TABLE OF CONTENTS 02
MAP / INTRODUCTION
06
SEA TO PLATE
08
HISTORY
10
THE BOATS
14
THE FISH
18
LOBSTER
20
ANNUAL LANDING BY LBS
24
ANNUAL LANDING BY VALUE
28
BIBLIOGRAPHY & THANKS
Copyright Š 2011. All rights reserved. No portion of this book or images contained within this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by other means without written permission from the artist, Abby Ytzen. Errors or omissions will be corrected in subsequent editions. 1st Edition Printed at Gordon College Design Center 255 Grapevine Rd. Wenham MA 01984 Designed / Illustrated by: Abby Ytzen History of Gloucester written by: Ron Gilson Edited by: Abby Ytzen Partners: Joey Ciaramitaro, Johnny Handel Author’s Note: This book was very much a collaboration with many members in the Gloucester community. The information I have gathered and illustrated was compiled mostly in compliance with NOAA and Massachussetts Department of Fish and Game. If you believe there is an error in any of my finding, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will look into the matter. I hope you find this book exciting, both visually and informationally.
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION: The fishing industry has been essential to the life of the community in Gloucester since it was founded in 1626. Historically that connection was more direct; today it is farther removed. With technological and industrial advances, the fishing industry, like everything else, has evolved. My goal for this project is to help reconnect the community around the fishing industry in a positive light. I am passionate about making information accessible and engaging. “When design distills something to its absolute essence, it reveals its pure truth, leaving the viewer thinking, ‘Of course.’ I love that, I call it uber-simplicity,” said Steve Watson, owner of Turnstyle design firm Seattle, Washington. The challenge of my work is to create meaningful simplifications that communicated truth about the world, and generalizations that were informative instead of stifling. The better the understanding of complexity, the more poignant and truthful the simplification.
Abby Ytzen www.abbyytzen.com
BUY FROM FISHERMEN
B O AT
HARBOR
If your fish is caught, and not raised on fish farms, then your fish probably started here
Either by nets, hook and line, or traps your fish next came here
The fish get unloaded onto the docks
FOOD FOR THOUGHT... When you sit down to enjoy a fillet of fish, either at a restaurant or in your home, have you ever wondered how many steps your fish took to get to your dinner plate from the sea? Depending on where you get your fish from, the journey will be a little different. Today you can enjoy a seafood dinner in places like Iowa and never see the ocean, no less what the fish looks like not battered or fried. By no fault of any individual, we have become removed from the process. It is important to remember where things come from and the journey they took to get there, both in life and in any industry–especially our food.
BUY FROM DEALERS
OCEAN
WHOLESALE
(LOCAL)
90% of the Fish at the Auction are bought by Local Dealers
AUCTION Many of the fish end up at the Gloucester Auction. Daily 5 - 8am
WHOLESALE
(LOCAL)
90% of the Fish at the Auction are bought by Local Dealers
CAFC
YO U R D I N N E R
Pick your fish up from a Cape Ann fresh catch site
Time to eat!
WHERE DO THE FISH GO...
MENU
LOCAL–Restaurants in Gloucester, Rockport, Essex, Beverly, Salem, etc.
R E S TA U R A N T
YO U R D I N N E R
Some fisheries sell to local restaurants / stores
Time to eat!
BY TRUCK–Boston, New York... BY PLANE–Florida, San Francisco, LA, Seattle, Chicago, Japan...
MENU
TRANSPORT
WHOLESALE
Local fish travel by plane or truck
These fish arrive at wholesalers around the world
(GLOBAL)
R E S TA U R A N T
YO U R D I N N E R
The global fisheries sell to the local restaurants / stores
Time to eat!
