SLO LIFE Winter 2010

Below is an exerpt of Barbara Stickel’s writing featured in the exhibit:
“
Most commercial fishermen will tell you: “It’s not just what I do, it’s who
I am.” For many, there is no retirement, not because of a lack of planning,
but by choice. Fishing is not simply a job; it is an entire sense of being.
It’s almost as if their bodies demand the constant exposure to salt and
continual hard work.
And, despite the effort, there is no predicting the catch, there is no
controlling the sea; ensuring that everything is in good working order
is all fishermen and their families can do. For commercial fishermen,
maintaining equipment and protecting the hull from the elements can be a
matter of life and death, and their survival depends on remaining vigilant
until the boat has safely returned to port.
Despite the near constant attention to regular maintenance while aboard,
the real action for commercial fishermen comes in spurts. Many uneventful
hours may pass motoring from fishing spot to fishing spot; much time is
spent waiting while the gear is in the water. During the catch, the work is
hard, fast, furious. The haul must be handled quickly and carefully with
any unwanted species rapidly returned to the sea. Day and night blend
together. On foggy days, the horizon melds into the sea. Salt air and
moisture permeate everything.
At sea, the world on the shore ceases to exist. Routines are interrupted,
plans are put aside, and expectations constantly change. It’s not
uncommon for a commercial fisherman to be uncertain about what month
it is, let alone the day of the week or date. Yet they are drawn to the
mystery, the appeal of knowing that something new and unexpected might
happen or might come over the rail of the boat at any given moment.
”
SLO LIFE
above Morro Bay Fuel Docks Shortly after this photograph was taken, a consortium of
fishermen purchased and rehabilitated the docks shown. For the next twenty years, the docks
provided fuel and berthing for the commercial fleet.
wanDerlust
Albacore fishermen, much like the fish,
prefer to roam the open oceans.
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