(Guest Writer: Indian Aaron)
Killer Whales, Not Orcas, but killers of whales, sea lions and salmon. (mmmm, sealions, chewy on the outside, crunchy on the inside...)
Well, Dexter talked about going Reef Net fishing, but he's a nerd and couldn't tell a Bunt from a Breast winch, Or a Head from a Bridge winch...
Occasionally this year I walked on a friends ReefNetter after having thought I had this stuff all out of my system. You know, I don't miss Crabbing or long line pot fishing for Prawns. I kinda miss Gillnetting, but not really.
But the wonderfully tar-healed technology of reefnetting is deep down in my blood. From 1985 through 2002 I regularly fished all 4 of these fisheries, and retired with my land and my home 100% paid off.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Reefnetting, it is two 40' boats, anchored to an artificial reef made of giant anchors, netlines, buoy lines, wall lines and floor lines all shaped to funnel fish up to a net that is strung between the two anchored boats, that drift from side to side as the flood tide changes back and forth from onshore flood to offshore flood. Behind and to the sides of the gear are two breast anchors connected to the Breast winches. Reefnetters are always pulling breast or cutting breast. (sounds kinda weird...)
Anyway, we're standing in the towers like monkeys on a stick staring in the water looking for sockeye...or color changes deep in the water that don't quite look right so we can haul the Head winches up to close the door behind them as they swim in. The Bunt winch aids in trapping the fish from going through and the Bridge winch makes a cut across the net to make for less work in hauling the fish on board. (Until you've hauled 200 to 300 fish in one haul, you have not lived!)
It wasn't a productive day yesterday for the crew and operator, but for me it was nice to be back out there. We noticed these tour boats converging to the south of us and were pushing their way in toward where the reefnet fleet is anchored. Well these nitwits were chasing "Orcas" so their clients could observe nature and whatever else it is they do on those tour boats. It was too bad that the coast guard didn't arrive earlier to chase off the tour boats as they eventually did, but not after we had an encounter that was well AWEsome to use an overused word.
We noticed a group of 2 juveniles and 2 adults aiming right for our Head cans (Buoys) in the front of our reef. As the captain of the gear picked up the heads of the net to allow them to go under us if they actually came down the gear, I barked to the crew and other guests to get in the big skiff and be ready to cut the lines (in case everything goes bad and the whales get entangled in the gear, anybody who doesn't need to be on the gear isn't taking any chances.)
Before the captain, his dad, one senior crewman and myself could get down out of the towers
we could see 3 of the 4 in the reef.
A small one stayed way back from us, but Mom and Pop came right down the outside wall lines an and first one rolled almost right against the net and on the first couple of floor lines to the inside wall lines and back out. The other came like a giant torpedo right down the middle and rolled to the outside and back out the wall lines as if to let junior know, "You ain't playin' here!"
Being that close to some behemoth that is the size of our boat moving that fast with that much power, damn near made me piddle my little britches...Anyway, this group of renegades was not the only group to come roaring through the reefnet fleet that day as another group of Whale watching "experts" chased them into the area. At least these roared through inside of our gear and not through it. Behind us, both groups took some time to brutalize some of the local seals. They will pick them up and throw them, smack them around with tails like a bunch of rugby players, and the water becomes almost as bloody as a rugby field...
This isn't the first time during my years as a commercial fisherman that I have had these Killer Whales approach me while I'm fishing, and every time I wonder if the kayakers and tour boat operators really truly have an appreciation for the power and damage that these beasts can do intentionally or even unintentionally. I won't be surprised if some giant Bull someday or an over sized aggressive teenage whale decides to finally uncork all that power on some tour boat or group of kayakers. If they're surprised, then they truly don't understand why I give lots of room to any Critter that is as big as my boat. Even the "passive" locals have the power to do serious damage while being "playful" but the nomadic Killers of Whales mean business as they roll through, even the local pods give them room.
The bikers of the whale world...fearsome power as impressive as any mammal I've ever seen.
I intend on giving them lots of room.
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