Lobsters on top of lobsters

     It seems like almost everyone nowadays loves eating lobster, but did you know that this delicacy was once fed to prisoners back in the day because they were deemed a "poor man's food?" At first glance they are very unsightly, resembling large insects that happen to live in the sea. Fast forward a couple hundred years and lobsters are now a delicacy that is oftentimes 10 dollars a pound! Usually people go out to expensive restaurants to eat lobster, but I'm positive not many people can say that they can go to work and bring home huge lobsters for dinner. At the Harry McDonough Sailing Center in South Boston, we just can't stop catching lobsters every single day. Be it small or large, we always catch lobsters. Even when there is no bait in the lobster traps, lobsters still appear in the traps when we pull them up. It is almost like any staff member from Save the Harbor that works at McDonough is a certified lobster whisperer.

Lobsters!

     Yesterday on Monday when Jazeel and Kelly went out in Pleasure Bay on a motorboat to check the traps, they came back with not only one large lobster, but three others as well! On a regular day at McDonough we manage to catch three or four at most, but only one of those lobsters out the four is large enough to keep. We usually have to release the smaller lobsters because they are not keeper size. Yesterday was one of the few days where every single lobster was enormous and of keeper size. When we catch lobsters that are keeper size, someone can take them home for dinner! The lucky people were Candido and a couple of McDonough staff members. Candido took two home while the two other staff members took home a lobster each. Anyways, for future reference if you are craving lobster and have some spare time on your hands, come hang out with the Save the Harbor staff at McDonough!

More lobsters!

-Vinh Tran

Lead Harbor Explorer

The Crab Kings

This week not that many kids have been at McDonough, but as soon as we start catching crabs and lobsters they all start lining up to see them. This Monday we caught 6 lobsters and they were all huge. The kids were all really excited to see the huge lobsters that we had brought back with us. Lucky for the lobsters I don't eat them or other wise they would've all been dinner. One of the lobsters we caught was 4 pounds, he was really fat and looked like he had been eating for days.

Me and Mae and Larry

On Tuesday Daniel and I went fishing for crabs to see who could catch the most crabs. When the race started I was down 6 crabs and I had lost all hope of wining and Daniel looked like he was never going to stop catching crabs. However, once I started there was no stopping me, I had caught 5 crabs in less than 6 minutes and I had a bonus of catching 3 crabs at once. The race was first up to 10 but we were so competitive that we raised the number to 20. After we both had tied at 20 crabs we decided that who ever made it to 30 first would be the winner. I was up for most of the race and when I needed 1 more crab it felt like forever because Daniel had 28 crabs and I had 29. The moment Daniel caught his 29th I caught my 30th, at first I was really happy then I realized I just beat a little kid and then I felt bad. But Daniel was a good sport and we congratulated one another and we crowned our self's as the "Crab Kings".

The Kids Looking at All Crabs We Caught

Jazeel Mendes- Chao

Back to Basics

Hello again!

This week at McDonough Sailing Center we had a HUGE amount of kids hanging out with us! While that is a fantastic treat for us Save the Bay Staff, it leaves us with a lack of equipment for the masses. Today, some bright youngsters came up with their own method to catch crabs and fish when they weren't able to get a hold of a fishing rod- and it WORKED!!

It started with two boys deciding they would take it upon themselves to MacGyver a basic fishing rod using scraps of dock line, hooks, and bait! They simply tied a hook to the bottom of the line using a trusty knot they learned in sailing camp, then placed the bait on the hook. While they weren't able to cast their make-shift line out, they did a fine job just dropping the line to the bottom right next to the dock. The bay is extremely muddy and a great place for crabs to live so we are always catching Green Crabs and Spider Crabs. Today, the boys were able to catch mostly green crabs on their lines. Another group of boys then tried the same thing, only minus the hook. They simply tied a piece of a mussel to their line, and dropped that to the bottom. They found that the hook wasn't necessary because the hungry crabs simply pinch onto the bait and don't let go! It was a lot of fun to chat with them about their different methods, then to watch them try it out and succeed!

