Is That a Lobster in Our Crab Trap!?

I began this morning at the Boston's Childrens Museum and I was very hopeful that we would catch a lot of stuff. We prepare the touch tank, cast out the lines, and put in the crab traps as usual. For bait today, along with our usual haddock, we prepared something special to use. Using just flour, sugar, and a bit of water, we made the carp bait everyone has been raving about at Community Boating. Although we did not have as much success with the fishing aspect, we were able to catch a bunch of cool marine creatures. The surprise catch of the day was caught in a crab trap about mid-morning. As we pull up the trap, we notice something red and large inside. It is not a crab, but an actual lobster! It was a baby and too small to keep but still very exciting for the kids! Everyone loved being able to pick up and touch a real live lobster! The best part about its small size was the fact that many of the younger children were able to hold it without being as scared. It was definitely a successful day.

My week at the Children's Museum has been a lot of fun. We have had a ton of success crabbing! We have been catching a bunch of spider crabs each day, which after all these years at Save the Harbor still creep me out. The kids we teach always have so much fun and our so enthusiastic, it makes the job so much more rewarding. My only regret is that I do not get to stay with the kids for longer, like most of our other sites. Yet it provides a new challenge, how to make an impression on these kids that will last. Our goal is to reach this kids even in just a small way, so that maybe later in life they will learn to love our great harbor. We show them how much fun it can be! Catching a lobster surprised a lot of people today. It is something I'm sure will stick with at least a few of our children and their families.

Till next time,

Tom Regan

Crabbing in Southie

I never have a boring day at Harry McDonough in Southie. Today was another afternoon of successful crabbing on both the docks and the beach. We caught all different sized green crabs. The kids are all so enthusiastic about catching crabs and other sea creatures! It makes my job a lot easier. They never get tired of pulling up the traps, hoping to catch an even bigger crab then the last haul. I am always so impressed as they easily identify the crab species and gender.

As we were examining our bucket full of crabs, one of the campers unknowingly brought up a really interesting point. He asked, "How come we only catch Green crabs?" This would not have been the case even just a few years ago. Over my years working at Save the Harbor, it seems that the numbers of invasive crabs (like the green crabs) has dramatically increased compared to native ones (Red Rock crabs). I explained to our young explorer how invasives can overrun the native crabs and cause major problems for the local ecosystem. With no natural predators, invasives can run free and increase dramatically in numbers. They take away the homes and food of the native Red Rock crabs, eventually causing the dramatic decrease in numbers. It is almost impossible to stop an invasive species once they have established themselves. Many environmental groups recognize this and therefore work to stop invasive species before they enter a local ecosystem.

-Tom Regan

Southie Spider Crab

This afternoon in South Boston was exciting right from the start. As soon as we arrived on site, the kids were eager to pull up the lobster trap that was put out near the dock. We had baited it using the muscles taken from right beneath the dock. Muscles are a known favorite snack of the many sea creatures roaming the sea floor. So I was not surprised when the trap pulled up a ton of crabs. We were not lucky enough this time to catch a lobster, but the kids were thrilled with our haul! Among the many other crabs scattered throughout the trap, the prize catch was a massive spider crab. It was one of the biggest I have seen all season!

Spider crabs are really interesting for many reasons. They look very different from any of the other crabs we catch. Spider crabs are known for burrowing in the mud in order to hide from predators and catch unsuspecting prey. Because of this, they become encrusted with nasty mud and seaweed, adding to their creepy appearence. We did run into some difficulties trying to remove the spider crab from the trap. Somehow, the crab had gotten its long claw intwined in the netting. After some careful manuvering, making sure to be as safe as possible, I managed to safely free the crab without any harm to it (or myself!). Of course, the boys were eager to hold it and pose for a picture. After rebaiting the trap, we tossed it back into Pleasure Bay. Tomorrow maybe we will even catch a lobster!

