skippered by Joe Burton. I got in
between the lookers to see what’s cooking, and when I looked
down on deck, I saw a torpedo that looked like it was 20 feet
long and weighed maybe two tons.
What is that? Is it going to explode? Where did it come from?
To me it seemed it was going to explode and take myself
and Morro Bay off the map in one second, so I got out of
there fast.
The sides were rusted away and you could see inside it,
which looked like a monster with no skin. They
unloaded it and took it away with very little excitement. It
turned out to be a Japanese torpedo which could have
been fired at the Monrovia, as it was caught in that area.
Could you imagine what would happen today if someone
brought a torpedo into the harbor?
The days of iron men and wooden boats are gone.
Sharing Fishing Vessel Safety, by Beverly Noll
— USCG Proposes Expanding CFV Safety Requirements
Comments are requested on a
proposed series of USCG regulations
dealing with commercial fishing safety.
Topics included are documentation of
safety training, refresher training for
Drill Conductors, stability of vessels
between 50 and 70 feet, stability
training, stability reassessment, vessel
maintenance and self examination,
survival equipme nt and crew
preparedness. US Coast Guard will be
receiving comments until
December 15, 2008.
To read the proposal, submit
comments or view others' submitted
c o m m e n t s ,
g o
t o
http://www.regulations.gov and click
on “Search for Docket.” Enter docket
number USCG-2003-16158 in the
docket ID box. You may also submit
your comments and materials
electronically, by fax at 202-493-2251,
or by mail to the Docket Management
Facility (M-30), U.S. Department of
Transportation, West Building Ground
Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC
20590. Please submit comments and
materials by only one means.
Questions on this proposed rule may
be directed to Michael M. Rosecrans,
Chief, Fishing Vessel Safety Division
(CG 5433), US Coast Guard, via
phone at 202-372-1245 or by email to
[email protected].
(~Courtesy of AMSEA~)
*Also: A public hearing will
be held at Pacific Marine
Expo from 9am-12pm
on the 21st and 22nd of
November. This meeting
will address the proposed
rulemaking of the ANPRM.
The purpose is for the Coast
Guard to receive comments.
Nominations Sought — CCWF Needs YOU!
CCWF
is
n o w
soliciting
nominations
for their 2009
elections.
If you’ve a few extra hours a month
and would like to help out, call any
director (see page 2) and ask about
including your name on the next ballot
Volume 3, Issue 2
— or visit our website at
www.womenforfish.org, and follow the
link found on the “Meet the Board”
page.
Want more information? Attend a
board meeting this fall. The October
Board of Directors’ meeting is
scheduled for Wednesday, the 15th.
There will be a light dinner served at
5:30, the meeting starts at 6:00 p.m.,
and it’s usually over by 8:30 or so.
The board will meet at their offices, in
the Annex north
of the Coast
Guard building,
on the Morro Bay
Embarcadero.
Join the fun —
take the plunge
today!
Page 5
Fear of the Sea, by Josh Churchman
August 2008
People ask many questions. “Are you
ever scared to go out in the ocean?” is
one I get all the time. My usual response
is “absolutely,” the day you are not
afraid of the ocean is the day you should
quit going out on it.
I believe this is one of those universal
truths, any healthy respect contains a bit
of fear. There is the wind and the waves,
the whales and the sharks; there are days
of thick fog and a coastline full of rocks.
Then there is the ocean. She really does
not care one way or another, about your
well being. And now, there is our
government’s new approach to a boat
on the water. Of all the things to fear it
is the last I fear the most.
“The day you are not
afraid of the ocean is the
day you should quit
going out on it.”
Being pulled over in your car by the
highway patrol is mellow compared to
being pulled over by the Coast Guard in
a boat. In the car it is one guy with a
gun, in the boat it is closer to ten armed
men. They launch the little boat out the
back of the big boat and the little boat
has six big guys on it. The big boat
“stands by” as the little one does the
boarding. The big boat has a pair of fifty
caliber machine guns mounted on
the bow, and the bow is pointing at
you. The last time I was boarded I
had my hands in the air. Too many
T.V. cop shows I guess, but I
couldn’t help it.
I received a letter in June stating
that I had been “randomly selected” to
take a federal observer with me the next
time I went out. What the letter really
said was that it is illegal for me to untie
my boat without notifying a federal
observer no less than 24 hours prior to
Page 6
departure, and no more than 36
hours in advance. This federal order
is for all trips made in July and
August. If I skip that two-month
period it advances to the next two
months until I actually take one
fishing. Can you imagine being a
plumber and getting a letter like
that?
The worst idea our government had
for keeping a watchful eye on the
boats in the sea is a thing they call
VMS -- the infamous “vessel
monitoring system.” Six years ago I
got another letter from the federal
government
(NOAA)
stating that all boats
fishing groundfish, (fish
that like to live near the
bottom) needed to buy,
and professionally install,
a VMS.
It is a cute little box with
red and green blinking lights. It has
two antennas and it must be giving a
signal all day every day. It cost
$1,600 to buy, $500 to install, and
$29.99 a month to maintain. I use
that boat once or twice a month and
often wonder if I am just plain
stupid to keep at it.
It was a recent four-hour meeting
with the “special agents” that really
put the fear of the sea in me.
Apparently I was a quarter mile
inside a line. My own GPS tracking
system provides indisputable proof
of the error of my ways. Twenty-five
miles from shore, in a twenty-foot
boat, in a thousand feet of water,
and I am in serious trouble.
It is a world gone mad. If we are
not careful it is a world coming to
you, too. First it is for the fishermen
and then it will be for the truckers.
From there it will spread out to
where a small GPS tracking device
will be implanted in every child,
prior to release from any hospital.
You may think this silly, or
improbable, but I have been living with
mine for six years now and I still have
not grown to love it.
In all those six years, I have only seen
one other boat out where I once fished
off Bodega Bay. Think about all the
government spending that went into
eliminating me as a fisherman. The
observer program that now has nobody
to observe in this section of coastline.
The VMS technical staff, the makers of
the VMS system and all the “special
agents” it takes to enforce those laws.
The Coast Guard, boarding the same
two boats over and over again because
there are no other boats. The
State Fish and Game laws also
need a team of officers and
backup as well.
Do I fear the sea? Absolutely. I
have come to terms with the
wind and the waves, the fog and
the whales, the allure and the
mystery. It is our government that I fear
most on the water, and it is their new
presence that may keep me from going
out. Do not let your children grow up to
be fishermen, and do not expect to see
any “local” fish in any markets either.
The new system needs some fine tuning.
Josh Churchman has fished commercially out
of Bolinas for over forty years. Contact him
at [email protected].
FREE COMPUTER CLASSES
still available — visit
www.techxpress.net for a
schedule of classes — tell them
you’re in the “fisherman’s
program” when you call to
register, and the $99 fee is
waived.
Pelorus
A Matriarch’s Tale, cont. from page 3 Getting Nautical
fishing. It is good that we were young
and ignorant so that we had no idea of
what lay before us.
