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Young horseshoe crabs at West Meadow Beach, Stony Brook. File photo

By Mallie Jane Kim

Legendary conservationist Jane Goodall added her voice to those asking Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to sign a bill that would prevent the harvest of horseshoe crabs in New York waters for biomedical or commercial fishing purposes.

Dr. Jane Goodall Photo courtesy of National Geographic

“As leaders, we have the unique ability to ensure that vulnerable species like the horseshoe crab, which has been part of our planet’s history for over 350 million years, are protected for future generations,” Goodall wrote in her plea to Hochul.

The Horseshoe Crab Protection Act passed the New York State Assembly and Senate last June, but the governor has yet to sign or veto it. If she does not sign the bill by the end of 2024, the bill is essentially vetoed and would have to go through the legislative process again next year. 

Local advocates and environmental groups who sent letters and organized postcard campaigns to motivate Hochul to call up the bill welcomed Goodall bringing her influence to the cause.  

“It’s a rare and special event when Dr. Goodall reaches out and requests New York help her in saving our planet’s endangered species,” said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Farmingdale-based Citizens Campaign for the Environment. “Governor Hochul should heed the wisdom and vision that Dr. Goodall provides and immediately sign this important legislation.”

The pioneering primatologist, who has dedicated her life and career to protecting wildlife and the environment, pointed out in her letter the role horseshoe crabs play in coastal ecosystems as well as the food chain for migratory birds such as red knots.

Horseshoe crabs are considered “living fossils” since they have been around an estimated 450 million years, and they are more closely related to scorpions and spiders than to crustaceans. The species, which is monitored and regulated by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, has seen a steady decline in recent decades.

Environmental advocates worry that since Connecticut and Massachusetts recently enacted stronger protections for horseshoe crabs and other neighboring states are considering rule changes, biomedical agencies may draw their attention to New York waters.

Currently the main harvesters of horseshoe crabs in New York waters are commercial fishermen, who use the animals as bait for eel and conch. 

Long Island fisheries and the Long Island Farm Bureau have asked the governor not to sign the bill as written, saying efforts in recent years to sustain the species — including limiting the annual total harvest of horseshoe crabs to 150,000 — need a chance to make a difference. They say the legislation is based on emotion rather than science.

“If [the agencies] felt that the horseshoe crab stock was in danger, we would hear about it first,” said Bonnie Brady, executive director of Montauk-based Long Island Commercial Fishing Association, in a previous conversation with TBR [“The bill has passed in Albany, but awaits governor’s signature,” Sept. 20, 2024]. “To use a law to regulate a fishery, when they are already regulated by appropriate bodies that have the science to back it, is just not the way to allow fisheries to survive.”

Goodall specifically addressed preventing the biomedical uses of horseshoe crabs’ blue blood and asserted that synthetic alternatives mean harvesting the animals is not as necessary for research and vaccine development. 

In her letter to Hochul, she appealed to a “shared sense of responsibility” for the natural world.

“I have devoted my life to preserving the planet,” Goodall wrote. “I hope together, we can make a lasting difference in this important corner of the world.”

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Horseshoe crabs at Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai. Photo by John Turner
The bill has passed in Albany, but awaits governor’s signature

By Mallie Jane Kim

The future of a bill to enhance protections for horseshoe crabs in New York waters is unclear, but advocacy around the issue is heating up.

If signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), the bill would prevent the taking of horseshoe crabs for commercial or biomedical purposes in New York. The bill was passed by the state Assembly and Senate June 7, and though it has not yet been called up by the governor for consideration and potential signature or veto, advocates for and against the bill have been working hard to make their voices heard.

“Our job is to make sure the governor is aware that the horseshoe crab is a beloved species, it’s in danger and she can help it,” said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of the Farmingdale-based Citizens Campaign for the Environment, which is spearheading efforts to encourage the governor to sign the bill.

Fifty-eight groups signed on to a September letter urging Hochul to adopt the bill, including Audubon, Sierra and Rotary clubs from around Long Island, as well as the Port Jefferson Harbor Commission, The Whaling Museum & Education Center of Cold Spring Harbor and the Setauket Harbor Task Force.

Thousands of citizen postcards supporting the bill are on the way to the governor over the next weeks, according to Esposito, who predicts the bill won’t get called up before December, a pattern she has noted for environmental bills over the last few years. 

“The tough bills are the ones they wait longer to call,” she said. “The issue now is to make sure the public raises their voice.”