Till Next Time,

Tommy Regan

What a Spectacle

Today at Spectacle Island was an exciting day. The morning was a bit hectic, as the staff and I tried to organize over 300 people! After the presentation by the always enthusiastic David Coffin, we managed to get each group on the boat with no problems. It is really something special to be able to send that many kids out on just a single trip. I remember when I first started at Save the Harbor, we would be lucky to have half those numbers. In the past couple years alone, I have watched the All Access program grow tremendously. Starting this year, we have had to use the largest ferry in the A.C. Cruise Lines fleet to accommodate our large increase in numbers. Of course I will miss the Virginia C-II (the oldest ferry in the Harbor), but it makes it worth the loss to be able to take so many more kids out to enjoy our beautiful islands. I truly do feel blessed to have such an amazing job.
Once we arrived at Spectacle, the kids were eager to get out onto the island. After a nice picnic-style lunch, some of our staff headed off to the beach to begin the search for treasure while the rest of us (myself included) took a group up to the top of the north drumlin for kite flying. I never get tired of the view from up there! Standing 176 feet from sea level, Spectacle is the tallest island in the Harbor and therefore offers some of the best views of the city and surrounding islands. Being up there now, its hard to imagine that years ago I would be standing on smelly, harmful trash. The transformation of this island from a trash dump to a beautiful park where kids get to run around, swim, and have fun is remarkable. Today also made me realize something. Not only could the Treasures of Spectacle Island program apply to the various sea glass and pottery found on the beach, but (at least for me) it can also apply to the island itself. Spectacle has transformed into a treasure for all to enjoy. I can't wait to get back out there tomorrow.

Till next time,

Tommy Regan

Staying Cool in the Hot Summer Sun

The past couple weeks have been really exciting for our Harbor Explorers. We have had such a successful summer so far, I have the feeling its only going to get better from here. Last week, I was working at Piers Park and Courageous Sailing Center, two of my favorite sites. Despite the scorching heat, our group was able to stay cool and still enjoy the harbor. The temperatures reached over a hundred degrees! On days like that, it is very easy to get dehydrated. It's extremely important to drink lots of water, so I made sure the kids took plenty of water breaks. Showing their true toughness and dedication, our explorers managed to brave the heat and still catch some of their favorite critters (including a lobster!)

Although we have managed to catch lots of sea creatures, the hunt for a striped bass is still on at these sites. I am optimistic that our team will reel in a keeper soon because fishing in the Harbor has been slowly but steadily increasing. A potentially helpful tool for our hunt could be switching up the bait we use. In the past, sea worms have worked very well, so in the coming weeks I think I will use more. Mixing things up will be a nice little change for our young explorers as well. By using different bait, like switching from muscles to herring or lures to live bait, the kids can start to learn what catches the most fish. I will be sure to keep everyone posted as to which bait works best!

Till next time,

Tom Regan

First Catch of the Season

This summer at Harry McDonough Sailing Center in South Boston has been a ton of fun so far. I cannot believe that we are just a couple weeks into our program when already so much has happened. We have had a lot of success catching all kinds of crabs, from hermit crabs to red rock crabs, as well as other creatures like periwinkles, muscles, and clams. Yesterday seemed to be shaping up to be another great day, even though none of our explorers had catch a fish yet. Little did we know, the harbor explorers we’re in for a exciting surprise.

Just as the staff and I were beginning to wrap up for the day, one of our young anglers, Jacob, felt a sudden and heavy tug on his fishing rod! Conor and David were the first of the staff on the scene, as they managed to assist Jacob reel in his catch. When the fish was almost to the surface, we were able to catch the first glimpse of the large striped bass! Once it was reeled onto the deck, Conor was able to pull the lure safely out of the striper’s mouth. After posing for a few photos, the fish was grateful to be returned to Pleasure Bay. We measured the catch to be 27 inches, just an inch under being big enough to keep. Hopefully, yesterday’s success will be a good sign of things to come.

Tommy

Deep Sea Rescue

For those who do not know, I have been stationed in Southie for the past week. We are still working on catching fish (it is true that you can sort of count Thi's young sea robin that she caught). Mainly we have been catching various crustaceans with our crab traps. With great success, we have baited them with mussels and pulled up asian shore crabs and a few green crabs. However, tradgedy struck the McDonough Sailing Center when one of the two crab trabs fell into the brackish depths of the sugar bowl. It would appear that the knot on the crab line became undone, resulting in our young campers to pull up simply the line with no trap. The very next day, our other crab trap met a similar fate as a group of girls tried to shake seaweed off the trap. It tumbled into the water as we watched powerless. Now, sans crab trap, we decided that we needed to mount a recovery operation. Three brave girls lead by my intrepid friend Betty decided to swim from the shore to the spot of the suken trap. Despite the girls being strong swimmers, they were unable/unwilling to dive down and get the trap. The water proved to be rather murky, which complicated efforts, and deeper than everyone expected. Tommy and I attempted to direct them from the dock with limited success. Upon the girls suggestion I ran over to a sympathetic camper named Paddy, who volunteered his goggles for the rescue attempt. Still, the girls were unable to get the trap and had to doggie paddle to the steps. Taking matters into my own hands I jumped into the water, blindly feeling around the muddy bottom until my hand clutched the familiar metal. I truimphantly shot to the surface with my prize and we all swam a shore, having a good chuckle about our efforts.