Boat in name only, nothing on board
worked. There was no autopilot, so
when trolling, Reid would run back
and forth trying to run the gear and
keep the boat on course. Needless to
say, he didn’t catch much. No fish
needed to fear his approach. Even
though he was day-fishing, he was also
night-fishing because every night he
would jump out of bed dreaming he
needed to check on the boat’s course.
By the end of the summer, we were
both exhausted and broke. However,
Reid was sure he could redeem it all by
diving for sea urchins. Okay….
In fact, his idea was not as outrageous
as it first seemed. Diving was what got
Reid into fishing in the first place. He
had grown up spending all of his time
in a swimming pool—competing on the
Santa Maria Swim Team from the time
he was seven and moving on to playing
water polo by his fourteenth birthday.
That same year, he took a diving class
with his dad and was hooked. During
his high school years, when he wasn’t
in a pool he was in the ocean sport
diving for ling cod, abalone, and clams.
That’s why he lived in Avila Beach
while attending Cal Poly. He could
race home from class, pull on his
wetsuit, swim out to the Port San Luis
breakwater on his dive platform, and
have a limit of abalone on a couple of
free diving breaths in time to show up
to meet the Avila Beach locals for a
game of volleyball before dinner.
Reid had met his Avila Beach
roommate, Wayne Moody, because
they both loved diving and both joined
the local sport diving club. Wayne,
who had gone back to school after
ending up his Air Force tour at
Vandenburg, started diving for sea
urchins while finishing up his
chemistry degree at Cal Poly. In the
seventies, diving for sea urchins was a
brand-new fishery just starting out at
Volume 3, Issue 2
the Channel Islands. Even though the
price was bad, the market was strong—a
perfect combination for a bunch of
young, macho guys who loved the sea
and the fact that someone was willing
to pay them to hang out at their
favorite place.
Reid had spent some time tending for
Wayne and making a few trips diving,
so taking this leaky, leased boat down
to the Channel Islands to redeem his
summer seemed like a good idea. He
recruited my brother, who was taking a
quarter off from his
mechanical
engineering studies, fueled up the leaky
platform dubiously called a boat, and
set out for San Miguel Island,
promising me to come in with a load
of sea urchins that would pay our rent
and assure our future.
A couple of nights later, I got his
emotional midnight phone call. Even
though I was a little groggy, I could tell
that things hadn’t gone well.
Amazingly, the so-called boat had made
it to the islands. Reid had been able to
pick a few sea urchins, but on their way
in to Santa Barbara, they had broken
down, losing all power. Reid was just
able to get a message out on the CB,
which some motorist on Hwy 101 had
picked up and relayed to the Coast
Guard. My new usually optimistic
husband was obviously rattled and
worried, so I did what I thought all
Hull Speed: When a boat is generating
a wave equal to its own length, with a
large crest at both bow and stern and a
deep trough amidships. (Or: 1.34 x the
square root of the length of hull at
waterline, according to the Annapolis
Book of Seamanship (NY:
Simon & Schuster, 1999).)
supportive wives were
supposed to do. I urged him
to fuel up the boat, get some
groceries, and charge right back out
there!
It wasn’t until a couple of weeks later
when Reid finally made it home that I
realized what had really happened.
They had been coming in when the
boat quit working right in the middle
of the Channel. Right out there in the
shipping lanes where freighters
constantly travel, they spent TWELVE
hours drifting without power or radio
contact. That length of time may not
seem long to experienced boaters, but
for these two greenhorns, it was a
longer stretch than they had ever spent
on the ocean—much less without an
engine or communication. At one
point, they were circled for several
hours by fins. Neither Reid nor my
brother, Mitch, knew whether they
were dolphin or shark fins, but “Jaws”
had been the hit of the season a couple
of years before.
After this “finny” ordeal, both of them
were ready to quit. Mitch went back to
school and became an engineer for
Lockheed Martin. Reid was ready to
hang up fishing and use that newly
minted math degree, but encouraged
by my enthusiastic words, rustled up a
new deckhand and set right back out
for San Miguel Island. Thirty-one years
later, I now realize that I blew my only
chance to become a corporate wife
instead of a fish wife.
To be continued.
— Barbara Hawkins
Page 7
A New Gal In Town — CCWF Welcomes RITA G
Morro Bay welcomes its newest sport fishing boat,
Rita G, captained by CCWF Director Michele Rowley
Morro Bay has been a great town to
raise a family and work in the fishing
business, and several members in my
family have had jobs over the years
having something to do with fishing
here. My mother, Rita Gartrell, worked
on boats out of the sportfishing landings
here beginning in 1969. She always
loved the ocean and enjoyed scuba
diving in her younger years.
In the 1970’s, there were several sport
fishing landings along the waterfront,
including Grahmn’s Landing, Bob’s,
and Fifth Street Landing. Brebe’s had a
landing running two boats, the Flyer,
which Kathy Novak owned for awhile
and the Sea Venture which Ed Ewing
ran. There was a landing at Rose’s where
the Mallard ran before Virg’s bought
that boat. Of all the old landings, Virg’s
is the only one left.
Shellfish, The Cannery, and Mike
DeGarimore’s first place, which was
behind the Whale’s Tale Restaurant –
just a small dock and shed, but a lot of
fish were cut there. Other jobs my sister
and I shared included hanging gill nets,
mostly for the halibut fisherman and
deckhand at the landings.
Rita obtained her captain’s license in
1979, and ran a boat out of Hittle’s
Landing in Morro Bay called the Big
Mama I; there was another boat there at
the time called the Big Mama II, and its
captain was Mark Tognazzini. During
her career, Rita also ran boats out of
Virg’s Landing and later Bob’s Landing
until she retired in the early 1990’s.
My husband, John Rowley, had a
trawler, the Blue Skies, and fished shrimp
and some rockfish for several years out
of Santa Barbara and Morro Bay. He
also filleted fish at the fisheries and
decked on the sport boats. About 1984,
John obtained a captain’s license and
has been running the Admiral out of
Virg’s Landing ever since. I also got my
captain’s license in 1994 and ran the
Mallard out of Virg’s for several years
and now the Harbor Pathfinder. Our kids,
Brian and Michele helped out on what
ever boats we were on while growing up.
Presently, Brian deckhands on the
Admiral. Michele went on to get a
captain’s license and ran the Fiesta out
of Virg’s Landing for about four years.
The Fiesta also used to be the Big Mama
I, the first boat that my mom ran. My
mom, Rita, passed away in 1998 but
would have been proud to see her
granddaughter carry on another
generation of taking people out on the
ocean to fish.