Horseshoe crabs, which are relatives of arachnids like spiders and scorpions, are considered “living fossils” since they have been around for an estimated 450 million years, but they have faced a steady decline in recent decades due to harvesting and habitat loss, impacting bird species that feed on horseshoe crab eggs during migration, like red knots. Commercial fisherman rely on horseshoe crabs as bait for whelk, and its blue blood is prized for biomedical research and vaccine development — though there are not currently any permits for biomedical harvesting in New York.

Local fisheries oppose the bill

Opponents of the bill don’t believe a complete ban on harvesting horseshoe crabs is an appropriate way to protect the species, since it is already monitored and regulated by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation.

“If they felt that the horseshoe crab stock was in danger, we would hear about it first,” said Bonnie Brady, executive director of Montauk-based Long Island Commercial Fishing Association. “To use a law to regulate a fishery, when they are already regulated by appropriate bodies that have the science to back it, is just not the way to allow fisheries to survive.”

Some individual members of the association have written to the governor advocating against the ban, according to Brady, who added that she believes the proposed regulations are based on feeling, not fact. 

“No one wants to see [horseshoe crabs] become depleted to the point where their continued vibrance is in danger,” Brady said, explaining that whelk fishing is a significant aspect of day fishermen’s seasonal catch. 

“It would be like suddenly someone says, ‘We’re going to take 20% of your paycheck going forward without any scientific basis for doing so and without any compensation,’” she said. “Would you be OK with that?”

The Long Island Farm Bureau, based in Calverton, is also advocating against the bill with state lawmakers on Long Island and the governor’s office in Albany, according to the bureau’s administrative director Rob Carpenter. 

He emphasized that the state DEC’s efforts to preserve the species since the population levels in New York were rated “poor” in 2019 — including voluntarily limiting the annual take of horseshoe crabs to 150,000 and requiring mesh bait bags to reduce the amount of crab that fisheries need to use in whelk traps — should be given a chance. 

“Before we go and ban everything, I think that needs an opportunity to really work,” he said.

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A construction worker assesses the damage of Harbor Road, just above the emptied Stony Brook Mill Pond. Photo by Toni-Elena Gallo

By Kurt Johnsen

To say the least, it was a gut punch when I heard and saw the footage that Harbor Road and the dam at the Mill Pond in Stony Brook was breached by the “thousand-year” rain. The water cascaded into the creek with its fish, turtles and plethora of biodiversity. Most of it settled into the harbor. In a flash, a diamond of my childhood was swept away with it.

In 1965, when I was 5 years old, I got my first Mill Pond Fishing Club badge and enjoyed my first opening day of trout season. It was a cold April morning when my father and I chose our place on the shore. I followed his instructions and put the worm on the hook. I cast out my bobber and bait. I know I cast because we had practiced in our backyard. After a while my bobber started to jiggle. Then it dipped below the surface of the water — I reeled in my first trout. The sky opened, and God spoke: “You are a fisherman.”

Next, we went to the Stony Brook Yacht Club. The adults served ham and eggs on hard rolls. Then it was time for the momentous occasion: the fishing contest. The first announcement was the winner of the junior category. I won! At all future family gatherings from that day forward, including one last week, I repeat the words my 5-year-old self said that day: “They put me up on a table and they all said “’ratulations.” I won a fishing pole and a tackle box, but the memory was worth far more than these prizes.

For the next couple of years, my father and big brother took me fishing at the pond frequently. The prelude to fishing started the night before. I was taught how to catch “night crawlers.” These meaty worms are perfectly named. They burrow out of the soil at night to garner more oxygen. Catching them is an art. The light from the flashlight does not bother them, but with any perceived motion they disappear back into the soil. I had to be slow, quiet and swift to grab them. The grass below our large cherry tree was the hotspot. We picked nice healthy fistfuls of large worms and put them into an old tobacco can, where they spent the night in the fridge.

Although it seems incomprehensible in 2024, in those days the pond was pristine. Brook trout spawned in the small creek near the upper pond. My big brother showed me that if I slowly and carefully walked on the small bridge next to where the cup where the spring water comes out of a tap, I could see them. Brook trout require cold, clean, brilliant water. Those were the days.