H I STO RY
G LO U C E STE R AMERICA’S OLDEST SEAPORT
The history of groundfishing in Gloucester goes back to colonial times. In the early 1600s Gloucester established itself as the leading fishing port in the new world. The French Explorer Samuel de Champlain described Gloucester’s harbor as “Beauport”. The first Cape Anners set up shop on the rocky and unproductive land because of the abundance of groundfish, bottom dwelling fish, in the harbor. Groundfishing in Gloucester began along the rocky coastline as small one-man boats. The resources were so abudant that there was no immediate need to veture miles from shore. As the fishing industry developed and shipbuilding became well established, larger more efficient vessels were built in Gloucester and in the neighboring town of Essex. Generally, these more adequate vessels “Pinkeys” were being employed by the more industrious ground fishermen of the era. In the 17th and 18th century, fishing and harvesting groundfish continued unabated. The economic backbone of the industry was Cod. The demand for our salt cod products in the West Indies and southern ports of call demanded more intense fishing efforts. We went from hand lining by individual men, leaning over the side of small vessels, catching cod,
1609 Samuel de Champlain names Gloucester "Beauport"
1623 Settled by a company from Dorchester England.
1816
1690 1st Commercial Fishery Founded by Babson.
1700 Township of “Glosster” granted for 7 lb.
30+ ton ships built for mackerel fishing
haddock, pollock, hake, cusk, etc. A more efficient method of catching groundfish was invented called “line trawl”. In this method hundreds of hooks were individually baited and set out on the newly discovered George’s Bank, our most famous New England fishing haunt. This trawl-like arrangement, resembling an elongated “H”, is set in the ocean by two men working from a small boat. Eventually the two men gathered a dory load of fish and delivered their catch to the mother ship, often miles away, at the end of the day. Not until the 1800s and early 1900s did this “line trawl” method of fishing change. The fishing industry would experience a renaissance with the invention of the steam engine and later the modern high speed diesel engine. The modern otter trawls allowed Gloucester to feed war torn Europe at the end of World War II. Gloucester continues to advance its position of prominence in the seafood production industry into the 21st century. Modern designed vessels, powerful compact engines, efficient hydraulic equipment, and G.P.S. technology keep the industry moving forward toward greater efficiency.
1851 Largest fishing port in the country
1858 Trawls introduced for fishing.
1879
1991
Gilnetting started to be used.
1941 Dory fishing replaced by Draggers.
“Perfect Storm” Vessel Andrea Gall lost.
G LO U C E STE R
B O ATS
LO B ST E R B OAT Primary Gear: Pots and Traps Primary Fish: Crustaceans AVG LOA: 34 ft. Number Of Boats: 187
G I L L N E TTE R Primary Gear: Gill Nets Primary Fish: Groundfish AVG LOA: 41 ft. Number Of Boats: 33
COMMERCI AL ROD & REEL Primary Gear: Rod & Reel Primary Fish: Striped Bass, Bluefish, Tuna, Groundfish AVG LOA: 26 ft. Number Of Boats: 74
MIDWATER TRAWL Primary Gear: Midwater Trawl Primary Fish: Mackerel, Herring AVG LOA: 110 ft. Number Of Boats: 10
DR AGGER (Trawler) Primary Gear: Otter/Beam Trawl Primary Fish: Groundfish AVG LOA: 57 ft. Number Of Boats: 80
GLOUCESTER BOATS 2010
TOTAL VESSELS: 446
LOBSTER BOAT
42%
DRAGGER
18%
ROD AND REEL
17%
OTHER VESSEL
14%
GILLNETTER
7%
MIDWATER TRAWL
LOA & LWL LOA
LOA is the Length Overall, which refers to the maximum length of a vessel from two points on the hull measured perpendicular to the waterline.
(Length Overall)
LWL is the Loaded Waterline Length, which is more useful in assessing a vessel’s performance.
LWL (Waterline Length)
AVERAGE LOA
LOA: 110ft
LOA: 57ft
LOA: 26ft
EVOLUTION OF THE FISHING BOAT 1700 & 1800’s Before the invention of the steam engine, the primary fishing vessels were dories and schooners.