During the 1970’s and 80’s my sister,
Patty Strauss, and I worked a lot in the
fish processing plants, filleting rockfish,
sole, shark, blackcod or whatever else
came in. There was Gold Nugget
Seafoods, Brebe’s Fisheries, Pacific
Commercial Fishermen of America,
feeding families for 400 years
HEALTH CARE FOR FISHING FAMILIES: Thanks to the hard work of many
CFA members, S. 2630 and H.R. 5404, “The Commercial Fishing Industry Health
Care Coverage Act of 2008” now has 40 bi-partisan co-sponsors! This will be
important as we go into the fall legislative session. The bills, sponsored by Senator
Ted Kennedy [MA] and Representative Barney Frank [MA], respectively, would
establish a Federal grant program to provide increased health care coverage to and
access for uninsured and underinsured workers and families in the commercial
fishing industry. Go to http://cfafish.org/healthcare.html to see if your
congressional representatives are on the list! If your congressperson is not listed,
please ask them to support fishing communities and the resources they provide by cosponsoring these bills. Go to http://cfafish.org/issues-healthcare.html for more
information.
NEW WEBSITE: The Commercial Fishermen of America (CFA) announced the
launch of its new website at www.cfafish.org. Fishermen can join online discussion
forums and dialogue with fishermen from around the country on many issues at
www.cfafish.org/forum.html. The website also has a classifieds section where
fishermen can sell or buy items, www.cfafish.org/classifieds.html. Interested people
can also sign up for an RSS feed to get the latest news on the fishing industry.
Subscribing to the RSS feed will deliver recently posted fishing news items straight to
(Continued on page 15)
Page 8
For the first time in many
years, there’s a new sport
fishing landing in Morro
Bay. Michele has started
her own business, Central
Coast Sportfishing. She
partnered with CCWF member Zoey
Andres, who owns the cruise and dinner
boat Chablis in Morro Bay. As well as
fishing trips, Michele offers whale
watching, bay cruises and her Kids at
Sea program, where kids fish for free
and learn about our area and sea life.
Michele renamed the boat in honor of
her grandmother -- it’s the Rita G.
www.centralcoastsportfishing.com.
— Sharon Gartrell Rowley
(Best of luck to CCWF Director Michele
Leary in her new business venture. Ed.)
Pelorus
Our House, by Lori French
The Players:
Crabdaddy: No salmon season this
year.
T-1: Home for the summer.
T-2: Crabdaddy clone.
Mom: Me, always the long suffering,
“She’s got menopause.” (not) Mom.
I have decided that the Federal
Government has determined that they
need to test the strength of our marriage
(and every other salmon fisherman’s) by
closing the commercial salmon season.
The government says the west
coast salmon returns to the
rivers were the second lowest
in history. I don’t believe
them.
This is really a test of our
marriage.
Can it survive
Crabdaddy being home e-v-e-r-y s-i-n-g-le day and e-v-e-r-y s-i-n-g-l-e night. Did I
mention every single day? In twentyfour years of marriage, Crabdaddy has
never spent an entire summer home.
The first week was fine. I
had July 4th weekend
planned out. Then I
made him come with
me while I traveled to
different ports to display the
Faces of California Fishing.
(www.thefacesofcaliforniafishing.com
Yes that was a plug.) That worked out
really well for a bit until he started
telling me what to do. I had to remind
him gently that he was the unpaid help
and I was the CEO of this little gig–in
other words–shut up.
Next we went to the lake with some
friends. That was fun. I learned after all
these years I can still terrify my husband
and he doesn’t like jet skis. I didn’t
mean to dump him off—honest. (Fingers
crossed behind my back.)
Around the end of
July things started
getting a bit
t o u g h e r .
Volume 3, Issue 2
Crabdaddy was back to asking for his
coffee in bed in that little whisper before
my eyes are open, “Coffee?” Now he has
added little tasks to the morning coffee
thing. “Paper?”
“When you go out and get the paper,
would you shut the irrigation water off?”
“Will you bring me a yogurt/muffin/
bagel with my coffee?”
He usually asks this when he has been
served his coffee and his next
need requires a second trip to
whereever. You know, now
that I think about it, he is
starting to act like the bed is
command central. He has
commandeered T-2’s laptop to
peruse the internet on fishing
matters.
This has got to stop now!! I don’t know
how this all started, but he is resisting
my attempts to stop this five star service
first thing in the morning. I tried
getting mean and telling him as I was
the only one bringing in a paycheck, this
was not working for me in the
mornings. Not only did it not work,
under normal circumstances its
considered a low blow.
I knew I was in trouble one morning
when he asked “So what are we doing
this weekend?”
“Well Crabdaddy, I don’t know about
you but I am cleaning the house.” He
didn’t like that answer.
Now in his defense, he has rebuilt a
fence, planted some Sudan grass for his
cows, done a lot of work on the boat, replumbed the solar water heater, taken
over the avocado watering, and feeding
his cows, (usually this is my job when
he is gone.), and he cooks dinner
occasionally.
I did try to get him to mop the
kitchen floor the other day he
told me he had never
mopped a floor
in his life, but he
was willing to try.
This is a major danger
signal as the housework has
always been deemed “Squaw Work” by
the male members of this household
and a line that has never been crossed.
(Squaw Work is a term that is not
recommended for use and it’s use in
our house is usually followed by me
swinging a broom at a male.) These are
desperate times I tell you.
But, Crabdaddy’s basketball
teams have been thrilled to
have him around this
summer, so thrilled in
fact that he has sustained
a great black eye, a rib bruise
that was darker than black, a chest
bruise that hurt when he took a breath
and any number of cuts on his face.
Yet he can’t wait to go play with the
“old men.”
This is the scariest part yet, a couple of
weeks ago Crabdaddy wanted to go see
the Giant Sequoias in Sequoia National
Park so in Princess (the Rav) we hopped
and off we went.
On the way home we stopped along the
Kern River and he pulled out his
fishing pole. As he was casting in the
river I made a comment—nothing
important—failing to notice that
Crabdaddy had his boat face on.
“Shhh, be quiet can’t you see I’m
working?”
“Uh honey,
fishing.”
you
are
“But this is as close to
working as I am going
to get this summer….”
Which just goes to prove my pointcommercial fishing isn’t a job, it’s an
entire way of life—our life.
— Lori
Page 9
A Peek into the Past, by Barbara Stickel
During World War II,
the federal government
took possession of all F&G patrol
boats except one. Boats were then
chartered to patrol Santa Monica,
Monterey and Catalina. For Catalina
Island, they recruited the Ariel,
captained by legendary boatman
George C. Farnsworth (1883-1959).
Considered by many to be the “world’s
greatest deep-sea fishing authority,”
Tuna George was inducted into the
International Game Fishermen’s
Association Hall of Fame in 1998. One
of the “most innovative pioneers of big
game angling off Catalina Island in the
early days of sport fishing,” Farnsworth
is credited with inventing kite fishing
(using a silk kite to keep bait suspended
at the surface about 100 feet from the
boat). He was “known for his taciturn
ways, his incredible navigational skills,
his deep personal loyalties, and his
ability to catch fish when everyone else
was coming up empty-handed.”