By the time I was 9 or 10, I could go down to the pond by myself. I remember one opening day when I walked to the dairy barn, down the woody path, over the railroad tracks, down Blydenburgh Lane, across Main Street to the sidewalk in front of the lumberyard and over to the pond. I parked myself at “my” tree, a red maple (it survived!), and my cast had to go right under a certain branch that draped low to the water. I swear the trout loved that place. I counted down, “5-4-3-2-1: 6:00,” and it was time to cast. Fish, breakfast, contest and, if need be, back to the pond to get my limit of three.

Even now, when I arise on a serene morning laced with dew, and the sparrows are singing hushed but bright melodies, I am transported back to those days. It’s magical.

At some point, I was given a bright red badge that simply said “Warden.” My job was to report anyone that was fishing at the pond that wasn’t a member. The gig was to go to the village office to the right of the post office and report the infringement to a nice man named Mr. Murphy. He would then go down to the crime scene, perform a thorough investigation and, if there was sufficient evidence, lay down the law and tell them to leave. It happened once. I was a Trout Narc.

With the summer heat, the trout would stop biting. We fished for small, inbred, stunted bass as well as sunfish. And we snuck onto the trail to the woody back of the pond adjacent to the upper pond. There were large oaks that had fallen into the pond but still lay across it. We would climb out to the end of them and try to fish. We mostly lost our hooks.

Speaking of the upper pond, it was loaded with huge trout. We were not permitted to fish in it but, of course, we did. When we were about 10 years old, my friend Eddie and I fished the pond. I caught a very big trout and hooked it on a stringer. An old lady who lived across the street — a legend in her own time — came rushing up to us maniacally screaming that we couldn’t fish there.

She took my trout and threw it out into the pond and then harrumphed away. I was not happy. I was taking off my shoes and shirt and ready to swim out to get it. Then, I swear, a guy backed up an old woody station wagon to the pond. He opened the back hatch, pulled out a piece of plywood to make a ramp and slid a giant snapping turtle into the pond — remember that we were 10. At that point, I was damn well not going to swim out to get my trout!

The dog days of summer meant carp fishing. In the evenings, my friends and I would fish near the end of the pond left of the big buckeye tree and right of the point across from the island. I could see the shadows of the giant carp come lumbering in, and if I was lucky I got one. I was only lucky a couple of times. Deemed a danger to the trout population, we threw these carp down the ramp that led out of the dam and into the creek. We were proud to be good citizens and help our invaluable trout population. Plus, it was fun. Everything was fun at the Mill Pond.

As you might guess by now, although I lived in Stony Brook surrounded by salt water, I was a freshwater fisherman. I still am. If you were around in the late 1960s and early ’70s and were driving on Stony Brook Road or Route 25A, you likely saw a boy riding his bike holding a fishing pole and a stringer of fish in his hand. That boy was me.

The Mill Pond Fishing Club sponsored me to go to the New York State Department of Environment Conservation Camp DeBruce in Sullivan County in the Catskills. We campers got fly-fishing lessons, learned to identify trees, learned how to conduct fish surveys in a stream and more. At that point I knew I wanted to work in fisheries or forestry. 

I am now a forest scientist. I was 15 in my last year in the club. On my final opening day, I won first place again. Bookends. I think it was that year they stocked a “breeder.” It was a brown trout with a hooked jaw that weighed 6 pounds. It was immediately proclaimed “the big trout.” I caught it. I still have all my badges from my years in the fishing club in my treasure chest.

When I turned 17, I became an Eagle Scout. For my Eagle project I led a group of boys in making wood duck houses. Wood ducks are small, fast-flying, colorful ducks that nest in tree cavities. They became threatened in the early 20th century. I hoped I could attract them to the pond. The group constructed three houses in my father’s wood shop. And then a few of us, led by an adult, paddled to the island with a ladder and we hung three boxes on trees that were meant to act as cavities. I never observed any wood ducks at the pond, but you never know. I was so proud of those houses.

My wife and I are fanatical Beatles fans. When I heard and saw how the Mill Pond was destroyed, I felt the same emotion that I felt when I heard John Lennon was murdered, a horrific memory etched in my psyche. People have told me those two events are not comparable, but for me there was Sgt. Pepper and the Mill Pond. What can I say?

I do think the pond will live and thrive again. It isn’t just a matter of making a new dam and letting the pond fill again. It’s not a fishbowl. It was and will be an intricate ecosystem, and it will take time to recover. Hard decisions will have to be made. What species of fish will be stocked? Just trout? Bass? Even carp? We’ll see.