The boys with their basic fishing rods!

Using their line to catch crabs off the dock

We also caught three lobsters in the lobster trap today! While we were packing up our things to go, I called over to the few kids that were left to help me measure the lobsters to be sure we could take them home (one of our staffers wanted to use them for a touch tank at an event we will be having this weekend!) I taught them how to measure the thorax of the lobster, and instructed them that it had to be no smaller than 3 1/4" and no bigger than 5". They all helped me lay down the measuring tape and counted the inches one by one to make sure it was in the keep range. Turns out they all were, which is exciting for us, but not so exciting for the lobsters!  

me and my helpers measuring the lobsters!

-Kelly Randall-

For The Love of Clingy

At McDonough Sailing Center a young girl was fascinated by all the crabs that we had in the touch tank. She was really into the crabs, especially two of them. One a toddler crab that she called "Runner" because every time she put it down it would just try to walk and escape from where ever it was at. It was very cool to see how she connected with the crab so much to give it a name. But that was not her favorite crab. Her favorite crab was a small and delicate baby crab. She called the crab "Clingy" because if she held it long enough it would begin to hold on, or cling, to her hand. She would walk around with clingy and show everybody how small he was. She would even let him walk on the deck to see how fast he would move or where he would go. She kept doing this until something tragic happened, Clingy fell through a crack on the dock and they could not seem to get him out. The kids tried to hold bait in front of him in order to see if he would vote it and pull him up, but he didn't. It wasn't until the little girl was probably moments from tears that Lindsay and I had to spend about 5 minutes trying to finagle the baby crab out of the crack. Once he was out and she was relieved she left Clingy in the touch tank and made sure no one would take him out in order for nothing bad to happen again.

Full of Sea life!

    When I arrived at McDonough Sailing Center yesterday I was expecting to catch the same old green crabs and spider crabs. I was mistaken. When Andrea and myself went out to check our traps in the middle of the bay we were surprised to see that there were two skates in one of the lobster traps! This amazed me because I had never seen one at McDonough, and never had the chance to hold one. Everyone on the boat was squeamish to take them out so I finally got that chance right then and there. Initially I assumed that they were stingrays, but they turned out to be a similar looking harmless cousin. Quick fact: Skates are actually related to sharks! Anyway, needless to say when we returned to the dock every camper within earshot gathered around us. The dock was practically sinking with all of their weight!

One of the skates we caught!

    Another pleasant surprise was when we found out that there were lobsters in the traps despite there not being any bait in them! The lobsters still climb into the trap and get stuck. We didn't get a chance to bait the traps over the weekend so we weren't expecting much to be in the traps. The lobsters were certainly a hit as well. Campers asked us many questions about lobsters; from how to tell the difference between male and female lobsters to how lobsters are able to swim. The staff and I had an awesome time sharing our knowledge with the kids and showing them what the harbor has to offer. In our case, the harbor offered us a filling and tantalizing meal!

One of the lobsters!

-Vinh Tran

Lead Harbor Explorer

Another fun day at McDonough!

     Today was eventful to say the least. At McDonough Sailing Center in South Boston we caught tons and tons of crabs! The majority of crabs we caught were green crabs. The kids were excited to keep a tally of the crabs that they caught; some of their numbers were past 50! At the McDonough Sailing Center it is literally impossible to not catch any crabs. We were lucky to even have caught a massive spider crab! The kids were intrigued by the sheer size and length of the spider crab's claws. A little while after that Kelly led some kids out onto the beach to comb for interesting items. They brought back a plethora of crab body parts, to the point where we were even able to reconstruct a crab out of them!

The crab we reconstructed

     Towards the end of the day it is always customary for us to go out to the middle of Pleasure Bay and check our lobster traps to see if we caught any gargantuan lobsters. Esmeralda and I were taken out to check the traps. The first trap's rope was really slimy but eventually the trap was hoisted onto the boat. Inside were two fairly large lobsters. However, the next trap had a massive lobster in addition to two smaller ones. We were happy with our catch because that meant someone could take them home for a satisfying meal! The only downside to catching the lobsters is that your work clothes tend to get really dirty from the tar and dirt on the cages. Other than that, the day was a successful one!

