Clever Whales and the Violent Fight for Fish on the Line

Clever Whales and the Violent Fight for Fish on the Line

Source: hakaimagazine

3/8/2022

Credit: NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center

As I coiled rope on the deck of a commercial fishing boat in the western Gulf of Alaska, I felt the sudden thud of a revolver reverberate in my chest. I wheeled around as a crewmate fired more bullets; a round of buckshot followed, from a shotgun held by my captain. I’d known their anger was growing as sperm whales ate our catch but hadn’t expected they would vent their frustrations with live ammunition. I looked out and saw a sperm whale crest the surface for air around 20 meters away, seemingly unfazed by the heavy fire.

It was early spring 2013, and I was sore, exhausted, and cold. After working 20 hours a day for more than a week, my crewmates and I still owed the boat money because sperm whales had dined on nearly all the sablefish hanging from our hooks as we burned fuel and ate food—both of which came out of our pay. We were using longline gear, essentially a kilometers-long rope with baited hooks spaced at intervals, and all that we pulled from the depths were bent hooks and the occasional disembodied sablefish head.

Atlantic halibut

Continue...

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3952	San Diego angler still fishing at 90, catches giant yellowtail	petethomasoutdoors	2013-07-25	US
3953	Fish-farm firm awarded $75,000 in defamation ruling	theglobeandmail	2013-07-22	CA
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3956	Seaspiracy Producer Demands Biden Shut Down Fish Factory Farms	vegnews	2021-05-06	US
3957	Does ocean acidification alter fish behavior? Fraud allegations create a sea of doubt	sciencemag	2021-05-06	AU
3958	Combined effort to protect rarest native fish	odt	2013-07-08	NZ
3959	Record rockfish was 64 years old, not 200, tests show	spokesman	2013-07-06	US
3960	Trouts under threat as deadly pesticide devastates top fishing river	express	2013-07-05	UK
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3962	Ancient rockfish caught in Alaska: Why nobody threw it back	latimes	2013-07-03	US
3963	Growing cold	Antarctic Sun	2013-07-05	US
3964	Fish in Louisiana lake left covered in sores and blisters after parasite attack	Daily Mail	2013-06-26	US
3965	Bubble-eyed goldfish has to swim on his own in case he bumps into others and BURSTS his eyes	dailymail	2013-06-26	UK
3966	Hydromea unveils the world’s first wireless compact underwater drone		2021-05-17	CH
3967	This underwater hut acts as a nursery to help the renewal of marine species in the Mediterranean	malaymail	2021-04-26	MC
3968	A singing fish: it glows green during courtship and looks like Boris Johnson’s hardship face	theguardian	2021-04-27	LK
3969	Stinging scorpion fish among 10 ‘uncommon species’ recently found in Florida waters	miamiherald	2021-04-28	US
3970	The scale of fish waste sent to landfill could feed a community	stuff	2021-04-30	NZ
3971	Asian carp spawn in more areas than 1st thought	CBC News	2013-06-24	CA
3972	Eklutna, Snettisham hydro projects still haven't redressed fish and wildlife damages	adn	2017-12-02	US
3973	How Igor The Amazonian Pacu Fish Found A Place Called Home	wlrn	2013-06-20	US
3974	Man gets jail for cheating in fishing tournament	bemidjipioneer	2013-06-18	US
3975	Former cheerleader, 19, becomes the first woman to win competition where hopefuls catch catfish with their BARE HANDS	dailymail	2013-06-25	UK

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