The new dam will have to be skillfully engineered and built. The old Harbor Road was just a thin slice of hardtop sitting on top of sand. The new road needs to be reinforced to withstand the raging storms that will haunt us as climate change continues to uproot our lives.

However, the barren Mill Pond presents an opportunity for important archaeological explorations. With its cold, pure, fresh water, the small creek flowing out of the deep springs must have been an important feature of native tribes’ lives. An abundance of precious relics certainly reposes under the centuries of sediment deposited since the first Grist Mill was built in 1699. Clearly, the ancestors of the indigenous Setalcott Indian Nation should be the first to provide input on how to proceed.

This may seem an odd way to end my essay, but there is an elephant in the room: the white ducks! Had you visited the Mill Pond even the week before last, you would have witnessed a horde of people throwing handful after handful of white bread into rafts of white ducks. Make no mistake, these creatures are not native to the pond. They can’t fly, are prodigious breeders and are permanent inhabitants. Those cute little chicks given to kids for Easter grow fast, and where do they end up? The Mill Pond. 

The bread that is fed to them is foul (pardon the pun) and provides no nutrition. If you could even see the water through the flock, you would not see past the dissolved bread and duck waste that denudes the water, the essence of life. This practice needs to be discouraged. Education is the key. There is a predominant sign at the entrance to the park informing the public about the harm that feeding bread to ducks may cause. Let’s hope people pay more attention to that sign to remind them that they are privileged to enjoy a rare ecosystem in Stony Brook, New York.

I can’t wait to visit the restored Mill Pond, the gem of my childhood.

Author Kurt Johnsen is a resident of Asheville, North Carolina.

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Photo courtesy of CCE Suffolk

The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County (CCE) Marine Program has launched an initiative designed to modernize data collection systems used by more than 240 for-hire marine fishing permit holders across Long Island.

This program, known as the eVTR (Electronic Vessel Trip Reporting) project, will reduce data collection burdens on fishermen by simplifying the mandatory reporting process. Moreover, the program will enhance the quality, timeliness and accessibility of fisheries data for use by fleet managers and policymakers.

For-hire fishermen operate vessels that are hired by individuals or groups for recreational fishing trips. This includes party boats and charter boats. They primarily catch fluke, scup, black sea bass, striped bass, blackfish, and bluefish in New York State waters within three miles of shore.

The modernization project is funded through a $300,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The foundation was chartered by Congress in 1984 to increase resources available for the conservation of the country’s fish, wildlife, plants, and habitats.

 “Recreational fishing has long played an important role in the history, culture, and economy of Long Island,” said Vanessa Lockel, Executive Director of CCE Suffolk. “But to remain competitive, our fishermen need to adopt modern technologies. By helping to update their data collection systems, CCE Suffolk will play a hand in building a more secure and efficient future for our fishing sector.”

Marine recreational fishing trips supported 5,739 full- or part-time jobs and contributed $473 million in sales, $209 million in income, and $363 million in gross domestic income to the New York State economy in 2017, the last year for which figures are available.

The state’s for-hire sector faces many challenges, including strict regulations in respect to fish size, bag limits, and seasonal restrictions. The fleets’ profit margins are also being squeezed by increased costs associated with fuel, maintenance and repair, and fishing gear. In addition, patronage has been declining due to necessary fare increases.  

State-licensed party and charter permit holders, as well as commercial harvesters, are required to submit monthly vessel trip reports of all fishing activities to the state Department of Environmental Conservation as well as federal agencies. Data include information on catch, trip length, dealers, and other items. While this data have traditionally been recorded and submitted on paper, the state is presently transitioning to electronic reporting. The eVTR project will equip fishermen to successfully make this significant change.

The CCE Marine staff will primarily provide technology, training and technical support for an electronic reporting system called the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program’s eTrips program. Through a series of outreach and training events, CCE staff will guide fishermen on the use, adoption and registration of the system. Participants will also receive ongoing technical support as needed. To further ease the burden of electronic reporting, CCE will distribute 150 iPads to participating fishermen.   

 The CCE team will also be assisting New York State food fish license holders who wish to voluntarily report electronically. 

 For more information about the eVTR program or to sign up for a training session with CCE Suffolk, call 631-727-7850 x317.

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A sand tiger shark, a common species that lives and feeds in coastal New York area waters. Photo courtesy Wildlife Conservation Society

By Sabrina Artusa

“Shark Week” originated as a Discovery Channel television program in 1988, appealing to the public’s long-standing curiosity of one of the ocean’s fiercest predators. Thirty-six years later, it remains one of the most popular programs, as well as the longest-running cable television event. It’s a testament to America’s fascination with these exotic fish.

