My son, Owen, has great passion for nature and the environment and especially the local fish population on Nantucket. Although we are a family of eager, albeit not terribly successful fishermen, his initial interest seemed to lean more towards keeping the fish alive, as opposed to hooking them for dinner. Over time, though, this love affair with fish evolved. Where once Owen was happy to end a stint at the beach by returning his creatures to their natural habitat, now his hunting instinct has been awakened. It has come to his attention that bigger fish, like scup or perhaps even blues and stripers, feed on the smaller ones he collects in his net at Jetties Beach. Alas, this is the food chain in action. After observing the “grown-ups” in the house fish unsuccessfully with brightly colored, plastic lures, he has become determined to assemble his own collection of live bait—thus the treasures in the red pail. How many evenings will we have to spend watching a bucket full of small fish die on the perch over sunset cocktails?
Here’s a fun clip from a Maria Mitchell marine ecology outing to Pocomo on Nantucket.
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