Turning of the Tide

Yesterday, Cap and I jumped on the boat bushy-tailed and ready to go. It was a nice day out. The water was calm and the horizon was dotted with boats who were also taking advantage of the good weather. We began to haul and were soon in the groove of things. The catch was still plentiful and the shrimp were translucent, lively, and pale pink (a sign that they are not stressed out as opposed to the bright red that they turn when they are in survival mode). Cap and I were feeling hopeful and made plans to haul an "extra" string of traps that had only set for one night and that we normally wouldn't haul until tomorrow. We even heard rumor on the radio that the dragged price increased by 4 cents! Things were looking good.

Then around mid-day, everything began to change. It's amazing how fast a nice day can take a turn when you are on the ocean. The north wind began to pick up, the waves became increasingly choppy, and the prevailing easterly current started ripping. Trays slid around on deck, defying any semblence of order. A rouge wave slapped the hull hard and almost knocked me over while I was watering shrimp to refresh them. Cap and I became less ambitious by the moment about hauling that extra string. The focus of the afternoon shifted to surviving the day and getting through the original plan instead of maximizing our catch.

I overheard a conversation on the radio:

"You on this one, Bob?" (Meaning: "Are you listening to Channel 6?")

"Go ahead."

"Which way's the Tide runnin'?"

"Comin' from the eastard, Bill."

"Comin' on, ain't it."

"Ayuh, that's right."

This is a common exchange between fishermen that occurs on the VHF radio several times a day. The Tide is not referring to the lunar tide. Rather, it is a term used to describe the prevailing ocean current in a locality. I have only recently learned about the tide, so I will summarize what I've learned from Cap, but my knowledge is limited.

The tide generally originates offshore (easterly) and runs toward land. However, the prevailing currents vary drastically in space and time. At one moment the tide may be running NE in one area and SW a mile south. In a given area over the course of the day, the tide might swing right around and flow in the opposite direction.

For this reason, the fishermen are often checking in with eachother with regard to what the tide is doing in an area. Setting ones’ traps in the right direction in relation to the tide is both an act of courtesy to fishermen with nearby buoys as well as a means of preventing frustration when those traps are next hauled. If a trap is set sloppily, a snarl with surrounding lines could ensue, which is an unpleasant mess for all parties involved.

Cap sets traps "against the tide,” meaning the boat is moving in the opposite direction as the current when the traps, line and the buoy are pushed overboard. Ideally, the pathway of the boat while setting will be well clear of surrounding buoys and the buoy that is set will drift straight back, so that it won’t become entangled with another fishermen’s buoy. Setting traps correctly is a way to maintain good relations with your neighbors, but is not as easy as it sounds.

When the fisherman said "Comin' on, ain't it?" in the exchange that I mentioned before, he meant that the tide was increasing in velocity. A strong tide has a few implications for hauling traps. First of all, it makes setting traps more challenging. Shrimp traps especially, just due to the big wooden trough in the middle of the trap, which catches the current, will drift as they are set and can drift quite far with a strong tide. I could tell that Cap was finding it challenging to set the traps where he wanted them to sit.

All in all we did alright. Many of the boats headed in before us due to the snotty weather. But we hung in there and arrived at the dock tired, but with a good catch. Another day done.