Over time, the program has tended to succumb to fearmongering and docufiction — a combination of documentary and fiction — against these largely misunderstood fish. As a result, episodes have gravitated toward harrowing depictions of sharks rather than the research-backed realities of these creatures. Contrary to what episodes such as “Mystery of the Black Demon Shark,” and “Air Jaws: Fins of Fury” suggest, sharks aren’t malevolent creatures, but rather a necessary part of our ocean’s ecosystem.

Last year over 20 million people tuned into the Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” event, so here is a little bit of clarity regarding the unique place of sharks on our Island’s shores.

Sharks on Long Island

Sharks are often on the minds of beach-loving Long Islanders due to a wide variety of visiting sharks, such as the dusky shark, the sand tiger shark, the white shark and the sandbar shark. The New York Police Department captured the first shark sighting of this summer season using drone footage. The sharks were seen off the coast of Rockaway Beach.

Sharks have been known to appear in beaches like Robert Moses State Park, Long Beach and Kismet beach on Fire Island. In the last two years, 13 people were involved in shark-related incidents. However, this isn’t cause for fear. Since the surge in shark sightings on Long Island, the NYPD and New York State Parks have implemented more thorough measures to track sharks, such as drone tracking.

A ‘hot spot’ for wildlife

Long Island, an under-researched area in regards to sharks, has optimal conditions for sharks. Their visits to our island are certainly not new, according to Oliver Shipley, Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences research assistant professor.

“In the summer the South Shore of Long Island is a hotspot of wildlife,” he said. “There is so much going on there. And it is a very productive system for all different animals, not just sharks.”

Shark research in New York began seriously 10 years ago. Stony Brook started tagging sharks for tracking purposes in 2017. In order to make scientifically sound conclusions, Shipley said SoMAS would need 10-15 years of data.

Is there an increase?

Researchers do not view the increase in sightings and incidents these past two years as an increase in the number of sharks. In truth, the numbers of sharks that exist along our coast presently are only a fraction of the numbers pre-1950s.

Shipley said that this “increase” of sharks is only an increase of people noticing them. There are more drones on the water and more people patrolling, which will result in more sightings. Indeed, five shark attacks were recorded during Independence Day weekend in 2023 — a stretch of days when there would have been more people than usual at the beach.

Some species of sharks, such as the sandbar sharks, have had dangerously low populations, leading to the species being listed as “vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s list of threatened species. The population’s return to a stable number could also contribute to increased sightings.

Warming temperatures could be bringing sharks up north. Shipley has noticed different animals associated with warmer habitats moving closer to Long Island — water temperatures are important for these cold-blooded creatures to regulate their body temperature — but the research assistant professor is hesitant to definitively blame climate change due to lack of data.

“It’s important to understand that this is a really complex thing that we are studying and there is not a single cause or effect scenario,” he said. “We have really poor historical data to compare to.”

“We are doing everything we can to plug the gap and find out as much as we can about this animal,” Shipley said.

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From left, Raimundo Espinoza, founder and executive director of Conservación ConCiencia in Puerto Rico, is interviewed by Baratunde Thurston in Episode One of the docuseries. Photo courtesy of PBS

Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel

PBS’s Hope in the Water is a three-part docuseries investigating the world of aquafarmers and fishers. The series shows viable alternatives to providing food for an ever-growing population while supporting and sustaining the environment. Unlike many documentaries narrowing on the doom-and-gloom aspects, Hope in the Water leans into its name, celebrating individual and group efforts and emphasizing cooperative undertakings that have already made a difference. Climate change is touched upon but rarely central.

Baratunde Thurston in Episode One of ‘Hope in the Water’. Photo courtesy of PBS

Hope in the Water comes from the multi-award-winning producer David E. Kelley (Love & Death, Lincoln Lawyer, Big Little Lies) in association with four-time James Beard Award and Emmy Award winner Chef Andrew Zimmern and his production company, Intuitive Content (What’s Eating America, Family Dinner, Andrew Zimmern’s Wild Game Kitchen, Feral).

