Much of what our commercial fishermen catch isn't 'fish'

Jnana Hodson

Aug 8

Eastport's fleet doesn't use nets to fish. Rather, they use dragging gear or baited traps, mostly.

Technically, the bulk of what they catch isn't fish, which are vertebrates, have gills, and lack limbs with digits. Fish fall into the scientific superclass of Osteichthyes, as noted in a previous Tendrils.

Shellfish, meanwhile, are invertebrates, have external skeletons, and are classified as molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. See a more recent Tendrils.

So today, let's look at what the local commercial fishermen catch. Or, in some cases, used to.

Lobsters. The mainstay.
Scallops. Some of the world's best, in our humble opinion. The haul, though, is tightly regulated.
Clams. While many of these are raked on sand or mud flats at low tide, others are dredged by boats at sea. They add up to the state's third most valuable fishery.
Urchins. A specialty niche making a comeback. Japanese foodies love them, but the market's tricky.
Crabs. See a previous Tendrils.
Alewives, herring, and mackerel. Often caught for use as lobster bait.
Shrimp. Well, not anymore, but we can keep hoping the stock will rebound.
Mussels. There are some interesting attempts to establish farmed beds around here. Now that would be lovely.
Cold. They do bundle up in the depth of winter, though.
The sunrise. They head out early.

Let's not overlook salmon, a major product here, which are farmed in pens and harvested directly by special boats using tubes that work something like a giant vacuum hose. Not kidding.

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