This blog is meant to be an open forum, so please let us know what you think. If you’ve got thoughts, opinions or ideas for stories that we should cover, lay them out there. Or if you think we’re missing the mark, tell us, we’ve got thick skin. Most of all, we hope you enjoy seeing what we’re up to and get inspired to go take your own adventure soon.
There’s a big world out there and lucky for us, most of it’s covered in water. We created this blog to share the inspired experiences we encounter as we travel the world doing our thing. Here you’ll hear from our pro anglers and guides, conservationists, adventure junkies and just good ol’ weekend warriors too. You’ll find tales of adventures past, and real time events unfolding day by day from the high seas, low country and many points in between. Rave on.
We don’t just enjoy catching fish. We also enjoy the dining on the catch of the day from time to time. And it’s no secret that down in the South, most of us know our way around the kitchen and enjoy taking part in the finer things. We had the chance to catch up with two friends of The Watery Rave who happen to be experts in that area, Matt and Ted Lee, also known as The Lee Bros. Matt and Ted grew up in Charleston, SC, and in 1994 founded The Lee Bros. Boiled Peanuts Catalogue, a mail-order source for southern pantry staples such as stone-ground grits, fig preserves and the like. Their first cookbook, The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook, received the James Beard Award for Cookbook of the Year in 2007. They are contributing editors for Travel + Leisure and the wine columnists for Martha Stewart Living. Here’s a bit of what we talked about:
WR: In terms of trends, movements, even paradigm shifts within the food / restaurant industry – what are you guys seeing specific to the idea of sustainable seafood?
LB: We’ve noticed that the specific species that are proclaimed as overfished or “safe” change gradually over a few years as the stocks fluctuate, which makes the subject murky and difficult to track for the average seafood consumer. Increasingly, though, the restaurant chefs have stepped in and become the conduits for that information, which is a huge help to everyone. Chefs, by the way, are also the people driving the search for local species that are tasty and rare in the marketplace, but abundant in the oceans. Chefs want their food to stand out–and diners are becoming more adventuresome–so an exotic local fish with a clean bill of health is tastier than an endangered bluefin any day.
WR: Have you noticed any impact of the BP oil disaster in the gulf when it comes to buying and cooking seafood?
LB: We’re still seeing some Gulf fish and shellfish coming into markets in the Lowcountry–because it’s a long coastline, and not every fisherman has (yet) been touched by this. But we’re not sure for how much longer that’ll be the case. And for some of our friends, like Susan Spicer, chef of the New Orleans restaurants Bayona and Mondo, who just filed a class-action against BP on behalf of the region’s chefs, the restrictions on commercial fishing that are in place are already keeping them from doing their jobs.
We’ve mentioned in previous posts about how lucky we’ve been to go fishing with Chris Fischer and his crew. Well, it’s time for someone else to get a dose of that luck. You and a fishing buddy could go fish with Chris. And if you know anything about Chris, you can go ahead and jump to the conclusion that such a trip will be adventure packed and unforgettable. Go dig up a picture of that trophy fish you caught, upload it and cross your fingers that Costa fans pile on the votes.
Chris is an expert angler, spokesman for responsible fisheries management and former host of ESPN2’s “Offshore Adventures” — one of the most-watched outdoor shows in America in the early 2000s. For “Expedition Great White,” he is also executive producer. Fischer’s multi-vessel mothership operation is aimed at ongoing oceanic expedition to help promote sustainable fisheries management and ocean research and education.
MICHAEL DOMEIER, Lead Scientist
Dr. Domeier (“the Doc”) is one of the world’s foremost experts on great whites and has led the field of electronic tagging, designing the most advanced long term tracking devices ever made. He is president and executive director of the Marine Conservation Science Institute. He formerly headed the California Department of Fish and Game’s Marine Sport Research Project and founded the Pfleger Institute of Environmental Research where he served as President for 11 years.
More than a 25 percent of America’s saltwater fishing takes place in Florida. Half of that is under direct threat from the oil that continues to leak off the coast of Louisiana. And no one knows just how bad it’s going to be.
“There’s just not a lot of information about the fish species in Gulf, so there’s no way to predict just how bad this crisis is going to be,” says Aaron Adams, Ph.D., director of operations for the Bonefish&Tarpon Trust and manager of the fisheries habitat ecology program for Mote Marine Laboratory. “We don’t know how these fish live in the Gulf under normal conditions, so we’re really in a hole in figuring out to just how much the oil and toxins are going to effect them.”
After 45 days of oil gushing out of the damaged well, the Florida coast is now starting to see some of the tar balls on the beach and oil slicks off the coast that Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama saw nearly a month ago. While the current fishing conditions in Florida remain good, the publicity and threat of oil-soaked beaches continue to plague those captains fishing the Florida Gulf.