DORY
SCHOONERS
The dory can be generally defined as a small boat which has a flat bottom and a hull shape defined by the natural curve of a sawn plank. Dories date back to the 1700’s and were used for coastal water and off shore fishing.
Schooners are a sailing vessel characterized by the fore and aft sails on two or more masts. They are traditionally used for off shore fishing. Schooners enabled dories to be carried farther off shore to fish in deeper waters.
1900’s The end of the schooner era came with the industrial revolution and the invention of the steam powered vessel.
DRAGGER There are many variants of trawling gear. Generally, trawling is a method of fishing that involves dragging a fishing net along the bottom of the sea . Dragger design was adapted as power changed from sail to coal-fired steam (WW1) then to diesel and turbine engines (WW2).
LOA: 41ft
LOA: 34ft
MIDWATER TRAWLER Similar to draggers, midwater trawlering is a method of fishing that involves dragging a net (often between two trawlers) at midwater.
G LO U C E STE R
F I S H ES
ATLANTIC MACKEREL
SEA HERRING
Scomber scombrus
Clupea harengus
Species Group: Small Pelagic Length: 14–18 in. Weight: 1–2 lbs Gear Used: Midwater Trawl Market Price: $0.13/lb
Species Group: Small Pelagic Length: 17 in. Weight: 1.5 lbs Gear Used: Midwater Trawl Market Price: $0.14/lb
ATLANTIC COD
AMERICAN POLLOCK
Gadus callarias
Pollachius virens
Species Group: Groundfish Length: 25–36 in. Weight: 6–12 lbs Gear Used: Trawl/Gillnet Market Price: $1.87 /lb
Species Group: Groundfish Length: 24–36 in. Weight: 4–13 lbs Gear Used: Trawl/Gillnet Market Price: $0.90/lb
* Information based on 2010 Commercial Fishery Landings for Gloucester. Weight, length and market price represent species averages.
HADDOCK
WHITE HAKE
Melanogrammus aeglefinus
Urophycis tenuis
Species Group: Groundfish Length: 14–23 in. Weight: 1.13–4.75 lbs Gear Used: Trawl/Gillnet Market Price: $1.17/lb
Species Group: Groundfish Length: 28 in. Weight: 8 lbs Gear Used: Trawl/Gillnet Market Price: $1.34/lb
WITCH FLOUNDER
AMERICAN DAB
Glyptocephalus cynoglossus
Hippoglossoides platessoides
Species Group: Groundfish Length: 12–20 in. Weight: 4 lbs Gear Used: Trawl/Gillnet Market Price: $2.38/lb
Species Group: Groundfish Length: 12–24 in. Weight: 1–6 lbs Gear Used: Trawl/Gillnet Market Price: $1.46/lb
MONKFISH
BLUE FIN TUNA
Lophius americanus
Thunnus thynnus
Species Group: Groundfish Length: 24–48 in. Weight: 50 lbs Gear Used: Trawl/Gillnet Market Price: $3.10/lb
Species Group: Pelagic Length: 28–93 in. Weight: 17–587 lbs Gear Used: Rod+Reel Market Price: $8.99/lb
BLUE FISH
STRIPED BASS
Pomatomus saltatrix
Roccus saxatilis
Species Group: Pelagic Length: 30 in. Weight: 10–12 lbs Gear Used: Gillnet/Rod+Reel Market Price: $0.52/lb
Species Group: Pelagic Length: 24–36 in. Weight: 5–35 lbs Gear Used: Rod+Reel Market Price: $3.03/lb
G LO U C E STE R
LO B ST E R
Lobsters are ten-legged (decapod) crustaceans. The American Lobster is the only species of clawed lobsters in the Northwestern Atlantic region. The American lobster is distributed throughout the Northwest Atlantic. They are most abundant in coastal zones at depths of less than 150 ft.
