EPISODE 202 ANDREW SKEOCH, SPORT FISHERMAN, PORT CREDIT, MARCH 2021 (story 2 Great Lakes)
alan skeoch
April 2021
ANDREW SKEOCH holding a Lake Trout caught offshore Port Credit, Ontario
LIFE AND DEATH IN THE GREATEST FISH BOWL ON EARTH: THE GREAT LAKES.
“Andrew, could you send me some pictures of the fish you have caught this year?”
“Why, dad?”
“Because I cannot tell one fish from another.”
“I bet you are writing another story, dad.”
“I am.”
“About fish?”
“Andrew, this story is one of the greatest fish stories ever written.” (perhaps an overstatement)
“Your story?”
“No, The story of Great Lakes fishing is absolutely fascinating but largely
unknown by the millions of people living on the shores of the Great Lakes…
you know the fish. I do not. But I do know the story of the Great Lakes fishery
could be a great documentary film. Instead it remains
unknown. I would like to change that.”
“OK, dad, here are the fish … fish caught this year just a couple of miles out of
Port Credit harbour.
1) LAKE TROUT
LAKE TROUT*
ONE OF THE MAIN ACTORS IN THIS STORY…take a look
at the mouth…then the body. Lake trout live for 30 years or
more and have historically been critical predators that have kept
fish populations in Lake Ontario healthy for thousands of years.
Up until 1960 when something went wrong in Lake Ontario and
all the Great Lakes.
2) CHINOOK OR KING SALMON
CHINOOK OR KING SALMON caught by Andrew Skeoch offshore Port Credit, Ontario
This huge Chinook (King) Salmon was caught in the 2018 Great Ontario salmon derby
CHINOOK OR KING SALMON…the largest sport fish caught in Lake Ontario
are chinook salmon. They are a Pacific Ocean fish commonly found
laying eggs in rivers on the west coast of North America. What the hell are
they doing here … off shore Port Credit, Lake Ontario? The answer will
startle you. Identifying feature…black gums
3) COHO SALMON
COHO SALMON held by Andrew Skeoch…caught offshore Port Credit, Ontario
COHO SALMON are snakier than Chinook salmon. Are loved by sport fishermen because they put up a fight when
hooked. A bit smaller than the Chinook Salmon. They are natural to the west
coast rivers of North America where they breed much like the Chinook Salmon.
Same Question: What the hell are they doing here … offshore Port Credit, Ontario in 2021?
(Andrew Skeoch, holding coho salmon)
4) BROWN TROUT
BROWN TROUT (held by Lee Widgeon, offshore Port Credit, Ontario)
5) ALEWIFE
ALWIFE…snagged by accident while deep water fishing offshore
Port Credit, Ontario. Alewives are he main diet of Lake Trout,
Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Brown Trout and others.
Alewives became he largest biomass in the great lakes. Millions
of them…maybe billions. This little fish is the villain and the hero
of Great Lakes ecology. Depends entirely upon your point of
view. You may be surprised to know that these little fish account
for the presence of those gigantic Chinook and Coho Salmon
now common in the Great Lakes. It is not a simple story. And, yes,
it is controversial. (Jackson Skeoch preparing to eat the alewife.)
6) RANBOW TROUT
RAINBOW TROUT caught by Dan Devlin
This is the beginning of the story of the Great Lakes Fishery. I thought it might be best to
start in the present and asked Andrew Skeoch if he could loan me pictures of the great fish
he and other sport fisherman catch regularly in Lake Ontario. Today sport fishing is encouraged
by various governments along Great Lake shorelines. Commercial fishing still happens
but not nearly as much as sport fishing. Why? Simple. Money spent. Sport Fishermen spend
about $80 per fish landed while commercial fisherman get $1.50 per pound of fish filleted
and sold. Sport Fishing is good for business…provides direct employment for many and sales
for fishing gear sold by retail stores all around the Great Lakes. The down side? Has sport
fishing undermined the natural ecology of the Great Lakes.
This is just the beginning of the series of stories titled LIFE AND DEATH IN THE GREATEST
FISH BOWL IN THE WORLD: THE GREAT LAKES.
NEXT EPISODE 204 : LORNE JOYCE, SON OF A COMMERCIAL FISHERMAN, HISTORIAN,