“Sportfishing and tourism go hand in hand in this state,” says Captain Dave Lear, outdoor writer and editor, fishing guide and former executive director of The Billfish Foundation. “Even though the oil is still more than 150 miles away and our current fishing conditions are normal, people don’t want to spend their vacation watching oil and tar balls washing up on the beach.”
CATCH NEW EPISODES ON SUNDAYS AT 9PM EST, ON NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL.
We’ve been fortunate to know Chris, his wife Melissa and their crew for a long time. We’ve seen how fluidly the work together to land a fish or lift and launch boats off of the M/V Ocean. We’ve fished with them, hiked with them, swam through caves with them, swung from vines with them, travelled with them and often woken up with headaches with them. And after all those experiences, we’re still big fans. Chris took his love of fishing and has turned it into a career via Fischer Productions, his production company. You probably know him from Offshore Adventures, one of the most watched, most-successful, most-award winning fishing shows that’s ever been out on the high seas. Their new show, ”Expedition Great White” just sounds epic doesn’t it? It is. Here’s a little taste of what it’s all about.
You can also check out the epic photo gallery from Chris Ross who was on board and in the water.
A couple of years ago we spent a couple of weeks with the Fischers aboard M/V Ocean in Panama. Chris has a crew that will put him on fish and he has the gear to fish just about anywhere; way beyond where most people can even dream about fishing. So it makes sense that his fishing prowess has now grown to the point that he’s out there catching and releasing fish that nobody else ever has. Expedition Great White, went live on the National Geographic on June 6th. But you won’t have to wait for weekly episodes because Chris and crew are going to keep us updated here on the Watery Rave on all the behind-the-scenes, as-it-happens, never-before-seen greatness that they stumble upon while they’re out there living the dream.
The M/VOcean is 126′ of fisherman paradise. The fully stocked tackle room will make you drool and that’s before you discover that it has beer taps in it for goodness sakes. We got to spend the better part of a week aboard M/V Ocean in Panama in 2008 and it was amazing. Its birth was as a Bearing Sea crab vessel but as you can see it has evolved into something very different. Hydraulics are a wonderful thing. There’s not another ship that we’ve ever seen or heard of that could handle all that the Fischer crew throws at it. Good thing the beds are comfy, because speaking from experience, at the end of the day with this crowd, you’re going to be very tired. Here’s a little tour from David Olson, cameraman and world class chef aboard The Ocean.
Dr. Michael Dormeier is a scientist on a boat with a handful of willing and able fishermen. So it only makes sense he’s getting some incredible scientific opportunities. In other words, he’s not just along for the ride. We caught up with him about his perspectives on the incredible shark encounters he’s had lately and the learning that they’re leading to.
WR: Why sharks?
DR: Up to this point I’ve only studied great white sharks. Honestly, this project began simply because a bluefin tuna project I had initiated failed to find the large bluefin at Gudalupe Island. Instead, we found white sharks and started to tag them just for fun. That “accident” has grown into the most comprehensive white shark program in the world.
WR: What threatens shark populations?
DR: Shark populations are threatened by global, unrestrained fishing that is primarily driven by the market for shark fins. Longlines and gillnets kill tens of millions of sharks per year. Unfortunately the shark life history characteristic of slow growth and low reproductive rates, combined with overfishing, spells disaster for sharks.
WR: How big of a problem is finning/long lining? Is it possible for such practices be curbed?
DR: Fishermen will not stop fishing sharks unless it becomes illegal. Even then, shark fishing can continue in areas where enforcement does not exist. It is important to try to influence Chinese culture, delicately, so that shark fin soup is no longer desirable.
Chris Ross has been our go-to photographer for many of our adventures. He’s a pro in every sense of the word and isn’t afraid to jump in (literally) and get shots that few others have the skill (or guts) to get. Chris has been along for much of the Expedition Great White revelry, here are some of our favorites from his time with Chris Fischer and crew.
We really dig these frames and the guy we named them after. Turns out other folks are digging them too. Here’s what Outside had to say about Fisch frames.
Before you start looking, know exactly what you’ll use your shades for: Generalist sporty street designs get you around town and through low-impact pursuits; bigger challenges call for sports-specific numbers. When it comes to superfine optics, glass is unparalleled, but chances are you’ll want lighter polycarbonate (plastic) lenses if you play rough, even a little, with any chance at all of facial impact. The skinny on tint: Go with brown, copper, or amber for almost anything on terra firma. Performing in lowlight or fog? Try yellow. Rose or violet are ideal for serious speed sports in medium or flat light. Gray, first choice among newbies, is often not the best choice—while it’s good for open water and the road, it’s less so for action sports, as it can flatten the view. If you go with gray, get polarized lenses, which filter out glare—a big plus except where sheen off wetness or ice is vital data (as with road bikers).
