TRAILER
Catch or Release? T
HOW ONE SENSITIVE KAYAK ANGLER OVERCOMES THE KILLER INSTINCT BY BEN DUCHESNEY
o me, there is no better feeling than sitting down at the table surrounded by family and friends and enjoying the fresh striped bass that I harvested
from the sea. Catching and preparing fish is a sacred rite of the sportsman that I uphold each summer with the return of Atlantic striped bass to my home waters. When I kill a fish, I feel like I’m plugged into the circle of life. The bait eats
the worm, the fish eats the bait and I eat the fish. You don’t get that by dining at Captain D’s. The cycle was set to repeat last summer. The first warm day in June, I
launched before dawn, paddled against impossible current, searched for hours, ambushed, fought and finished off a beautiful striped bass. Later that day, I took the first bite of victory. Immediately, something was
wrong. My throat became itchy and tight. My tongue felt like I licked a cactus. I looked around the table at my friends enjoying the same fish, enjoying my fish. There was laughter and loud conversation, no signs of distress. The next day, I called a friend who is allergic to nuts. Her description of the
reaction and side effects were on the money. Holy mackerel! I was allergic to striped bass. A quick online search revealed that wild striped bass meat tends to have a high concentration of mercury and PCBs. In fact, striper are labeled as a high
82…KAYAK ANGLER
risk food allergy, along with bluefin tuna, swordfish and gray trout. It also said that 60 percent of adults develop seafood allergies later in life. My world was shaken. I was allergic to the thing I love. The next morning I was back on the water before dawn, sweating and
searching for a different connection. Would I get the same satisfaction out of striper fishing without the kill? On a shallow sand bar, I hooked into a fat striped bass. The fish fought and I
fought back. Bringing it beside my kayak, I reached into the water and lifted it gently onto my lap. The animal’s confused and frightened eyes looked into my confused and frightened eyes. Every ounce of prehistoric hunter-gatherer imprinting struggled against
modern principles of catch-and-release. I lowered the striper over the side of my kayak. Before I had a chance to revive it and set it free, the fish squirmed and jumped into the water dousing me with a wall of spray. So, that’s the thanks I get! The rest of the summer, I let each striper I caught swim back to the sea. I
now hunger for the future of the fishery; my tastes favor catch and release. And knowing I could keep the fish makes letting it go even more rewarding. Besides, I’m not allergic to bluefish. Kayak Angler’s web editor, Ben Duchesney, has been Googling bluefish recipes, but he still won’t eat at Captain D’s.
ILLUSTRATION: LORENZO DEL BIANCO
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84