SOS 016 // Score One for the Whales
Whale sinks a NJ fire dept. boat, Stunning footage of a great white off RI, Japanese fisherman record bluefin tuna haul. Plus, this week's Ocean Nibbles, SOS Wish List and local fishing report.
Score One for the Whales
I cheered a bit (inside) when I heard about how a breaching humpback whale sank a New Jersey fire department boat that was returning from security patrol in connection with Fourth of July fireworks display in the New York harbor. Is that wrong ? Why? No humans were harmed. They looked pretty silly, but they were all fine. The whales? They were just doing their thing, breaching to feed off of baitfish (menhaden/bunker, I assume) in the ocean off New Jersey. The suspect whale was in breaching mode, about to break the surface, when its head struck the stern of the small fire dept. vessel. It was enough to fatally upset the craft. The firefighters were dumped into the ocean and quickly rescued by nearby jet skiers. But how about the whale? It’s unknown whether the whale sustained any injuries. Clearly, such cranial impact would cause a serious headache at minimum. But no one tracked the fate of tour friend. Let’s hope he/she recovered as well as the firemen. Regardless, the event is getting a lot of press with the subtext being that whales are dangerous. SMH. My takeaway is we should stay clear of whales when on the water. Federal law prohibits getting closer to a whale than 100 yards, yet I’ve personally witnessed (and have drone footage of) recreational fishing boats purposely approaching feeding whales and casting lures across their bodies while targeting tuna. Not a good idea, as this story points out.
Local Great White says “Cheese”
What lurks beneath. We all know they are here. The men in the gray suit swim among us. But who’s ever seen one? Even with the advantage of a drone, I've yet to have spotted a great white shark near Montauk. Does that make me any less trepidatious when swimming in the ocean? No and neither will the recent footage captured by researchers from the Atlantic Shark Institute (ASI) of a juvenile great white shark swimming beneath the carcass of a humpback whale off Block Island. Great whites tend to avoid humans. I promise. One exception is when the humans are near a shark’s food source. Great whites love to feed on the nutrient dense whale blubber of a deceased whale. In the past two weeks, there have been two dead humpbacks drifting upon the surface of our waters. One of them washed up in front of my house. I wrote about it in last week’s SOS. The other whale washed ashore on Block Island, just after the ASI researchers captured remarkable footage of a great white swimming beneath the whale in the clear turquoise water that we get this time of year courtesy of the Gulf Stream’s summer route. The researchers had reports of a dead whale in the vicinity of Block Island. After searching for hour, they were about to call it quits when they spotted a floating hump that was being circled by gulls. The underwater footage they grabbed is jealous-making to someone like me whose passion is filming marine life. Anyone else hear the soundtrack from Jaws in their heads?
Be Careful What You Wish For: Japanese Fisherman Report a Record Bluefin Catch
Japanese tuna fishing is having its moment. The 2026 pacific bluefin quota allotted to Japan is 8,421 metric tons. Just halfway through the year, fisherman are already approaching that limit. They are not happy. Arguing that the banner haul indicates successful conservation measures, Japan is proposing a revision to the quotas at a joint conference of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission - Northern Committee and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission that kicked off July 8th in Nagasaki, Japan. Fisherman who reach their quota are forced to release any excess catch. But it’s unclear whether the new abundance of bluefin around Japan is due to successful conservation efforts or climate change. Regulators argue that the increased catch in Japan may be due to a warming ocean’s effect on the migratory patterns of the king of tuna. It’s interesting to note that Montauk has also seen an abundance of bluefin over the past several seasons. Last year, the recreational bluefin fishery was closed in August. There were still plenty of bluefin around, some of them even hunt just off the beach here. But catching one meant releasing an exhausted fish to an uncertain end. Balancing demand with supply requires research at an institutional level. When it comes to conserving fish, I’ll always err on the side of caution. Especially for my favorite fish, the bluefin tuna.
Ocean Nibbles
🤬 False Killer Whales in Hawaii are Getting Hangry. False killer whales are a charcoal gray endangered cousin of orcas. Competing with commercial fisherman for their supper is not working out so well for them.
🤿 Argentinian Dive Instructor Charged with Manslaughter after Losing Diver. In the my-personal-nightmare file, a 26-year-old diver was found dead after being lost by her instructor in poor viz conditions.
🛥️ Billionaire Repurposes 640-foot Megayacht for Ocean Research. Who says billionaires are a$$holes? REV Ocean’s maiden expedition will be led by Mark Bond, a marine scientist from Florida International University.
SOS Wish List
Garmin GT360UHD 360-Degree Sonar with Spy Pole
42” Spy Pole Bundle $2,999.98
49” Spy Pole Bundle $3,199.98
I’ve heard 360-degree sonar described as underwater radar for fishing. I’ve also heard it described as cheating. Either way, it’s the way of the future for recreational fishing tech and I’m thinking I need one. But mounting the large periscope-like transducer on a small craft hasn’t really been practical. Until now. Garmin’s “Pole Spy” mounts to smaller boats similar to a GPS anchor, making this tech accessible to boats smaller than a 46” battle wagon. Buy yours here.
Montauk Fishing Report
The wind this week has been strong, keeping most boats at the dock. But those who ventured out of the inlet found more fluke and larger black sea bass, along with an abundance of porgies. Offshore, bluefin tuna continue to move closer to shore. Giants are biting at annoying levels for recreational fisherman since the trophy category shut down on July 3rd, even in the canyons. On the Bounty Uncharted, we hooked into two giants in the wee hours of the night on our last trip. Kept us awake, but in vain. Yellowfin and big eyes abound in the canyons and warmer water should bring them closer soon.