March 10, 2011 - When the mackerel run, run after themSUFFOLKTIMES.COM I MARCH 10. 2011 1 7A
BARBARA SfOUTENBURGH PHOTOS
Left: Cast netting is a method universally used to catch fish. I can remember watching natives using nets in New Guinea when I was in the service. Right: These mackerel were the
result of a single cast from a cast net.
When the mackerel run, run after them
Though winter is still holding onto the North
Fork, down here in Florida the colder days have
left and days in the 70s and 80s are now more
common. Our winter here was colder than usual
but not like last year, when we had dead fish lin-
ing the water's edge, casualties of the
cold. We have no complaints when
we watch the North Fork weather
reports day after day.
With Florida's nicer weather,
people are heading to the beaches
more, shorts instead of long pants are
seen and short- sleeve shirts abound
instead of hooded sweatshirts. The
mackerel are running and the fisher-
men are happy.
We took a ride one afternoon down to the bridge
between our island and the next and watched
fishermen at the edge of the water and others on
the bulkhead casting into the bay with light tackle.
They were catching mackerel and their white buck-
ets were filled. We also saw some using cast nets on
the docks with good results.
While the fishermen stood and talked and we
watched, we could see dolphins diving in and out
after mackerel all along the waterway heading
toward the bridge between the bay and the gulf. We
never tire of watching these sleek black torpedo -
like mammals. Usually you can see only the dorsal
fin protruding from the water, but occasionally
one leaps partway out of the water after some fish,
probably a mackerel like the ones the guys on the
dock were catching.
Dolphins were once common in our local waters
and as a child I remember seeing them in the South
Race off Robins Island. The dolphins we observed
most recently on the East End were the well-known
ones that came in to a small shallow creek in Sag
Harbor a few winters ago; the local people worked
hard to circle them and coax them back out to
deeper water. We drove over and watched and it
was bitter cold and windy as the
people in the boats worked to save
these dolphins.
I often wonder how fish and
other denizens of the deep sleep.
Dolphins do not sleep; they just
rest for short periods of time. They
merely take cat naps at the water's
surface for two or three minutes at a
time. At night these naps increase to
seven to eight minutes.
Another interesting fact about dolphins is that they
don't breathe automatically as other animals do; they
have to breathe voluntarily, so if they are knocked
unconscious they literally stop breathing and die.
As the men fished they talked of cooking and
eating mackerel. Some say they make them into
fish cakes, which sounded good, and others talked
of filleting them and frying them, but when we
researched mackerel, to our surprise we came up
with an interesting recipe from the "Gill- lectable
Gourmet's Guide to Long Island Fish:"
Ft7 (-i Ic ON! NATURE
u
PAULSTOUTENBURGH
GREENPOKT BAKED MACKEREL
2 mackerel (8 ounces each), whole dressed or boned
1 cup tomato juice
Half of a fresh pineapple, diced
2 tablespoons vinegar
One - quarter green pepper, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Artificial sweetener to equal 6 teaspoons sugar
JLPECONIC TELCO
Authorized
SALES • SERVICE • INSTALLATION
/\V/\ Y /\
`
Telephone Systems for Home or Business
Reseller _`°"
• Specializing in Panasonic✓Avaya (formerly Lucent)
Authorized Dealer
• Voice Mail • Voice/Data Cabling
• Friendly, Reliable Service
• Factory Trained Technicians
• Emergency Service
We Guarantee Savings on
your Verizon Telephone
• Local/Long Distance Provider
Bill for your business
"We don't treat your phone service like a hobby."
\ ,
7344200 1- 888- PECONIC
4 ounces onions, sliced, cooked and drained
Simmer all ingredients except onions and fish in
saucepan for approximately 30 minutes. Add onions.
Place mackerel in baking dish. Fill cavities with to-
mato mixture. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for ap-
proximately 25 minutes, or until fish flakes easily.
Serves 2.
We haven't caught our own mackerel as yet, but
plan to go out fishing in the next week when our
son comes down, so we haven't had a chance to try
the recipe. It was kind of fun to just find Greenport
listed in among the many fish recipes.
When we overheard some of our neighbors talk-
ing of going fishing, Barbara decided to watch for
them when they returned to the dock to see if she
could get some pictures of their mackerel. When
she met them at the dock she found they had a
good day on the water, but not a profitable fishing
day. They had caught just one fish and she photo-
graphed it in the bright sunlight as it lay glistening
on the dock.
Mackerel are elongated, streamlined fish with a
compressed body and a pointed snout. They are
dusky blue on top with silver undersides. They
have small, needle -sharp teeth that help them
catch fish, shrimp and squid.
Mackerel also pass through our area on the
North Fork, which brings to mind years ago when
one of my students invited me to go mackerel
fishing with him We used a rig with four or five jigs
on the line and fished in the deep water between
Shelter Island and Greenport I was amazed how
quickly and forcefully the mackerel took to our rigs.
Sometimes we brought up three or four at a time. I
look forward to doing some mackerel fishing soon
down here in Florida
S,op Semce C
i
O:.rr 25 years
of qua lily senate
Time to Get Ready
for Your Spring Projects!
Hazardous iree Removal -Tree Trimming
Privet Hedge Management • Sturrgt Grinding
Cabling and Bracing • Tree Transplanting
Family -o tuned and operated by a
Limited Access to Your Tree? No Problem...
Our unique Spider Litt will
extend 76 feet into the trees.
retired combat veteran.
SUFFOLKTIMES.COM I MARCH 10, 2011
When the mackeret run,
run a
Though winter is still holding onto the North
Fork, down here in Florida the colder days have
left and days in the 70s and 80s are now more
common. Our winter here was colder than usual
but not like last year, when we had dead fish lin-
ing the water's edge, casualties of the
ld W h
er them
co e ave no complamts when FOCUS ON NATURE
we watch the North Fork weather
reports day after day.