Famous for his amazing forecasts (e.g.
“Watch for big tuna this year”), it was
said he could predict the exact date of
their arrival. Catalina Island’s
Farnsworth Bank was named for him.
While Farnsworth may well have been
California’s most famous boatsman of the
time, competition among his
contemporaries combined perhaps
with anti-commercial fishing activities
(he tried to have the waters around
Catalina closed to commercial tuna
fishing) made him thoroughly disliked,
and a poor choice for a warden, albeit a
temporary one. The first case
Farnsworth brought to court was
against a persistent violator known as
The Monk. Despite clear evidence of
guilt, the jury deliberated only 1-1/2
minutes before delivering a verdict of
not guilty. The courtroom was silent as
Farnsworth stalked out.
To ensure future convictions,
Farnsworth was subsequently required
to carry a regular warden onboard
when patrolling with the Ariel.
Considered an unpleasant duty, wardens
alternated one week shifts. Warden
Gene Walker reported that on one
patrol Farnsworth pointed to a certain
rock, and said that occasionally, just at
the break of day, that was where he had
seen a real live mermaid. When Walker
was unable to locate a mermaid with
the binoculars, Farnsworth became
deeply offended, sat back
in the stern of the boat,
and did not speak for the
rest of the patrol.
Wartime restrictions forced
the closure of ocean sport fishing, and
the unsuccessful warden Farnsworth
turned to commercial fishing, spending
his last days as a commercial fisherman.
Next time, maybe I’ll tell you about the sea
monsters Farnsworth reported seeing — B.S.
(Scofield, W.L. “Marine Fisheries Dates,”
Unpublished manuscript,1957, 40; Bagby,
Sam. “Tuna George,” LA Times, 10 Apr.
1938, 15; IGFA Hall of Fame,
http://www.igfa.org/hall.asp#Farnsworth)
Cooking with CCWF & Friends
Captain Mike’s Doesn’t Leave the Kitchen*
Seared Ahi
♦
♦
♦
Any kind of good quality fresh tuna
Spicy Monterey® Steak Seasoning (This also comes in
regular, for this recipe you need the SPICY variety.)
Good virgin olive oil
Cut tuna loins into strips about 1-1/2” square and as long as
comfortably fits your pan.
Cover cutting board with waxed paper for easy cleanup.
Spread a good amount of seasoning on cutting board and roll
fish strips in seasoning as if to bread.
In cast iron frying pan, heat a generous amount of olive oil.
When oil is really hot, put in tuna and sear it on all sides for
about 10-15 seconds. The outside will turn white while the
Help us out! Submit your recipes and cooking stories to: CCWF
Cookbook Committee, 430 Quintana Road, #106, Morro Bay,
CA 93442 or electronically to: [email protected]
Page 10
inside warms just a little but remains raw. (Adjust cooking time to
taste, some prefer it a little more cooked than others.)
Remember to run your exhaust fan at high and/or to keep the
windows open — the hot seasonings and hot oil combination will
make interesting fumes.
Set aside to cool down a bit, and cut into 1/4” slices. Serve over rice
and enjoy with great quantities of beer and/or sake and some good
friends.
If spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning is not available in your area,
substitute with your own blend of peppers (red pepper flakes, ground
black, red, white pepper, crushed black pepper, paprika, any others
you have on hand, mixed with a dash of salt).
“Remember, never, never, ever sear tuna in the
nude!” — Captain Mike Hudson
*Capt. Mike tried to serve this to our
guests at the 2007 Fishery Forum, but
he couldn’t get it past the
fishermen/cooks. Ed.
Pelorus
From the Heart: Our Fishing Heritage
Our first Monterey fishboat
had a hand-cranked, one cylinder, sixhorsepower engine, with no spark plug
nor storage battery. Running lights
were kerosene, as was the compass
binnacle. The mast light was a copper
kerosene-lit lantern that went up and
down the mast, night and morning, on
a cotton halyard. A fathometer was a
skein of extra-hard laid 96-thread
cotton with 12-thread cotton bindings
at the appropriate distances. All coiled
neatly in a shallow wicker basket.
Fishing gear was pulled by Norwegian
steam, in other words, by hand. A day
with a ton of salmon left one’s hands
feeling like hamburger. If it were not
for the blue ointment sold by a pharmacy
in Fort Bragg, there would have been
much more fish blood poisoning.
Those were the long days when wives
waited anxiously at home until their
husbands would arrive in a port
somewhere that had a phone booth.
The Wood Freeman auto pilot became
tops on everyone’s wish list when it was
introduced. But of course, that meant
buying a six-volt storage battery and
installing a generator to charge it, and a
six-volt dry cell, hot-shot battery to
furnish the brains for the pilot. What a
hardy, determined, cohesive industry
we were then.
Since this is the Christmas season, we
are including one of our true stories of
Christmas past. We trust that it will
demonstrate the love and camaraderie
of the fishing fleet, and the care and
provision of our Lord.
—- Katherine Evans
The Perfect Gift
The first Christmas after World War
II, Katherine and I had two little
toddlers and a baby boy still in the crib.
The government cancelled all of the
fish orders for the troops, and to buy
meat no longer required ration stamps.
Everyone, except the good Catholics on
Friday, were enjoying beef and pork.
And of course, traditionally people
turn to turkey, goose or ham for the
holidays. Chicken farmers were going
broke, and the fishing industry was also
hurting. When the Office of Price
Administration lifted the prize freeze,
fish prices to the boats plummeted.
We were several months behind on our
rent and boat payments. Food was
scarce on our table, and there was
no money for our children’s
Christmas gifts. I won’t say we missed
many meals, but we sure postponed a
few. I hadn’t learned to depend on the
Lord yet, so the relatives would have to
supply the children’s gifts. But, I was
trying hard in my own strength, and
finally managed to trade some of my
fresh fish for a few hundred pounds of
sweet potatoes. I sold a few of
those around town, and
that helped, but things still
looked very bleak.
As Christmas drew near,
we remembered another
fishing family with three
small boys. The Bergens were in a
situation similar to ours, except Lloyd’s
boat was smaller and he produced even
less fish than I. So Katherine and I
carefully chose and cleaned a gunny
sack of sweet potatoes and tied them
with a makeshift ribbon. We planned
to surprise that needy family with a gift
of food — sweet potatoes. It was all we
had to offer.
When we arrived at the Bergen’s, we
were the ones who were surprised.
Lloyd had traded some of his fish for a
sack of Pinto beans, and they had
bagged up and beribboned about fifty
Volume 3, Issue 2
pounds of beans for the
needy Evans family. What
a joy to know that each
family, in their dire need,
was thinking of ways that
they could help others. We had a big
laugh, and we decided to have
Christmas dinner together — sweet
potatoes, Pinto beans and fish.
