Clever Whales and the Violent Fight for Fish on the Line 
By Nick Rahaim US Source: hakaimagazine 3/8/2022
Nick Rahaim
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...

News Id SourceStampcountry
4326Colossal Aggregations Of Giant Alien Freshwater Fish As A Potential Biogeochemical HotspotUnderwatertimes2011-10-06GE
4327Iceland joins alliance to tackle ‘ghost’ fishing gear abandoned at seathegrocer2021-03-10UK
4328Dozens change name to salmonTaipei Times2021-03-18TW
4329Рыбаки предупредили о возможных сбоях в добыче самой дешевой рыбыrbc2021-03-17RU
4330Nearly 4 million fish killed by winter storm along Texas coastfox4news2021-03-10US
4331Scientists Discover an 81-Year-Old Snapperhakaimagazine2021-03-04AU
4332Florida biologists find a live turtle inside a fishtimesnownews2011-09-06US
4333Underground For Millions Of Years, Blind Cave Fish Tell Time On Biological ClocksUnderwatertimes2011-09-06CA
4334Chile Says No To Salmon Farming Off Tierra Del FuegoUnderwatertimes2011-09-01CL
4335Re-Emergence Of Salmon In The Thames Not From RestockingUnderwatertimes2011-09-02UK
4336Angler reels in giant 185lb catfish by himself after friends head to the bardailymail2011-08-30SP
4337For the first time, a river is granted official rights and legal personhood in Canadanewswire2021-02-23CA
4338Quebec’s Magpie River first in Canada to be granted personhoodesemag2021-03-16CA
4339A Canadian River Has Been Legally Declared A Person & It's A First For This Countrynarcity2021-02-25CA
4340Quebec's Magpie River becomes first in Canada to be granted legal personhoodnationalobserver2021-02-24CA
4341Quebec river granted legal rights as part of global personhood movementCBC News2021-02-28CA
4342We asked men with fish pictures in their Tinder profile: Why?thetab2021-03-03UK
4343Bizarre fish evolved for the oceans — but lives on landgizmodo2011-08-30FM
4344Exotic fish to replace codtelegraph2011-08-27UK
4345The Same Number Of Fishermen, But Less Salmon In Spanish Riversunderwatertimes2011-08-26SP
434693-year-old woman catches lunker salmon to win derbypetethomasoutdoors2011-08-18CA
4347Dreaded carp: Can they be stopped?Star Tribune 2011-08-12US
4348Atlantic cod survive without vital immune genes, say scientiststheguardian2011-08-10UK
4349Bass Angler Bradley Doing The Research Necessary To Catch The Big Fish In Marylandunderwatertimes2011-08-09US
4350Scientist Urges Government Ruling On Genetically Engineered SalmonUnderwatertimes2011-08-08US

215 216 217 173 of [218 - pages.]