Episode One, The Fish in the Sea, which premiered on June 19, breaks down into three sections. The first details the evolution of COAST—Community of Arran Seabed Trust—a Scottish grassroots movement that set out to “manage the seas on behalf of the next generation.” Inspired by a No-Take zone in New Zealand, COAST “campaigned to stop mobile fishing that damages [their] seabeds, jeopardizing future livelihoods and wildlife.” COAST saw the change and suspension of legal protections and faced governmental roadblocks but ultimately triumphed. The new approach led to a revitalization of the waters as well as a species abundance increase of 102%. 

A joyously energetic Baratunde Thurston provides much of the narrative drive in the second section, which takes place in Puerto Rico. Thurston is the host and executive producer of America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston and the creator and host of How to Citizen with Baratunde. The Emmy-nominated hyphenate (host-producer-writer-public speaker) is the ideal cheerleader for issues that intersect technology, politics, and climate. 

A scene from Episode 2 of ‘Hope in the Water’/ Photo courtesy of PBS

Devastated by 2017’s Hurricane Maria, the middle of the documentary tells of the founding of the World Central Kitchen (preparing and feeding over four million survivors) and the grants given to fishers for boat repairs, new engine purchases, and repairing the fishing ecosystem. At the heart is the fishing of the diamondback squid. The large sea creature, often up to sixty pounds and fished from depths as deep as 1,700 feet, is almost entirely meat. The shift promotes resilience and moves away from a dependence on imports.

The final segment shows Hawaii’s He’eisa Fishpond, eighty-eight acres and an eight-hundred-year-old location of traditional Hawaiian aquaculture. Here, one indigenous woman strives to grow fish traditionally, keeping one hundred percent of the resources local. (Hawaii is the largest consumer of fish per capita in the nation yet imports most of its seafood. The market economy overturned the long-standing fishpond culture early in the twentieth century.) This third chapter is the most intimate and personal, highlighting the power of the individual to engage the community.

The film is quickly—if often peripatetically—paced, with a constant cutting from interviews to broad oceanic vistas—rarely holding for more than fifteen seconds. (There is a vague sense that creators fear losing their audience.) In addition to an array of talking heads—activists, scientists, environmentalists, fishers, politicians—historical footage, personal photos, legal documents, and newspaper clippings flash and integrate throughout. 

A scene from Episode 3 of ‘Hope in the Water’. Photo courtesy of PBS

Episode One opens with a storm in Puerto Rico, played for dramatic effect. The entire sequence repeats when the narrative returns to this thread with a mostly tacit conclusion, justified with a tag: “These are real people, and the story is dangerous,” which is all “part of the cost of the food that we eat.” These are minor cavils in an otherwise engaging and refreshing boost of optimism. While the film presents a variety of facts—we eat twice as much seafood now as we did fifty years ago—statistics never bog down the film or obscure the story’s humanity.

In a predominantly upbeat approach, Hope in the Water embraces the oceans as the heart of the earth’s survival. The film’s message is not one of “hands off.” It expresses the necessity to be aware of the environment but also acknowledges the “need to feed.” The film is a worthwhile fifty minutes that is a tribute to the strength of community and the power of individuals to make change for the greater good. It “starts with us.”

The series continues on PBS with Farming the Water on June 26, which highlights solutions to the pollution and environmental issues surrounding farmed fish, and concludes with Changing the Menu on July 3, taking up a diversification of seafood. To view the entire series online, visit www.pbs.org/show/hope-in-the-water/.

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Connor Biddle shows off the fish he caught before releasing it back into the water. Photo by Carol Tokosh/FCSP
Ryan Millan catching a fish. Photo by Carol Tokosh/FCSP
Salvatore Rizzo and his trophy. Photo by Carol Tokosh/FCSP
Junior Anglers compete in the 2024 Friends of Caleb Smith Preserve annual fishing competition. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Junior Anglers compete in the 2024 Friends of Caleb Smith Preserve annual fishing competition. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Junior Anglers compete in the 2024 Friends of Caleb Smith Preserve annual fishing competition. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Junior Anglers compete in the 2024 Friends of Caleb Smith Preserve annual fishing competition. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Junior Anglers compete in the 2024 Friends of Caleb Smith Preserve annual fishing competition. Photo by Rita J. Egan
Easton Hodge with his trophy for Biggest Other Fish. Photo by Carol Tokosh/FCSP

Submitted by the Friends of Caleb Smith Preserve

It was a beautiful day for fishing on June 8, and that’s exactly what children with rods and bait in hand did during the Friends of Caleb Smith Preserve’s Annual Junior Angler Tournament. 