That Christmas, I like to think that
God had the biggest laugh of all, for on
Christmas Eve, when I went to the
wharf to check on my boat, our fish
buyer called me over, asking if I would
be seeing Lloyd. I replied that we
would be having Christmas dinner
together. The fish buyer had
a twenty pound turkey
for each boat that had
delivered regularly to
him that year. Our
families had a real feast, and both Lloyd
and I could say, as Jacob did in Genesis,
Chapter 28, Verse 16, “Yes, Surely God
has had His hand in my life and I knew
it not.” What a lesson for us.
Down through these many years, we
have found that when we choose Him
and His way, there is no limit to what
God can do with the inherent potential
in each of us. And that, my friend, is
the Perfect Gift.
(We were living in Santa Cruz at the
time, and fishing longlines for black
cod.
The fish buyer was Johnny
Stagnaro, of Stagnaro borthers, out on
the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf. His
brother, Ernie, was still in the service.)
Katherine and I thank God for all our
wonderful memories.
Yours and “His.”
— Captain Travis Evans
Page 11
Fishing Heritage Scholarships — Our 2008 Scholars
Robert Maharry
California Polytechnic State University, SLO—Masters in History, 2010
Our 2008 Fishing Heritage Scholar, sixth-generation California commercial fisherman
Robert F. Maharry, is well aware of his heritage. Now returning to CalPoly to obtain his
masters degree in history, Rob remembers his first trip fishing with his dad was when he
was only eight years old. Throughout the intervening years, Rob fished salmon, albacore
and Dungeness crab with his father and grandfather. He has been part of projects and
events to promote the image of California’s hard working fishermen (see
www.youtube.com/thekidfisherman). Rob’s involvement and experience allow him to
“represent our local fishing community with the highest degree of professionalism and
dedication.”
Lucas Hafer
Cuesta College—Mechanical Engineering, 2012
Lucas has helped on his dad’s boat “ever since he could walk” (and CCWF members
remember seeing him toddle down to the boat). Fishing for albacore, nearshore rockfish
and prawns are all very familiar to him. Along with his academics, in high school Lucas
was active in track, wrestling, and football, his football team twice winning the Pac 7
league. He would like to continue fishing as well as attend college to develop his interest in
alternative energy.
[photo not submitted]
Felicia Hesch
Cuesta College—Physical Therapy, 2013
The granddaughter of long time Morro Bay commercial fisherman Edward Sylvester,
Felicia was home-schooled. She attends Cuesta College, works two jobs and trains horses.
She is very active in her church, and finds time to volunteer once a year to go to Mexico
with them to build houses. Her goal is to transfer to U.C. Davis for graduate school.
Grandpa Eddie and the rest of her family are very proud.
Eryn Pellegrini
College of the Redwoods—Masters in Social Work, 2014
Fishing for salmon, albacore, crab and blackcod are some jobs Eryn has been involved with
on her dad’s boat while growing up. Last summer she went on a 9 day albacore trip 70
miles off Coos Bay, Oregon. Along with being active in school, her church and 4-H club,
Eryn has traveled to Washington D.C. to lobby with her mother, Rhonda, on behalf of
fishing families (our CCWF Scholarship Chair remembers seeing her there and being
impressed with such a well-behaved young lady). She understands the fishing industry
today and the struggles that come with it. Part of five generations of this fishing family
from Eureka, Eryn represents what a fishing family is all about.
Remy Noll
Chico State—Masters in Biological Sciences, 2014
While growing up in Crescent City, Remy was exposed to commercial fishing through her
grandparents, Greg and Beverly Noll who fished salmon, crab and albacore. Her father and
uncle fished, too. Although the family fishing enterprise flourished enough to buy a new
boat and fished shrimp, bottom fish and swordfish, because of fishing regulations and the
hardships that come with it, the thriving industry declined. Remy’s goal is continue school
to “establish a base for a stable and strong livelihood.”
Page 12
Pelorus
Our 2008 Scholars, cont.
Naomi DeCelles
Stanford University—Comparative Literature, 2013
The granddaughter of long-time Monterey fisherman Mike Ricketts, Naomi takes her
education seriously and is extremely academically motivated. With “an artist’s eye and
ear,” Naomi is said to “continually seek out opportunities to increase her knowledge of the
world.” Growing up in Arizona, however, did not afford her much of an opportunity for
exposure to her fishing heritage. With her now nearby in Palo Alto, grandpa has assured
us that he will be taking Naomi out on Monterey Bay this summer to give her a taste of her
history.
Sandy French
Cuesta College—General Education, 2009
The daughter of former Morro Bay shark fisherman Floyd McCool, Sandy’s life has always
revolved around commercial fishing. Today a wife and mother, Sandy is part of a well
respected family whose livelihood has always been based on commercial fishing. She has
known many different aspects of the fishing community during her life, being involved in
both commercial and recreational fishing as well as processing. In addition, Sandy
generously volunteers of her time, serving as CCWF Treasurer. Regulations have greatly
limited the fishing opportunities in recent years and Sandy decided to return to college to
“better help my family survive these uncertain times.”
E. Erik Koepf
University of Delaware—PhD in Mechanical Engineering, 2010
Fishing with his dad while growing up, for salmon during summer months and later
herring during winter months, are just two of the ways in which Erik says fishing has
always been part of his life. But dad always made sure school came first and that paid off,
as Erik has had years of college and is now working on his PhD. As a scientist and an
engineer, he believes there is a “long term sustainable path, a solution that satisfies
environmentalists, fishermen, conservatives, liberals, oil advocates and solar enthusiasts
alike.” A third-generation commercial fisherman, Erik believes this path will require
change and education. With all of his fishing experiences, including a brush with death
when he nearly fell overboard , Erik’s “life has been enriched by being the son of a
fisherman.”
For the 2008-09 school year, Fishing Heritage Scholarships were also renewed for Adam B. Peterman, Lorrin J. French, Trudi
O’Brien, Hanna L. Peterman, April M. Hawkins, Ryan T. French, Kyle V. Hawkins, Megan R. Gritzfeld, Angelina S. L.
McKee, and Breana N. Hansen. For more information on all of our 2007 scholars, visit our website at
http://www.womenforfish.org/scholarbio2007.htm.
CCWF and all of our scholars are grateful for the generosity of the Central California Joint Cable/Fisheries Liaison Committee.
As the founders of the Fishing Heritage Scholarship Program, they have provided all funding to date. With their help, our
fishing families are achieving their dreams, and we sincerely thank them. For more information, visit www.slofiberfish.org. To
apply for a Fishing Heritage Scholarship, visit www.womenforfish.org/scholarship.htm.
Volume 3, Issue 2
Page 13
Is Your Wine Fish-Friendly?
Trout Unlimited
recently announced
their Water and Wine
program in
conjunction with
Sonoma County
Wine Country participants. The Trout
Unlimited website tells us that “Water
and
Wine is a new, groundbreaking, collaborative
approach to improve
stream flows and
water reliability for grape growers in
California watersheds. Water and Wine
provides an opportunity for water users
to collaborate to increase efficiency,
coordinate diversions, develop physical
solutions, and improve habitat at the
most critical locations. By working
together, Water and Wine will provide
more comprehensive and cost-effective
solutions to enhance stream flow and
improve water supply reliability for
grape growers.” For more information,
visit www.tu.org.
