THIRTY YEARS OF CHANGE

For the past thirty plus years, I have chased fish from Boston to Plum Island and from the Graves to Jefferies Ledge. Many things have remained relatively the same but there have also been a great many changes. Some of these changes have been positive while others have had a negative effect on fishermen and local fishing waters. Let's take a look at some of these changes and what they have meant to us.

FLOUNDER: Flounder fishermen have dwindled to a mere fraction of what they were thirty years ago. Salem Harbor was once one of the best flounder fishing harbors anywhere along the coast of Massachusetts. Years ago, flounder fishermen were so plentiful throughout the harbor that kids would sell bait rowing from boat to boat. They made a pretty good profit from a weekend on the water.

Fishermen would spend a good part of the morning anchored over a flounder "hot spot" and then would complain all afternoon about having to clean their fish. Because flounder were so plentiful during those days, fishermen often times "tuckered out" from skiving and filleting flats causing many of the day's catch to wind up in the garden as fertilizer.

Flounder fishermen found fertile waters all over the harbor and the Middle Ground was among the best. Although it was not really necessary to find a "secret hole" some fishermen would line themselves up between buoy 22 and the power plant smokestack or position their boat 50 yards off buoy 18. The Willows was always a "hot spot" for those fishermen limited to shore. The best area in the harbor for catching "doormats" was the Haste, better known as the "Honey Hole". This was the sewage outfall pipe.

During the 80's, flounder fishermen were scared off by the discovery of liver cancer in some fish and the ulcers and tumors found on others. Though there were many theories about why these diseases were showing up, it was agreed that the harbor was not as clean as it should be. During this period Salem Harbor gained the undeserved reputation as being the second dirtiest harbor in the country. Over-fishing, disease and dirty waters combined to cause a decline in the flounder populations.

Strict fishing limits, even stricter anti pollution laws and a strong enforcement monitored by many watchdog groups have now put Salem Harbor on the track to recovery. The water is cleaner than it has been in years with a new sewage treatment plant going on line shortly. Flounder populations appear to be slowly building with many fishermen telling of better catches of quality fish. Under water photographers have documented many areas supporting new life where only a short time ago were found to be barren.

COD: Cod fishing in the Salem area has followed the same course as flounder. Thirty years ago cod fishermen scored on plenty of fish with some individual catches reaching weights into the teens, and these fish were caught around the harbor islands. Night fishermen took home plenty of cod when they cast clams from the Willows Pier. Over the years, cod fishing has declined to the point that the species is now in serious trouble. Overfishing has taken it's toll on this popular ground fish.

New limits are now in effect to start the long process of rebuilding stocks. Only time will tell if our efforts will be successful.

Some of the better areas that were found within the harbor are now not much more than hit or miss locations.

Fishermen that work the fishing grounds located a few miles offshore have found the fishing to be better than a couple of years ago but no where near what it was 30 years ago. Throwback ratios have been high which can be frustrating.

The offshore fishing grounds of Stellwagen Bank, Jefferies Ledge and Tillies were once so loaded with fish that it was nearly impossible for fishermen to work these locations and come home with less than a couple of fish boxes full of fillets. Now, the fishing is good compared to today's standards but fishermen will come home with small fish and at times, hardly enough fish for the freezer. Party boats have found their catches on the decline for years but manage to catch enough fish to survive and bring customers back every year.

STRIPED BASS: Thirty years ago stripers were one of the most sought after fish along the Massachusetts coastline. Fishermen scored on plenty of fish and did not need any great knowledge of the fish's habits or habitat. Stripers could be found all over the harbor. If a fisherman cast a bait or drifted a seaworm, he generally scored. Back in those days, the legal length limit for stripers was only 16 inches. As Overfishing, loss of habitat and pollution took it's toll, stripers started their decline.

Pushed to near extinction, stripers reached their lowest point during the 80's. Strict laws designed to stop overfishing with increased length limits slowly helped the striper to recover. The practice of "catch and release" caught on and further helped the stripers recover. It was a long process with great sacrifices on the part of fishermen and today we are enjoying the rewards of our sacrifices.