LOBSTER TRAPS All lobster traps have the same basic design–a funnel type entrance with two inner sections: the kitchen and the parlor. The lobster enters the funnel into the kitchen, where bait is tied. The Lobster not being able to exit back through the funnel, goes into the parlor, where it is trapped.
WATER TEMPERATURE Water Temperature plays a importarnt role in lobstering. January–mid May lobsters are mostly sedentary. Lobsters prefer water temperatures between 46˚–57˚
CLAW COLORATION You can tell how active a lobster is by how colorul its claws are. When sedentary the claws are a bright orange color. When they become active the claws color is worn down from dragging on the ocean floor.
AMERICAN LOBSTER
V-NOTCHING Commercial lobstermen make a v-notch in the tail flippers of egg-bearing female lobsters they encounter while fishing. The v-notch remains in the female lobsters tail for two molts, giving them protection from harvest for up to 5 years.
Lophius americanus Species Group: Crustacean Length: 8-24 in. Weight: 1-9 lbs Gear Used: Pot/Traps Market Price: $3.73/lb
LAN D I N G S
YEA R LY TO P F IVE 1980
1985 23,128,533lbs
16,303,978lbs
COD
COD
8,597,590lbs
17,100,347lbs
DAB
POLLOCK
63,481,616lbs HERRING
23,681,850lbs HERRING
15,770,913lbs
7,257,040lbs
HADDOCK
DOGFISH
43,350,980lbs
10,287,363lbs
MENHADEN
SILVER HAKE
1990
1995 18,843,456lbs
5,416,495lbs
COD
COD
6,859,825lbs
3,133,716lbs
POLLOCK
HAGFISH
61,815,242lbs HERRING
31,388,645lbs HERRING
4,990,194lbs DOGFISH
4,589,913lbs DOGFISH
6,783,444lbs SILVER HAKE
2,659,357lbs SILVER HAKE
This graph illustrates the top five fish by totals weight landed in each year. The lbs listed represents the “raw weight”, not the “live weight”. “Live weight” refers to the weight of whole fish, while “raw weight” refers to the portion of the fish that is sold. Since 2005, seafood dealers in Massachusetts are required to submit reports of any marine species they purchase directly from fishermen. These data get entered weekly into the SAFIS database, which is managed by a collaboration between the federal government and the Atlantic states. These dealer-reported data are one of the primary tools used to manage our fisheries.
2000
2005 3,857,092lbs
4,462,119lbs COD
COD
5,602,082lbs HAGFISH
3,927,102lbs POLLOCK
8,903,786lbs HERRING
74,044,615lbs HERRING
2,474,105lbs
3,370,317lbs
MONKFISH
HADDOCK
2,998,802lbs
20,065,893lbs
LOBSTER
MACKEREL
TO P TE N I N 2 0 10 41,663,569lbs HERRING
3,747,954lbs MENHADEN
2,834,571lbs
7,167,294lbs COD
LOBSTER
2,438,205lbs
5,505,786lbs DOGFISH
HADDOCK
4,963,172lbs MACKEREL
REDFISH
3,859,212lbs POLLOCK
1,883,478lbs 1,378,989lbs SILVER HAKE
40,046
666,094
1,378,989
2,834,571
5,505,786 7,167,294
137,737
63,566
1,026,493
1,297,815
3,859,212
13,122,355
41,663,569
YEA
R LY TO P F I V E
1980
LAN D I N G S VALUE
1985 $19,521,225
COD
$16,074,553 COD
$8,509,061
$8,609,973
DAB
DAB
$9,420,871
$7,393,904
HERRING
WITCH FLOUNDER
$19,365,001 HADDOCK
$11,223,044 HADDOCK
$6,944,713
$6,293,369
POLLOCK
POLLOCK
1990
1995 $8,843,456
COD
$8,136,816 COD
$4,754,045 BLUEFIN TUNA
$3,187,448 DAB
$4,620,341 HERRING
$3,469,423 BLUEFIN TUNA
$6,783,444 HADDOCK
$3,469,477 MONKFISH
$6,343,759 POLLOCK
$2,914,273 POLLOCK
The value of landings shown for each year are based on the ex-vessel price, or what the dealer paid the fishermen, not what a consumer would pay at a fish market. Since 2005, seafood dealers in Massachusetts are required to submit reports of any marine species they purchase directly from fishermen. These data get entered weekly into the SAFIS (Standard Atlantic Fisheries Information System) database, which is managed by a collaboration between the federal government and the Atlantic states. These dealer-reported data are one of the primary tools used to manage our fisheries.