“Wine is sunlight, held together by water”
— Galileo Galilei
Salmon Disaster Aid
Participating wineries include:
Alderbrook Winery
Bevill Family Vineyards
Cadd Ranch
Jackson Family Wines
Mauritson Vineyards and Winery
Michel-Schlumberger Wine Estate
Mounts Vineyards and Winery
Nelson Vineyards
Quivira Vineyards
Robert Young Vineyards
Rodney Strong Vineyards
Rued Vineyards and Winery
Simi Winery
Steelhead Wines
Weinstock Vineyards
Wine Creek Vineyard
By now, hopefully everyone who is eligible has received
the forms for their 2008 salmon disaster claim. If you
have not, or if you are unsure whether you qualify, visit
www.calkingsalmon.org or contact California
Salmon Council Executive Director David
Goldenberg at (916) 933-7050 or via email at
[email protected].
And, while you’re thinking about it, send
your thanks to our federal legislators and
David Goldenberg for all their hard work. As
tough as it’s been not fishing and waiting for
aid, without them it might not have happened at all.
Looking for Tax Deductions?
CCWF would like to take a moment to remind everyone
of some of our favorite causes. All donations are 100%
tax deductible, all benefit fishing families.
In no particular order, our favorite causes are:
CCWF Fishing Heritage Scholarship Program
CCWF Memorial Fund
CCWF General Fund
Kids-At-Sea
Mail donations for these programs to: CCWF,
430 Quintana Road, #106, Morro Bay, CA 93442. (Be
sure to indicate which program on your check.) For more
information, visit www.womenforfish.org or contact any
director (see page 19).
Page 14
Pelorus
Commercial Fishermen of America, cont. Update: Faces of
(Continued from page 8)
your computer. The new website also
has an Action Alert page, located at
www.cfafish.org/actionalerts.html,
where fishermen can find out the latest
actions they can take pertaining to the
industry, such as making health care for
fishing families a reality.
CALL FOR FISHING VIDEOS: Do
you have video footage or pictures of
yourself at work? CFA is looking for
videos and pictures of fishermen at
work. Do you have something to say
about the importance of the fishing
industry or want to tell people about
how hard you work to provide seafood
to the nation? Do you want to tell the
general public about the struggles you
are facing to continue your livelihood?
The CFA wants to help you
communicate this message to the
public. They are looking for video and
pictorial submissions from people
involved in the fishing industry.
Submissions will be used to educate the
general public about the importance of
commercial
fishing.
Ideas
for
submissions include pictures and video
of: boats, gear, boat and gear
preparation, time at sea, fishing stories,
etc. -- anything that helps tell the story
of the commercial fishing industry in
this country. For more information
visit www.cfafish.org/wanted.html or
contact Sara Randall at (415)561-FISH
x222.
Jim Blaes tells us that Wal-Marts across Alabama sold out of
ammunition recently. A reliable source said one of the
purchasers commented that while “Russia may have invaded
Georgia, they sure as hell ain't doin' it to Alabama.”
CCWF Merchandise
Mugs: $7.50/each (less 20% discount for members)
Aprons: $20. Shipping extra.
To get yours, contact any director (see page 19) or send an email to
[email protected].
to arrange delivery.
(CCWF mugs and aprons
are available at Huck
Finn’s Sportfishing in Pillar Point Harbor,
too.)
Electronic Pelorus, Back Issues
If you would prefer to have your copy of Pelorus delivered via email, contact us at [email protected]. (Note: In the
electronic copies, pictures are in color and most website links work.)
Also, remember that copies of all editions of Pelorus, past and present, are available
for reading and/or download directly from our website at:
www.womenforfish.org/pelorus.htm
Help build our membership — download a copy of Pelorus and a membership
application and share CCWF with your friends.
Volume 3, Issue 2
California Fishing
After I informed my family that they
would not be seeing me on weekends
for the next month, the song "I've been
everywhere" started going through my
head. Actually, the Faces of California
Fishing has been everywhere, and
there’s more coming up. In July I/we
were in Fort Bragg for the Salmon
BBQ, then Half Moon Bay for the 75th
San Mateo Harbor Anniversary, then
back to Fort Bragg for the
subdudes/Salmon Awareness Concert,
next up to Eureka for the Humboldt
Bay Maritime Festival, back to Morro
Bay for the Meet the Fleet party and
Harbor Festival, with a quick stop to
teach 1400 fourth graders at the San
Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau
AGventure, and finally down to Santa
Barbara for their Harbor Festival. A
Faces display was put up at the Morro
Bay Library with great results also.
It has been my great pleasure to
represent California Fishermen and I
thank you for all the hospitality that
you have shown me in your different
harbors. My grant funding runs out in
October and I am on the search for
funds for “Phase 3”. If anyone has any
ideas, let me know. Please take the
time to check out the website
www.thefacesofcaliforniafishing.com.
There have been many changes and
pictures added. I am always looking
for more fishing pictures, recipes, blog
idea and stories.
I can be reached at
[email protected] or 805-748-2460
or 805-772-4959.
— Lori French
P.S. If anyone
wants to stop by
when I’m on the
road, go ahead
and toss in a load
of laundry.
Page 15
Did You Know? from Linda McCorkle
Peel a banana from the bottom and you
won’t have to pick the little ‘stringy
things’ off of it. That’s how the
primates do it.
Take your bananas apart when you get
home from the store. If you leave them
connected at the stem, they ripen
faster.
Store your opened chunks of cheese in
aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much
longer and not mold!
Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom
are sweeter and better for eating.
Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom
are firmer and better for cooking.
Add a teaspoon of water when frying
ground beef. It will help pull the grease
away from the meat while cooking.
To really make scrambled eggs or
omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls
of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy
cream in and then beat them up.
For a cool brownie treat, make
brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints
in double boiler and pour over warm
brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty
frosting.
Add garlic immediately to a recipe if
you want a light taste of garlic and at
the end of the recipe if your want a
stronger taste of garlic.
Leftover snickers bars from Halloween
make a delicious dessert. Simply chop
them up with the food chopper. Peel,
core and slice a few apples. Place them
in a baking dish and sprinkle the
chopped candy bars over the apples.
Bake at 350º for 15 minutes. Serve
alone or with vanilla ice cream.
Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick
skillet on top of the stove, set heat to
med-low and heat till warm. This keeps
the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza.
Anderson Inn
Barbara Hawkins tells us she has a
fisherman friend who lives in a remote
little town in SE Alaska and would like
to come to the Central Coast for a
couple of weeks at Christmas time. His
wife is a teacher and they have a few
kids, but Barbara’s not sure how many
are still at home
or would plan on
joining them over
the holidays.
