01907 Summer 2021

More documents

Recommendations

Info

14 | 01907 It's the lobstering life for them BY ALLYSHA DUNNIGAN Capt. Mike Gambale has spent more than 40 years lobstering out of Fisherman’s Wharf, beginning his days around 3 a.m. when he gets ready to ship out to sea. Gambale embarks on his boat, "Micaelanie" — named after his daughters Micaela and Melanie — around 4 a.m. and finishes up after noon. His love of being on the sea has kept him in this business for so long, he said, but it is not an easy business to be in. Gambale works at least six, sometimes seven days a week, but said he does try to prioritize family — if he has a family party on a Saturday, for instance, then he simply won't work that day. "You can always make money, but you can't always make the memories," Gambale said. The lobsters he catches bring in money after they are sold to a wholesaler out of Boston, a process that allows Gambale to make his own schedule. However, he said, he has to have discipline for this to be successful. A typical day for Gambale consists of driving his boat out to his lobster traps, which are scattered throughout the water off of Swampscott Harbor. His traps are dropped in the water in sets of eight that are connected by a length of line. This collection of traps, also known as a "trawl," is marked by two buoys, one at the beginning and one at the end of the trawl. Gambale picks the buoy up with a long hook and drags the line onto the boat, which is then put into a spinning tool which draws in the line from the ocean floor. As the traps make their way to the surface, Gambale pulls them up. The traps consist of two different sections: The side where the lobster enters a one-way tunnel of netting is called the "kitchen," because that is where the bait — dead fish — is stored. When the lobster tries to exit, a small opening brings it through another tunnel into the second part of the trap, known as the "parlour," where it can't escape. Lobster traps can hold several lobsters, so when Gambale pulls them up he immediately takes out the crustaceans stuck inside. Each lobster has to be measured because, if it is "short," then it is thrown back into the water. A lobster has to be 3 1/4 inches long, measured with a regulation lobster gauge. The gauge measures from the rear of the eye socket down to the rear end of the body shell. In addition, Gambale also checks to see if the lobster is male or female. If it's a female, he checks to see if it is carrying any eggs. The eggs can be seen underneath the lobster; they look like thousands of tiny black balls. A one-pound female lobster usually carries about 8,000 eggs and a ninepound female can may carry more than 100,000 eggs. Only about 20 percent of female lobsters can lay eggs, so when one is discovered within a trap, a "V" shape is cut into its tail to signify that it is able to reproduce and it is thrown back. The "V" forbids other fishermen from taking the lobster from its habitat. The reproduction period for lobsters takes over a year — and lobsters typically don't grow to a pound until about five or six years — so Gambale said it is important to notch a "V" in reproducing females so they can continue to do so. After the lobster is examined, and if it is big enough and is not carrying eggs, the lobster's claws are closed with an elastic band and they are brought onto the boat to be stored in a water cooler. The cooler is equipped with a continuous water flow — Gambale said lobsters will die if they are in still water. Gambale then cleans out the cage and puts in more bait before placing the cage at the back of the boat, preparing it to be released back into the water. This process is then repeated another seven times with the rest of the cages in the trawl, a process that takes Gambale a mere 10 minutes to complete.
SUMMER 2021 | 15 Get Excited for Fall 2021! Epstein Hillel School, the K–8 Jewish Day School serving communities North of Boston, proudly offers: • Rigorous and values-based curriculum • Talented faculty who see the potential in every child • State-of-the-art innovation center • A vibrant and engaged community Captain Mike Gambale, left, of Swampscott and Mike "Tuffy" Tufts of Nahant sit on the back of the Micaelanie after a morning fishing for lobster off the coast of Swampscott. PHOTOS: SPENSER HASAK Then Gambale heads over to the next trawl. At the end of the day, Gambale will bring his lobsters to Marblehead, where they are sold to a wholesaler based in Boston. Gambale said he is paid at the end of the week by the number of pounds of lobster brought in, which usually averages around 200 per day. Even though Gambale spends every day among lobsters, he ironically does not really like to eat them — except for an occasional lobster roll. His two daughters, he said, feel the same way. For his daughters, lobstering was something they grew up with; now it's something their young kids will grow up with as well. Sometimes, Gambale said, his grandkids will come out on the boat with him for a couple hours, or will help him to paint or clean it. Gambale also said that, as a single dad, he always did his best to give his daughters whatever he could, which sometimes meant a lot of lobster-centric meals. When his daughters were in elementary school, Gambale would make their school lunches from lobsters he caught. Whether it was lobster sandwiches, lobster pizza or just plain lobster, he tried to make whatever he could with the catch of the day — ultimately saving money on food. After a while, Gambale said, he got a note from his daughters' teacher saying they had been trading their "lobster lunches" with other kids in the class. He said he had no idea his daughters were switching their sought-after lobster rolls for something as basic as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. After so long, Gambale said, he can see how eating even lobster can get old. Family has always been a priority for Gambale, which is partly why he was a Swampscott police officer before becoming a lobsterman. The opportunities for overtime and details were nice, but he said the work wasn't for him. Gambale said he was able to make Limited spaces available for kindergarten and transfer students through Grade 8. Call today to set up your private tour. Transportation is available to communities around the North Shore Come Curious... Be Inspired! Contact Mindee Greenberg at mgreenberg@epsteinhillel.org. MARBLEHEAD, MA EPSTEINHILLEL.ORG 781.639.2880
Page 1 and 2: Lobster role SUMMER 2021 VOL. 6, NO
Page 3 and 4: Shop us @vinninliquors.com for Deli
Page 5 and 6: 21-25 NORTHSTONE ROAD, SWAMPSCOTT E
Page 7 and 8: Where the North Shore Community Com
Page 9 and 10: Historic mansion. Seaside cottage.
Page 11 and 12: SUMMER 2021 | 9
Page 13 and 14: Download our NEW APP! Vinnin Liquor
Page 15: A peek inside 70 Galloupes Point Ro
Page 19 and 20: SUMMER 2021 | 17 About 10 years ago
Page 21 and 22: SUMMER 2021 | 19 However, the door
Page 23 and 24: SUMMER 2021 | 21 Swampscott's Angel
Page 25 and 26: SUMMER 2021 | 23 The flag of Quebec
Page 27 and 28: SUMMER 2021 | 25
Page 29 and 30: SUMMER 2021 | 27 Singing her way to
Page 31 and 32: SUMMER 2021 | 29 She lights the way
Page 33 and 34: SUMMER 2021 | 31 Down on the farm P
Page 35 and 36: Commercial • Residential Builders

01907 Summer 2021

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?