The Friends group held two catch-and-release fishing competitions at the preserve: one for 5- to 8-year-olds in the morning of June 8 and another for 9- to 12-year-olds in the afternoon. Throughout the day, more than 40 junior anglers caught a total of 151 fish, according to Tom and Carol Tokosh, event co-chairs. The variety of fish included trout, bass and sunfish.

“For some of the children, it was their first time fishing. For others, it was the first fish they ever caught,” Carol Tokosh said. “The children would get very excited with each fish that they caught.”

Morning winners included Logan Wagner, 8, who won Most Fish Caught, which was 6. Salvatore Rizzo, 5, won Biggest Panfish for catching one that was 9 inches. Easton Hodge, 8, caught a 21-inch trout, which garnered him the Biggest Other Fish award. In the afternoon, Arabella Siegel, 12, won Most Fish Caught for reeling in an 11-inch fish. Patrick O’Donnell caught a 9-inch panfish which earned him The Biggest Panfish award. The Biggest Other Fish award went to Connor Biddle, 11, whose catch measured 17 inches. 

Raffles were held at both sessions. Oliver Rogeinski won a rod, reel and tackle box. The prize was in memory of Michael D’Agostino, who was one of the founders of FCSP. In the afternoon tournament, Addilynn Blaine won a reel and rod donated in memory of Peter Paquette, the Friends group treasurer, who passed away in May. Both D’Agostino and Paquette volunteered every year at the tournament. 

All participants received goodie bags containing information about fishing and the preserve as well as word search puzzles, a park activity book and other fishing items.

The event co-chairs thanked the volunteers for their help during the event as well as sponsors Campsite Store Shop and The Fisherman magazine for sponsoring the junior angler tournament.

“A special thank you goes out to the staff at Caleb Smith State Park Preserve for getting the park ready so the children could have a wonderful time fishing,” Carol Tokosh said. “Hopefully, the children will be hooked on fishing and will come back to the park to fish.”

Tom Tokosh encouraged junior anglers to visit the park to participate in catch-and-release fishing regularly. “It’s refreshing to see children out fishing and enjoying an activity in the fresh air,” he said. “Fishing at Caleb Smith State Park Preserve always makes for a memorable day.”

For more information on fishing at Caleb Smith State Park Preserve, call 631-265-1054.

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By Mallie Jane Kim

[email protected]

Permanent protections for New York horseshoe crabs cleared a major hurdle during the last days of the 2024 state legislative session, passing both the state Senate and Assembly on June 7.

“It’s extremely exciting,” said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Farmingdale-based Citizens Campaign for the Environment, which advocated for the bill. “The horseshoe crab has ambled around the earth for more than 350 million years — we think they have a right to continue to do so.”

The bill, which still needs the signature of Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) before becoming law, would prevent the taking of horseshoe crabs for commercial or biomedical purposes from state waters. The animals are used as bait for commercial whelk and eel fishing operations, and their blue blood is used to improve vaccine safety and aid in biomedical research, though a synthetic alternative is already in the works for that purpose.

The species has faced a steady decline in the last few decades, which in turn impacts birds like red knots, who feed on horseshoe crab eggs during their migration.

Not everyone is happy with the bill as it is currently written.

“The commercial fishing industry here on Long Island is going to be severely impacted by the passage of this bill,” said Rob Carpenter, director of the Long Island Farm Bureau, which advocates on behalf of commercial fishermen. “Their needs are not addressed in the bill.”

Carpenter, who indicated he hopes for the bill to be amended or vetoed, said horseshoe crab is the only usable bait for commercial fishermen catching whelk. 

“If they are not allowed to utilize it, that means the state has just shut down an entire industry of fishing for an entire species,” he said.

The state Senate passed the bill 53-7 and the Assembly sent it through 102-39. Five North Shore legislators voted against the measure, namely Assemblymembers Jake Blumencranz (R-Oyster Bay), Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Smithtown), Jodi Giglio (R-Riverhead) and Fred Thiele (D-Sag Harbor); and state Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk).

Esposito, who previously said she hoped new protections would incentivize commercial fishing operations to find alternative baits, said she knows from her recent time lobbying for the bill in Albany that the farm bureau and biomedical industry representatives are lobbying against it.

Biomedical companies do not currently harvest from Long Island waters, according to Esposito, though she is concerned stricter rules in neighboring states like Connecticut and Massachusetts could bring New York’s horseshoe crabs to their attention. 