With Florida's nicer weather,
people are heading to the beaches
more, shorts instead of long pants are
seen and short - sleeve shirts abound
instead of hooded sweatshirts. The
mackerel are running and the C, 1,
men are hannV. PAUL STOUTENBURGH
O
N
F L
O �
v
3
� v
z v
fy U
� V
of
Q)
�s
a �
m };
-C
OP
CC
U1
v
L
C_
N
(d
3
C
W
-C
3
�o
v
c
3
v
z
c
.N
+)
C
c
oA
C
v
c
ao
c
aV+
3
N
E
v
E
v
c
U
V
L
N
L
U
u
0
v
v
N
21
> Q v )
>
c]
0 U
o "
L N
v E
E
fa
.L b
pro V
C O1
c .
4
04—
flf 0
V +,
4A
J iL
��o
r
Though winter is still holding onto the North
Fork, down here in Florida the colder days have
left and days in the 70s and 80s are now more
common. Our winter here was colder than usual
but not like last year, when we had dead fish lin-
ing the water's edge, casualties of the
ld W h
er them
co e ave no complamts when FOCUS ON NATURE
we watch the North Fork weather
reports day after day.
With Florida's nicer weather,
people are heading to the beaches
more, shorts instead of long pants are
seen and short - sleeve shirts abound
instead of hooded sweatshirts. The
mackerel are running and the C, 1,
men are hannV. PAUL STOUTENBURGH
O
N
F L
O �
v
3
� v
z v
fy U
� V
of
Q)
�s
a �
m };
-C
OP
CC
U1
v
L
C_
N
(d
3
C
W
-C
3
�o
v
c
3
v
z
c
.N
+)
C
c
oA
C
v
c
ao
c
aV+
3
N
E
v
E
v
c
U
V
L
N
L
U
u
0
v
v
N
21
> Q v )
>
c]
0 U
o "
L N
v E
E
fa
.L b
pro V
C O1
c .
4
04—
flf 0
V +,
4A
J iL
most recently on the East End were the well-know
ones that came in to a small shallow creek in Sag
Harbor a few winters ago; the local people worked
hard to circle them and coax them back out to
deeper water. We drove over and watched and it
was bitter cold and windy as the
people in the boats worked to save
these dolphins.
I often wonder how fish and
other denizens of the deep sleep.
Dolphins do not sleep; they just
rest for short periods of time. They
erely take cat naps at the water's
urface for two or three minutes at
ne: At night these naps increase 1
ven to eight minutes.
we toox a nae one atternoon Gown to the bnage
between our island and the next and watched
fishermen at the edge of the water and others on
the bulkhead casting into the bay with light tackle.
They were catching mackerel and their white buck-
ets were filled. We also saw some using cast nets on
the docks with good results.
While the fishermen stood and talked and we
watched, we could see dolphins diving in and out
after mackerel all along the waterway heading
toward the bridge between the bay and the gulf. We
never tire of watching these sleek black torpedo -
like mammals. Usually you can see only the dorsal
fin protruding from the water, but occasionally
one leaps partway out of the water after some fish,
probably a mackerel like the ones the guys on the
dock were catching.
Dolphins were once common in our local waters
and as a child I remember seeing them in the South
Race off Robins Island. The dolphins we observed
Another interesting fact about dolphins is that the
don't breathe automatically as other animals do; the,
have to breathe voluntarily, so if they are knocked
unconscious they literally stop breathing and die.
As the men fished they talked of cooking and
eating mackerel. Some say they make them into
fish cakes, which sounded good, and others talked
of filleting them and frying them, but when.we
researched mackerel, to our surprise we came up
with an interesting recipe from the "Gill- lectable
Gourmet's Guide to Long Island Fish:"
GREENPORT BAKED MACKEREL
2 mackerel (8 ounces each), whole dressed or bone
1 cup tomato juice
Half of a fresh pineapple, diced
2 tablespoons vinegar
One - quarter green pepper, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Artificial sweetener to equal 6 teaspoons sugar
4 ounces onions, sliced, cooked and drained
Simmer all ingredients except onions and fish i
saucepan for approximately 30 minutes. Add onion;
Place mackerel in baking dish: Fill cavities with tc
mato mixture. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for of
3roximately 25 minutes, or until fish flakes easily.
Serves 2.
We haven't caught our own mackerel as yet, but
Man to go out fishing in the next week when our
,on comes down, so we haven't had a chance to try
he recipe. It was kind of fun to just find Greenport
isted in among the many fish recipes.
When we overheard some of our neighbors talk -
ng of going fishing, Barbara decided to watch for
hem when they returned to the dock to see if she
:ould get some pictures of their mackerel. When
he met them at the dock she found they had a
,00d day on the water, but not a profitable fishing
lay. They had caught just one fish and she photo -
;raphed it in the bright sunlight as it lay glistening
in the dock.
Mackerel are elongated, streamlined fish with a
:ompressed body and a pointed snout. They are
lusky blue on top with silver undersides. They
lave small, needle -sharp teeth that help them
atch fish, shrimp and squid.
Mackerel also pass through our area on the
Borth Fork, which brings to mind years ago when
,ne of my students invited me to go mackerel
fishing with him. We used a rig with four or five jigs
n the line and fished in the deep water between
helter Island and Greenport. I was amazed how
uickly and forcefully the mackerel took to our rigs.
ometimes we brought up three or four at a time. I
)ok forward to doing some mackerel fishing soon
own here in Florida.