A camper with one of the lobsters

Catch you later,

Vinh Tran

Lead Harbor Explorer

Our first lobster catch of the season!

     Today at the Harry McDonough Sailing Center in South Boston we were able to catch our first lobsters of the season! The sailing center has been a prominent hotspot for catching lobsters in years past, so it was about time we caught some. The three lobsters we caught were a spectacle to behold. Every single child on the dock wanted to see and touch these clawed insects of the sea. Sam, who visited the site for the day demonstrated the sheer force a lobster's crusher claw can exert on certain materials. Collective gasps of astonishment were heard from the campers as one of our lobsters was able to crush the sturdy calcium carbonate shell of a clam with ease.They were certainly a nice change from the usual green crabs and the occasional spider crab.

A camper with one of the lobsters we caught

     Not only did we look at lobsters, Sam and I led a group of campers out to the pier on the other side of the island to see if we could catch some striped bass. The campers were very happy to be a part of the fishing process. Some campers were tasked with preparing the bait while others were tasked with handling the professional rods Sam brought. Unfortunately, there were no striped bass to be caught. We were hoping to catch a skate or two to bait the lobster traps but they too proved to be elusive. However, the disappointment did not outweigh the good fortune of us catching the first lobsters of the season. I am confident that the team and I will catch many more!

Sam and some campers fishing at the pier

Until next time,

Vinh Tran

Lead Harbor Explorer

Excitement at McDonough Sailing Center!

Hi everybody!

Today at McDonough sailing center was incredible! We had a blast fishing with all of the kids who hang out at the Center day after day. Even though there are a TON of campers there- we have already gotten to know a bunch who are interested in learning how to fish, experimenting with the crab trap, and exploring the dock and beach for other critters!

Jazeel showing the campers a Green Crab

Today, we caught close to 30 green crabs- not only with our crab trap, but also with the fishing rods. Using herring as bait the kids have found the perfect spot on the dock to cast off. The crabs don't get hooked, but they attach themselves to the bait and don't let go until we pry them away. The kids love this process, it's always exciting to see something besides a lure on the end of your line! After the brave campers pull them off the bait, we stick them in our floating crate on the side of the dock- this way other campers have the chance to check out what we've caught!

Esmeralda and I also had a chance to take a couple of kids out to the lobster traps we have set in Pleasure Bay. We checked the old one first- it was empty, unfortunately (someone must have taken them for dinner!) We also baited, and set a new one. We're hoping for some lobsters tomorrow, I've heard they often catch 5lb-ers!

While we have yet to catch a fish over at McDonough, one camper reeled in one of our rogue crab traps from last year- it was difficult to pull up, but proved to be a great catch! There were mussels attached to it, minnows, crabs, and slimy sea squirts! We cleared some of the mussels and mud off, then tossed it back in the water, tied it off, and will pull it up tomorrow to see what other sea creatures it attracted!

Towards the end of the day, Jazeel and I took 10 of the kids on the beach and out towards the causeway bridges where the water flows in and out of Pleasure Bay to hunt for sea stars and jellyfish. It was great to get the kids off of the dock, and to cool off in the water. On our walk we found clams, mussels, a few oysters, LOTS of barnacles, sea weed and sea squirts- and while we didn't find any sea stars this round, we're hopeful that we'll get lucky tomorrow.

All in all it was a fantastic day spent in the sun and breeze at beautiful McDonough Sailing Center.
See you on the beaches!

 -Kelly Randall-

Is It Really Over Already?

It’s hard to believe that summer is already over! It seems like just yesterday I was cluelessly wandering the Boston Fish Pier trying to find the elusive Save the Harbor office and telling myself that I would eventually get used to the intense fish smell (not quite so). But alas, time flies when you’re having fun, right? Over the course of these short weeks I have had the opportunity to explore unique parts of the Boston Harbor, work with some of the best and most dedicated coworkers, catch more crabs than I had previously thought humanly possible and meet some of the most curious and inspiring kids from the different Boston communities.