Not lucky enough to live in San Luis
Obispo County? Live here, but deserve
a special night away? CCWF member
Stevie Anderson and her husband
Rodger have just opened Morro Bay’s
newest boutique hotel, Anderson Inn,
located at 897 Embarcadero.
Interested? For more information, call
Barbara Hawkins at (805) 489-8292 or
contact her via email at
[email protected]
Page 16
When you buy a container of cake
frosting from the store, whip it with
your mixer for a few minutes. You can
double it in size. You get to frost more
cake/cupcakes with the same amount.
You also eat less sugar and calories per
serving.
To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins
that were refrigerated, place them in a
microwave with a cup of water. The
increased moisture will keep the food
moist and help it reheat faster.
Put wet newspapers in layers around
garden plants, overlapping as you go;
cover with mulch and
Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag.
Need a House Sitter?
They’re looking
for either an inexpensive rental or
perhaps a house exchange situation or
to housesit. Barbara says “they are great
people and would be very responsible.
We could promote as an Alaska/CA
fishermen exchange program!”
Seal, mash till they are all broken up.
Add remainder of ingredients, reseal,
keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly,
cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze
mixture into egg. Just throw bag away
when done.
Stevie tells us the new inn, and
accompanying restaurant, the Galley
Seafood Grill and Bar, have both been
rated the number one places in Morro
Bay on Trip Advisor. As Trip Advisor is
completely voluntary, and 100%
customers, it makes it even more special
to be recognized by them.
All Anderson Inn guest rooms feature
the following:
♦ Room Safes
♦ Ironing Boards & Irons
♦ Refrigerators
♦ iPod Stations
(Continued on page 17)
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
Bathrobes
Flat Screen Television
Free Wireless Internet
Coffee Makers
Hair Dryers
Fireplaces (Harbor rooms only)
Spa Tubs (Harbor rooms only)
Call the Anderson Inn at (805) 7723434 or toll free at (866) 960-3434 or,
visit www.andersoninnmorrobay.com
now and make a reservation for that
special evening.
Pelorus
Did You Know? Cont.
slacks that cling when wearing panty
hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and
static is gone.
also a great way to use up the
conditioner you bought but didn’t like
when you tried it in your hair.
Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will
keep the mosquitoes away.
Before you pour sticky substances into a
measuring cup, fill with hot water.
Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry
the cup. Next, add your ingredient, such
as peanut butter, and watch how easily it
comes right out.
To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a
small glass, fill it 1/2’ with Apple Cider
Vinegar and 2 drops of dishwashing
liquid; mix well. You will find those
flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!
To keep squirrels from eating your
plants, sprinkle the plants with cayenne
pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn’t
hurt the plant and squirrels won’t come
near it.
Hate foggy windshields? Buy a
chalkboard eraser and keep it in the
glove box of your car. When the
windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works
better than a cloth!
To get something out of a heat register
or under the fridge, add an empty paper
towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your
vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to
get in narrow openings.
If you seal an envelope and then realize
you forgot to include something inside,
just place your sealed envelope in the
freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It
unseals easily.
Pin a small safety pin to the seam of
your slip and you will not have a clingy
skirt or dress. Same thing works with
Use your hair conditioner to shave your
legs. It’s cheaper than shaving cream
and leaves your legs really smooth. It’s
(Continued from page 16)
forget about weeds. Weeds will get
through some gardening plastic but they
will not get through wet newspapers.
Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up
small shards of glass you can’t see easily.
Aloha:
(In Hawaiian, “Aloha” means love; CCWF uses it
to say both “hello” and “farewell,” with love.)
In the past quarter, CCWF sent Aloha to the following families:
CCWF’s deepest sympathies went out to:
KATHY FOSMARK on the death of her father, FRANK MARTINS.
LENORE DROOGSMA, on the death of father.
CCWF sent its best wishes to JAN CONNOR regarding her father’s illness.
CCWF congratulated BEKKA KELLY on the healthy birth of her new baby.
UUUUUUU
Remember, our Aloha Committee is there for you. The Aloha Committee
sends the cards and flowers—but we need you to make the call and let them
know of the need and the address. Members are encouraged to contact them
and help CCWF observe occurrences throughout our community, whether
happy or sad.
Our Aloha Committee members include:
Trudy Sylvester, Chair—(805) 772-7708 or
[email protected] (but call so she knows the email is
there!)
Diane Arnoldi—(805) 772-1445 or [email protected]
Trudy O’Brien—(805) 772-9037 or [email protected]
Please let one of them know whenever you hear of an
occurrence that CCWF should observe.
Volume 3, Issue 2
Put small piles of cornmeal where you
see ants. They eat it, take it ‘home,’
can’t digest it so it kills them. It may
take a week or so, especially if it rains,
but it works and you don’t have the
worry about pets or small children
being harmed!
The best way to keep your dryer
working for a very long time (and to
keep your electric bill lower) is take the
lint filter out and wash it with hot soapy
water and a brush at least every six
months — it removes fabric softener
build up and makes the life of the dryer
at least twice as long.
The IFR–
Working for You
The Institute for Fisheries
Resources (IFR) is a non-profit
organization created in 1993 by
the Pacific Coast Federation of
Fishermen’s Associations. On behalf of
working fishing men and women, the
IFR works on fishery research and
conservation needs. Their programs
encompass conservation projects and
policy debates at the regional, national,
and international levels.
Funded through private foundation
grants, government contracts, and
individual donations, IFR works toward
its vision of global sustainable fisheries.
For more information or to make a
donation, visit http://www.ifrfish.org.
To subscribe to the IFR's free weekly
newsletter, Sublegals, go to http://
ifrfish.org/forms/form.html.
Page 17
Our 2008 Members
CCWF would like to extend a special thanks to the following persons for renewing their charter
membership. Together we can make a difference. Not yet a member? Download your application at
www.womenforfish.org and send it in today!