In the thirty years that I have been chasing stripers, I have never seen striper fishing like we have enjoyed over the past couple of years. Years ago, we had to "pay our dues" before we started to catch bass. Today, all fishermen have to pay is a couple of bucks for bait and hooks and the experience of striper fishing is enjoyed.

Because striper fishing is so incredible, a new series of opportunities have opened up to fishermen. No longer is the need to catch a striper so imbedded in fishermen as it was during their decline. Today the numbers of stripers that inhabit local waters allow fishermen to enjoy light line fishing as well as fly fishing to entice this majestic fish.

Instead of introducing kids to salt water fishing with a hand line and a box of seaworms bottom bouncing for flounder, they are introduced with a spinning rod, a chunk of mackerel and the strong possibility of catching a striper. There is nothing more rewarding than to see the face of a young, first-time fishermen hooking up with, fighting and landing a schoolie bass. The experience is multiplied a hundred fold when they land their first "keeper".

BLUEFISH: Thirty years ago nobody along the North Shore fished for bluefish. Anyone interested in catching these tackle busting beauties made the trip to the Cape. As it turned out, bluefish became the salvation for striper fishermen.

As stripers declined, bluefish started to show up in local waters around the early 70's. At first there was a fear of these fish because they had a reputation for attacking fishermen with their mouthful of razor sharp teeth. Once fishermen realized that these stories were exaggerated, the bluefish became an exciting fish to go after.

As more bluefish showed up in the area, fishermen started to realize what a great gamefish it truly is. Bluefish were at a peak during the 80's and helped fill the gap that was created by the decline of bass. Everyone had bluefish fever.

Today, the bluefish have been on the decline and take a back seat to the striper.

HADDOCK: Believe it or not, just 30 years ago, haddock was plentiful and easily caught as close as Halfway Rock and Egg Rock. Fair to good numbers of haddock were caught by ground fishermen bouncing jigs and drifting clams. At times, you could almost catch as many haddock as you could cod. The decline in haddock was slow and before anyone realized it, fishermen had to travel to Jefferies and Tillies to catch this New England favorite.

SMELT: Smelt fishermen were out in large numbers up and down the coast. Fishermen scored on huge numbers of smelt during the fall months. The Danvers River was one of the top smelt locations in the area. Fishermen would line the dock of the river with their Coleman lanterns providing not only light but heat for those cold fall nights. The biggest change in smelt fishing over the last few decades has been that fishermen look for smelt earlier. In years gone by no one would start smelt fishing until Thanksgiving. Smelt fishermen could always be found along the South River off Derby Street.

OTHER INTERESTING THINGS FROM 30 YEARS AGO: There was a half-day fishing boat that left the Salem Willows Pier and fished in the harbor for flounder and cod. Good numbers of fish were caught.

There was a building on the Willows Pier that housed the Salem Willow Boat Livery and a gift shop. That building and most of the pier was lost during the Blizzard of '78.

The fishing pier located in Beverly was not there. Port Marine's big red boat storage building wasn't there either. The Tuck Point Condominiums were not there, the sight was a chemical terminal. The Beverly shoreline had a completely different look.

The Salem/Beverly Bridge was still in the talk stages.

There were only a few small marinas along the Danvers River and boaters could actually see and recognize the channel. There were far fewer boats moored along the river.

The harbor was full of mud hake and silver hake. No one has seen any hake for years.

You could rent an aluminum boat and motor for harbor fishing at the Congress St. Bridge, what is now part of Pickering Wharf.

Winter Island was a Coast Guard Station. Bluefin tuna sold for an incredible price of 2 cents per pound. Ocean sunfish were more common and basking sharks were more frequently spotted.

A lot has changed over the past 30 plus years. Even though some thing were disappointing, many things changed for the better. We have become more aware of the importance of clean harbors, fish habitat and conservation efforts. Above all, hopefully, we have learned that the oceans can only support a limited number of fish and each species is important for the overall health of the seas. Fish are a limited natural resource that must be protected.