I came to Save the Harbor with the hope of sharing my enthusiasm for the environment and I can confidently say that I achieved that goal. Seeing all our Harbor Explorers show up early every single day (even on those gray and rainy ones) ready to get their hands dirty was incredibly rewarding and inspires hope for future generations of environmental conservationists.

Each day brought new experiences and my list of favorites from the summer would be endless. But, here’s a quick list of things I am already missing:

1.     Crab Races

2.     Sharks and Minnows

3.     Starting the day with the amazing view from Piers Park

4.     Shoreline walks with Southie kids

5.     Lobstahssss

6.     Impromptu dance parties on the dock

7.     The unconditional love for Save the Harbor staff

8.     Spending the day with goofball kids

A special shout out to my JPAs - Jazeel, Monique, Nhu, and Vinh. The summer would not have been the same without you guys. Thanks for showing up every morning with smiles on your faces. The East Boston and Southie kids (and me!) will never forget their summer with you.

Until next time,

Sarah C

J

It was nice while it lasted

Wow, so many exciting things happened this week! For example, this week, for the first time, I went kayaking and I can honestly say it was awesome! But, I have to admit I was kind of scared and nervous because the tides were kind of high that day, plus it was a bit windy. While paddling the kayak me and Abby (one of the McDonough kids) noticed that the waves were pushing us out further and further which made me even more nervous than I already was. Finally, we got the kayak to turn around towards the dock and finally reached land. Reaching the dock was an indescribable feeling, kind of like that relieved feeling after getting off a scary roller coaster ride and just being happy to be back on the ground, yea that feeling. Too bad I couldn't get pictures to post and share about this great and unforgettable experience.

That's not the only exciting thing that happened this week! Also, for the first time, I witnessed an ice cream topping fight! It was crazy! It sounded kind of like a war was going on right out on the dock at McDonough. Chocolate syrup flying from left to right, hitting people in the eye, hair, everywhere! Everyone looked like they were having a blast. Most definitely I am looking forward to another great summer with these guys next summer, no doubt!

A chocolate mess! (halfway through the ice cream topping fight at McDonough)

At Piers Park this week, we discovered a ton of small jellyfish. We caught at least 10 jellyfish everyday this week. It was strange because there were no jellyfish spotted before ever since this summer started, so that was kind of interesting to see.

One of the many jelly fish spotted at Piers Park.

Food Fight!!

Ready for action.

After spending the last seven weeks getting to know the kids at McDonough Sailing Center, I expected to close out the summer with nothing less than utter insanity. And they did not disappoint! The Save the Harbor staff and I were informed that every year the kids celebrate the end of the summer with an Ice Cream Sundae Toppings Food Fight followed by everyone jumping off the dock. The days leading up to the event, all the kids were doing was some serious strategizing: “whipped cream is fun, but chocolate syrup is better because you can shoot it from a distance,” “caramel sauce is the best because its really sticky,” “sprinkles are only good if the person you throw them at is really covered in chocolate.” Needless to say, everyone, including the Save the Harbor staff, was eagerly counting down the seconds until the 1pm Food Fight start time. At 12:50 you could see kids moving anxiously towards the dock, syrup and whipped cream at the ready. With the sound of a horn, sheer chaos broke out. It was a mass of nearly 100 kids of all ages squirting chocolate syrup, strawberry sauce, whipped cream and caramel on everyone and anyone in their path. Sprinkles and maraschino cherries were flying through the air as everyone turned into human sundaes. It was all over in about 15 minutes and by the end of it, kids were covered to the point that they were unrecognizable.

Sundae Topping Madness

The aftermath

 After all the syrup and whipped cream bottles had been thoroughly emptied, there was a mass ocean plunge as everyone jumped off the dock into the freezing water. There was so much sundae topping everywhere that even after cleaning the dock (three cheers for power washers!) the place smelled like chocolate syrup, even in the water. It was my first sundae toppings food fight and I hope it won’t be my last! With all of its silliness and camaraderie, it was the perfect way to close out the summer at McDonough.