Anne Albright
Morro Bay
Barbara Emley
San Francisco
Carla King
Grover Beach
Carrie Pomeroy
Watsonville
Stevie Anderson
Morro Bay
Julee Estes
Fort Bragg
Jackie Larsen
Los Osos
Heidi Reisbick
Olympia, WA
Zoe Andres
Morro Bay
Katherine Evans
Arroyo Grande
Michele Leary
Morro Bay
Sharon Rowley
Morro Bay
Vivian Bartello
Morro Bay
Ilene French
Grover Beach
Susan Lichtenbaum
Los Osos
Diane Schoditsch
Morro Bay
Elyse Battistella
Santa Maria
Lori French
Morro Bay
Andrea Lueker
Los Osos
Pam Sines
Phoenix, AZ
Marlyse Battistella
Los Osos
Margaret French
Morro Bay
Susan Maharry
Los Osos
Debby Stevenot
Avila Beach
Peggy Beckett
El Granada
Sandy French
Morro Bay
Sandra Marciel
Morro Bay
Barbara Stickel
Morro Bay
Jeanne Bosworth
Grover Beach
Dolores Furtado
Bodega Bay
Linda McCorkle
Carpentaria
Patricia Strauss
Port Lavaca, TX
Janelle Bradley
San Luis Obispo
Lynda Gentry
Soquel
Carolyn Moffatt
Arroyo Grande
Trudy Sylvester
Morro Bay
Eleanor Capen
Avila Beach
Eileen Giannini
Morro Bay
Diane Moody
Arroyo Grande
Bonnie Tognazzini
Morro Bay
Renee Capen
San Luis Obispo
Kathleen Goldstein
Rockville, MD
Catherine Moore
Los Osos
Pamela Tom
Davis
Barbara Carter
Santa Maria
Karen Gruber
Avila Beach
Newport Fishermen’s Wives
Newport, OR
Lillie Viettone
San Luis Obispo
Barbara Cefalu
Los Osos
Sheri Hafer
Atascadero
Beverly Noll
Crescent City
Mary Wainscott
Morro Bay
Annie Clapp
Morro Bay
Barbara Hawkins
Arroyo Grande
Cathy Novak
Morro Bay
Ann Ward
Arroyo Grande
Molly Comin
Atascadero
Colleen Helfer
San Luis Obispo
Charlene Nungary
Phoenix, AZ
Sidonie Wiedenkeller
Los Osos
Cindy Cullen
Cambria
Peggy Hill
Alameda
Jackie Nungaray
Morro Bay
Sheri Williamson
Arroyo Grande,
Pam Daniels
Morro Bay
Dorothy Inferrera
Santa Cruz
Trudi O’Brien
Morro Bay
Lisa Winn
San Luis Obispo,
Connie Davies
Morro Bay
Alice Ivec
Fort Bragg
Janice Peters
Morro Bay
Paula Yoon
Bayside
Karen Dorrance
Arroyo Grande
Joanne Kann
Morro Bay
Roxie Pierce
Santa Cruz
Mara Ziehn
Avila Beach
Lenore Droogsma
Grover Beach
Helen Kier
Blue Lake
Page 18
Thanks for your continuing support.
Pelorus
Board of Directors and
Committee Chairs
Pelorus Contributions
Pelorus is your newsletter,
and like computers, the
information coming out
will only be as good as the information
we have going in. Please keep us in
mind and help out whenever possible.
Suggestions for submission include:
• Recipes
• From the Heart — your family stories
• News or reports regarding other
organizations
• Announcements of events of interest
to our members
• Cartoons and other drawings (from
“junior” artists, too)
• Poems and short stories
• Member business cards
• Fundraisers and other events that
benefit your family
• Brief advertisements for items you
wish to sell
Send your contributions to:
CCWF Newsletter Committee
430 Quintana Road, #106
Morro Bay, CA 93442-1948
Or via e-mail to:
[email protected]
The Newsletter Committee reserves the
right to make final determinations as
to appropriateness and space
availability.
Reminder: Help Build Nick Howell Memorial
A memorial bench is being designed for
Nick Howell. It will be cast in bronze
and mounted on the South T Pier in
Morro Bay.
Old wheels (and other scrap bronze)
can be dropped off at:
Contributions are being requested in
the form of old wheels; bronze or alloy
can be used. It was thought fitting that
fishermen, by donating
their old propellers, be
a part of this
memorial to one of
their best friends ever.
Questions? Contact either of:
Frank Loving (805) 431-7393
Pat Howell (805) 712-6116
Gerry Coffee (805) 772-8868
Ken Daily’s Machine Shop
1154 Main Street, Morro Bay
Fishing Calendar Online
In the last issue, we included a printed copy of a
comprehensive calendar of events of interest to our
community. We’re pleased to announce that for your
convenience the fishing calendar, complete with links
for more information and maps, when needed, is now
at www.womenforfish.org/calendar.htm.
Help us help you — send calendar events to:
[email protected]
(Please be patient, as this is a work in
progress. Over the next several months, we
hope to make the calendar more user friendly
— currently, it may be a little slow, and not
all of the links are working.)
Marlyse Battistella (Director;
President) (805) 528-4753; email:
[email protected]
Lenore Droogsma (Director;
Vice President) (805) 481-8252;
email: [email protected]
Jackie Nungaray (Director, Secretary)
(805) 772-8281;
email: [email protected]
Sandy French (Director; Treasurer,
Budget) (805) 772-3868;
email: [email protected]
Renée Capen (Director)
(805) 542-9305;
email: [email protected]
Barbara Cefalu (Director, Memorial)
(805) 528-4165;
email: [email protected]
Ilene French (Director, Education)
(805) 801-4532;
email: [email protected]
Michelle Leary (Director, Kids-at-Sea)
(805) 704-2084;
email: [email protected]
Sharon Rowley (Director,
Scholarship) (805) 466-2369;
email: [email protected]
Lori French (Promotions)
(805) 772-4959;
email: [email protected]
Susan Maharry (Memorial)
(805) 528-2339;
email: [email protected]
Barbara Stickel (Newsletter Editor)
(805) 801-2663;
email: [email protected]
Trudy Sylvester (Aloha)
(805) 772-7708;
email: [email protected]
Interested in serving on the board or
know someone who is?
SUBMIT NAMES TO CCWF’s
NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE at
www.womenforfish.org/nomineeform.htm
Volume 3, Issue 2
Page 19
First Class Mail
Central Coast Women
for Fisheries, Inc.
www.womenforfish.org
Mailing Address:
430 Quintana Road, #106
Morro Bay, CA 93442-1948
Office Location:
1287 Embarcadero (Annex)
Morro Bay, CA 93442
E-mail: [email protected]
Messages: (805) 771-9602
Membership applications can be
downloaded from our website.
INSIDE: Meet George Farnsworth (L),
IFGA Hall of Famer-turned-commercial
fisherman, shown here on September
29, 1912, with what was a world record
one-day swordfish catch, six Catalina
swordfish, caught by Warren Smith
using a 16-ounce rod and 24-pound test
line: 202 lbs.—8 minutes, 140 lbs.—30
minutes; 134 lbs.-21 minutes; 162 lbs.—
19 minutes; 158 lbs.—19 minutes; 176
lbs.—40 minutes (see page 10).
The Last Word . . . by Capt. Travis O. Evans
Beautiful Scars
If you follow the history of our society,
You’ll often find, the setbacks of man
Create successes, in spite of adversity,
Just as God in all of nature can.
So consider the split in the side of a mountain,
The twist of an old gnarled tree,
The deep, deep cut of a winding river,
Or the rocky shoreline along the sea.
Each has been scarred with distortion,
Yet each has this message to bring,
“The very presence of what would deface me,
Has made me a beautiful thing.”
So write this on the fly-leaf of your heart,
And re-read it often throughout your life,
Though trials and tribulations may start,
You can be a winner, regardless of the strife.
CCWF ... fostering and promoting a sense of the living culture of our fishing communities.