2000
2005 $7,330,583
$3,857,092
COD
COD
$4,420,763
$4,912,319
HADDOCK
HADDOCK
$2,352,234
$6,625,820
POLLOCK
HERRING
$5,849,120
$5,582,578
MONKFISH
MONKFISH
$15,803,416 LOBSTER
$10,355,007 LOBSTER
TO P TE N I N 2 0 10 $13,389,400 COD
$3,177,884 MONKFISH
$1,891,537
$10,570,800 LOBSTER
DAB
$6,921,881
WHITE HAIKE
HADDOCK
$5,680,076 HERRING
$1,586,151 WITCH FLOUNDER
$3,488,720 POLLOCK
$1,854,282
$1,237,952 BLUEFIN TUNA * All values are in 2010 dollars.
BLUE FISH MACKEREL $20,799 $636,568
WHITE HAKE
$1,854,282
MONKFISH $3,177,884
LOBSTER
COD $13,389,400
$10,570,800
STRIPED BASS
BLUE FIN
$192,579
DAB $1,237,952 $1,891,537
WITCH FLOUNDER
$1,586,151
POLLOCK HERRING $3,477,720 $5,680,076
BIBL
I O G R AP HY
T H A N KS
“FishWatch - U.S. Seafood Facts.” NOAA: National Marine Fisheries Service. www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch “History of the Groundfishing Industry of New England.” NOAA: Northeast Fisheries Science Center. Department of Commerce, 26 Apr. 2011. www.nefsc.noaa.gov/history/stories/groundfish/grndfsh1.html Bigelow, Henry B. and William C. Schroeder. “Fishes of the Gulf of Maine.” Gulf of Maine Research Institute. 2002. www.gma.org/fogm/Default.htm “History of Gloucester Fishing.” The Schooner Adventure. The Gloucester Adventure, Inc. 2010. www.schooner-adventure.org Massachusettes. Department of Fish and Game. Division of Marine Fisheries. Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Recreational Lobstering and Crabbing Guide. Marine Fisheries Commonwealth of Massachusettes, Jan. 2011. mass.gov/dfwele/dmf/publications/dmf_recreational_lobster_crab_guide.pdf DOC, NOAA, NMFS. Analysis and Program Support Division. 1980-2010 Landings for Gloucester, MA.
MADMF, ACCSP. Seafood Dealer Reports and Commercial Fishing Permit Database. Commercial Fishing Vessels landing in Gloucester, 2009.
I would like to thank everyone who helps make this project possible. I met with many people in the Gloucester community throughout this project and those meetings helped shape my work. A specal thanks to all my friends who offered support and helped see this project to completion. To my Partner, Joey: Joey’s energy was huge encouragement to me thoughout this project and his involvment in getting the word out to the gloucester community was essential. To Micah Dean: Micah was a key resource in gathering the right information to show. His review of the book was critical in the accuracy of the information. To NOAA: I would like to thank the people at NOAA who organized and provided me with information for this project from their public fishing record To Johnny Handel: His research, help and encouragement throughout the project was essential to its success. To the community of Gloucester: Thank you to everyone in the community who supported me throughout the development of this project. This project was made possible by the Society for the Encouragement for the Arts Partner With an Artist Program with support from the Bruce J. Anderson and the Selma and Bayness Andrews Funds of the Boston Foundation.
THE END.