Save the Harbor Sundaes!

-Sarah C

Goodbye Everyone :/

Its been a nice seven weeks working with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. Waking up early every morning was a struggle. I'm not a morning person, but I made sure I woke up early just to see the smiles on the kids' faces. Sometimes I arrived at work not feeling like myself, but when I saw the kids I immediately was in a better mood. I had the best time working at McDonough Sailing Center and Piers Park and I am going to miss all the kids sooo much.

I hope to work with everyone next year. It was nice working for Save the Harbor this year. I learned a lot through out the weeks. Everyday I learned something new. I enjoyed working with Sarah, Nhu, Vinh, Myriam and Jazeel. I would love to work with them again because they made my summer fun and enjoyable. Byeeeeee everyone! Enjoy the rest of the summer and hope to see you guys next year :D

The end of the road at McDonough Sailing

Yesterday was the best and most unforgettable day. We had an ice cream toppings fight along with all the kids at McDonough Sailing Center. It was soooooo much fun and I really enjoyed myself. Everyone was covered in chocolate and had sprinklers and caramel all over them. They had ice cream toppings everywhere on the dock, it was pretty slippery and nasty.

I had chocolate all over my head. I looked like a disgusting sundae. I felt like all the toppings would not come off. But, luckily jumping in the ocean cleaned everything off. The water was really dirty and disgusting. It was so much fun and I really enjoyed it.

I wish that more topping fights that could have happened !

One Fish, Two Fish, ...

… Red fish, blue fish! Just kidding. No red or blue fish, but it was certainly a fish-filled week at both Piers Park and McDonough Sailing Center. Let’s start off with a recap of our fishy endeavors at Piers Park:

Fishing patiently 

Normally, our catches at Piers Park consist of green crabs, green crabs, and more green crabs (with a few red rock crabs and lobsters in between). But that has never deterred our Harbor Explorers from baiting their fishing lines and patiently waiting for any tugs. We see lots of minnows cruising near the surface of the water and our underwater camera has shown us that there are some medium-sized fish swimming under the dock; however, we had yet to hook one…until Tuesday! One of our oldest Explorers, Michael, became the hero of the day when he caught the first fish of the summer at Piers Park. Even though the fish wasn’t any bigger than my hand, it was a hit amongst the Explorers and it gave everyone renewed hope that it was possible to catch fish. With a new confidence in his abilities, Michael reassuringly told his younger cousin, “Don’t worry, Nicholas. I’ll help you catch a fish tomorrow.” And lo and behold, who should catch a fish the following day? Nicholas! Seeing the beaming smiles on Nicholas and Michael’s faces was just as rewarding as seeing the fish swimming in our touch tank.

Michael with his catch of the day! 

Moving on to the McDonough Sailing Center. The Southie Explorers have had better luck fishing and over the course of the summer a handful of kids have pulled up a variety of small fish (including a tiny sculpin! So cool!) However, by far the neatest thing we caught was this past Wednesday when Leah pulled up a crab trap to find a strange looking critter. At first, she started screaming, “Sarah! Sarah! I caught an eel! I can’t pick it up! Come help me!” As I am not a fan of eels or anything that resembles snakes, I quickly delegated the job to one of my fearless JPAs. However, upon further inspection of the catch, we noticed that it didn’t look quite like an eel. It had the long, slender body of an eel, but it had a fish-like tail and a head similar to that of a seahorse. We consulted our Fish Guidebook and identified it as a type of pipefish, a relatively uncommon species in the Boston Harbor. The pipefish is a close relative of the seahorse and was unlike anything most of the Explorers (including myself) had ever seen. Leah turned our cooler into a home for her pipefish and proudly paraded it around the sailing center, showing it to anyone who crossed her path.

Fishing off the pier at Castle Island

Leah with her pipefish

Until next time, 

-Sarah C