Among The Blood & Guts !

Commercial fishing is back at full swing with the opening of this years season. Dogfish, Cod, Haddock, Pollock, Redfish, Monkfish, Cusk, and various flounders are among the many species being landed. Keeping up with the offloads is one of my challenges, the last thing I want is to slow the process down and so far so good. One thing this job has done to me is to NOT rely on a calculator. I'm now at the point of adding totals in my head and checking my results the old fashion way, by pen and paper. The winter had much to do with that, the cold temps made my calculator useless and at times my pen would freeze up! Offloading a fishing vessel is fast paced, watching the scale as fish are culled and filled in totes gets you into a rhythm. Getting a phone call during offload is another challenge. Usually it's the office(In Yarmouth, N.S. Canada) to tell me what boat,where and when it's due. Then it's grab the Droid, drag my finger across the screen to answer, get the info and put it back in the holster while 112 lbs of Cod just went across the scale. All this while holding my clip board and writing the results! And then there is the splatter, fish blood and guts and fish scales, on my cheeks, hitting my arms and hands, just all over! And the "bombing runs" from above that I mentioned in my last post! Am I complaining? NO! It's fresh, it's tradition, it's Gloucester, it's fun in a strange kind of way and it's a job!

Grey Morning.

All baited up!

All that bait attracts a crowd!

Checking out the catch as the next boat pulls in.

Dogfish aboard the "Irma C. II"

Culling Cod.

Flying Cod!

Escorted by gulls.

Josh

Holding myself up.