“The fact that they are lobbying against this bill is absurd,” she said. “We’re not inhibiting the medical industry — they have alternatives and they’re using alternatives. They’re just crying wolf.”

According to state governmental procedures, since the Legislature is now out of session, the governor will have 30 days to sign the bill once it is delivered to her, but there is no indication of when that delivery will happen. If the bill is not delivered to the governor before the end of the year, or if she does not act within 30 days of delivery, the bill is effectively vetoed. 

“Our job’s not done yet,” Esposito said. “Now we’re going to begin our campaign to request the governor sign it.”

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Photo courtesy of the Friends of Caleb Smith Preserve

The Friends of Caleb Smith Preserve will hold its 20th annual Catch and Release Junior Angler Fishing Tournament at Caleb Smith State Park Preserve, 581 W. Jericho Turnpike, Smithtown, on Saturday,  June 8. The event is rain or shine.

The tournament will be divided into two groups: ages 5 through 8 from 9:45 to 11:15 a.m. and ages 9 to 12 from 1 to 3 p.m. Sign-in begins 30 minutes before each start time. Trophies will be awarded in three categories at each session. The tournament is sponsored by The Fisherman and The Campsite Sport Shop.

Those interested in participating in the tournament must register by Saturday, June 1, and adults must accompany anglers under the age of 10. The entry fee is $15, $10 for members and includes bait, hooks and bobbers, junior angler tee shirts, refreshments, and goody bags for all participants. A limited number of fishing rods are available if required. An $8 NYS Parks parking fee will be in effect.

For more information or to register, call the Caleb Smith State Preserve office at 631-265-1054, Wednesday through Sunday.

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Public domain photo

Long Island’s fishing industry may have dodged a bullet this hurricane season, although the official season for the Atlantic Basin does not end until Nov. 30. Yet stormier seas may be brewing for the years ahead.

Local fishermen sounded an upbeat tune after a sequence of intense tropical cyclones did not make landfall. While precipitation disrupted some local events in recent weeks, fishing operations have gone along without interruption.

Eric Huner owns and operates Captain Fish Port Jefferson, a fishing charter boat based in Port Jefferson that transports tourists and locals for fishing charters.

“For me personally, it didn’t affect me at all,” he told TBR News Media. “I can’t say there’s any real loss, probably for any private fishing boat like myself.”

On the commercial fishing side, the experience was relatively similar, according to Bonnie Brady, executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association.

“As far as those guys that were fishing, most guys were out fishing the next day” after Hurricane Lee brushed past the Northeast, she said. “There wasn’t really much of an impact, thank goodness.”

Difficult past, uncertain future

Those interviewed suggested the Long Island fishing industry had averted a major threat with these storms avoiding landfall.

Reflecting upon the commercial impacts of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Brady remembered it as “particularly vicious” for the shoreline, with consequences for the fishing industry as well.

However, Huner said that irregular winds and tidal patterns are increasingly commonplace, complicating matters for his business. With projections for more frequent and intense storms, Huner said his line of work is becoming less predictable, noting the increasing difficulties in deciding which days to fish and selecting departure times.

“This year was the first time I took notice of the weather patterns being very difficult to predict,” he said. There was “a lot of volatility in the wind patterns, difficult to find windows of opportunity to go out,” adding, “It was not a normal, stable summer.”

More broadly, Brady expressed reservations about the regional trend toward offshore wind, saying this infrastructure could disrupt the local fishing industry.

“Offshore wind is going to, from our perspective, industrialize the ocean beyond any kind of repair,” she said. “It’s a very frightening time for our ocean, and that’s why we’re fighting so hard against it.”

Optimistic outlook

Huner said that the fisheries remain well populated despite the climactic challenges, a positive indicator that conservation efforts are working.

He also stated that the nature of the trade requires frequent adaptation to changing conditions. “The local fisherman is a pretty experienced person on the water,” he said. “I’m constantly reviewing what the weather forecasts are, what the wind forecasts are — and that’s a big part of my job.”

He added, “It takes a little more work, and if this is going to be what we call our ‘new normal,’ then we’re just going to have to be really on top of it.”

Adding to these sentiments, Brady said local fishermen are used to adapting “to changes in the water every day.”

“Those who are good at this trade tend to be experiential learners,” she said. “Every day, the ocean can change. The tides change. The moon changes. So they learn to adapt based on living it.”

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