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Friday 29 June 2018

A rare glimpse


The water was calm on this early summer morning. Winds were light with just a hint of cool air. Weather perfect! 





We came to view the sea stacks but on this day, Thunder Cove, Prince Edward Island, afforded my husband and me a rare opportunity to observe the lobster fishery. 





Several vessels were visible from the beach but one in particular, The Hailey Jo, was just beyond the sand bars. We watched her four fishers work as we walked the beach, the buoys for their traps visible from shore.





One-by-one, the traps were lifted over the side of the vessel as fishers checked for crustaceans inside. 





Occasionally an undersized lobster was dropped back into the water.

The boat visited the location of each buoy and fishers repeated the process. Traps were replaced over the side of the boat, sinking into the Gulf. On this calm day, only the usual occupational hazards apply. Imagine how those can be amplified by bad weather. 

While we were excited to see the lobster fishery in action, we were reminded of the tragedies recently off the shores of our province. Two men aboard a lobster boat were killed recently when two boats collided. 


At the beginning of the season, sandbars in several harbours around the island caused problems for lobster fishers. One boat was caught on a sandbar and started taking on water. The fishers were rescued by nearby boats. Others had to return to different ports rather than run the same risk going into their home port. 


Later on this day, we had our picnic at nearby Cabot Park where a channel through the sand bars along the beach, allows the boats to return to port at Malpeque.


While we were there, The Hailey Jo returned to port, negotiating her way through the sand bars. 





Red marker buoys should be kept right of the boat on the return to port. The Hailey Jo moved around the red buoys, as did the other boats who happened by during our visit. The sand bar must have shifted over the last two months and fishers know the location of the shifting channel. 


I admire and appreciate the work of all professional fishers.


28 comments:

DJan said...

Your pictures and text really help me imagine what it must be like to be a lobster fisherman. Sorry to hear of the men who died recently. :-(

Debbie said...

how fun to watch this!! the ships are beautiful, i would love to be in the water to capture those oversized lobsters!!

fishermen, hard workers!!

Silver in AZ said...

Life's work on a ship / boat of any kind is not easy, that is for sure! Very sad about the loss of life. :(

Mage said...

I so admire your pictures. Thank you.

William Kendall said...

Great views!

PerthDailyPhoto said...

The Hailey Jo is a nice looking boat Marie, looks like she sits quite low in the water, I was surprised to see? I think you are right, fishermen do a good job but face many dangers out there, especially in bad weather..

Joanne Noragon said...

Fishing is a dangerous occupation. Light and love to them.

Bill said...

Nice views and narrative, Marie. Enjoy the weekend.

Elephant's Child said...

Yet another difficult and dangerous job which most of us never consider.
Thank you for the reminder.
I have to ask - is that an otter in the third photo?

Anvilcloud said...

Nice storytelling

Angela said...

Your photos are beautiful! Brave men to do that work. Thank you for sharing, I have always been an inland so I appreciate stories and documentaries about the lives of those living close to the sea.

Marie Smith said...

It is a dangerous job for sure Jan.

Marie Smith said...

I would love to go on one of those boats to see the process up close. My husband doesn’t do boats easily. I’ll have to wait for the grandkids to get older.

Marie Smith said...

My grandfather was a fisherman in the days when they rowed to see. Hard worker!

Marie Smith said...

Thanks Mage.

Marie Smith said...

Thanks William.

Marie Smith said...

Many of the boats here are low in the water like that. They need a big deck to transport lobster traps. They are just above the waterline then, at least that’s how it looks to me.

Marie Smith said...

Indeed Joanne.

Marie Smith said...

Thanks Bill. You too.

Marie Smith said...

That was a cormorant with it’s head tucked in EC.

Marie Smith said...

Thanks AC.

Marie Smith said...

The sea is such a part of me I can’t imagine always living inland.

Catarina said...

What a tragedy. It is not always a safe activity.
I would have stopped as well and spend some time watching them work.

Rick (Ratty) said...

Very interesting. I lived near the Detroit River all my life and I never really noticed any fishing boats. Maybe the river was too dirty or maybe I just never looked. I know they used boats like this in the Great Lakes.

Marie Smith said...

My grandfather was a fisherman Catarina. I am interested in the job for that reason as well.

Marie Smith said...

I’ve never considered the size of the Detroit River. It mist be big Ratty.

Barbara said...

You forget the dangers of boating when looking at the pretty pictures. So sad for the loss of life.

Marie Smith said...

I love watching the boats Barbara but I always think of the danger associated with that workplace.