Over and out,

Conor B. Newman

Back for Another Summer

Hi! I'm Tom Regan and I am lucky enough to be back at Save the Harbor again this year. This will be my fifth year working with the youth program and I very excited for this summer. This year I have the added responsibility of being a Senior Marine Educator.

I now have the challenge of both running the various sites and being a mentor to the younger staff. As a seasoned veteran to our amazing youth program, I believe I can prosper in my new role. Luckily, we have an amazing staff again this year to help me along the way. Being a Senior Marine Educator also means you will be seeing a lot more posts from me throughout the summer, which I know is great news to all my loyal fans out there.

To all of you who do not know me yet, I can tell you a little about myself. I am a twenty year old junior at Clemson University in South Carolina where I study Biology. I have spent my whole life in the Boston area and am currently living in Quincy. I grew up on and around the water and am thrilled to have such an awesome job. Next week, our programs officially begin and I can't wait to get out on the beaches, docks, and piers throughout the harbor! Talk to you soon.

Yours truely,

Tom Regan

Saying Goodbye to a Great Summer

Friday was my last day of working with kids for the summer. The day turned excited just as we were wrapping up at Piers Park. We caught two fish! The first was a small cunner, but the second was a bass! I couldn't have asked for a better last day. I am off to school at Clemson in just a few days!

Working at Save the Harbor this summer has been amazing. I have had so much fun! Plus I had the privilege of working with a great group of people. I love this job for so many reasons. One of which is how I always seem to end up smiling and laughing most of the days. We have had the perfect blend of employees this summer: from seasoned veterans like Jen and myself, to goofs like Conor and BJ, and rookies like Timmy the Kid. I really have enjoyed working with everyone. I am definitely excited to go back to school but I will also miss everyone. It has been such a successful summer! We have caught so many marine creatures! Thank you to all.

Yours truly,

Tom Regan

Casting on the Sugar Bowl

Monday afternoon turned out to be a really great time. After a morning at the Children's Museum like we had (which you can read about below), a nice afternoon at Southie wrapped up a perfect day. I was so impressed at how well the kids have gotten at casting this summer. There are surely some future pro anglers in the making out there. We decided to go out to the Sugar Bowl despite the somewhat lengthy walk. The kids have the most room to show off their casting skills out there. The weather was fantastic and everyone had fun. I can't wait to get back out there and hopefully catch a bass!

On the way back from fishing we saw the food chain in action! A seagull was picking apart a crab that it caught for an early dinner. It was a little gross but still really cool to watch up close. I could not have asked for a more exciting Monday. Such a fun day will be hard to top the rest of the week.

Yours truly,

Tom Regan

Boston Children's Museum Sets a New Record!

Today at the Boston Children's Museum I was joined by a fabulous crew from Save the Harbor, including Conor, Tom, Aruna, and Alex. As we set up for the morning Aruna mentioned that he has not caught a fish this summer! His luck was about to change.

As the kids arrived so did the fish. One after another the Save the Harbor Team assisted almost every child that participated in fishing 101 program reel in a fish. Between the time of 10:00 am and 11:00 am we already had eight fish and one crab in the touch tank. By 12:15 we had tallied around eighteen total fish. You could say it was a very successful morning.

Thank you to all the participants. You did a wonderful job reeling the 'cunners' in and helping us release them at the end. Throughout my four years fishing at Save the Harbor, today was the most successful day in regards to fishing!

WELL DONE,

Jennifer Last

One Awesome Staff

Hello all! I had a great second week in South Boston, Dorchester, and the Boston Children's Museum. I would definitely stay at these sites for the rest of the summer if I could, but I'm also SO excited to move forward and see what Quincy and Camp Harbor View are all about. I know they'll bring their own amazing memories to what is already an unforgettable summer.

While there are so many aspects of my job this summer that get better and better with each passing week, there's one aspect I'm growing particularly fond of--- and that's getting to build great relationships with my co-workers and to see how much they are growing as individuals this summer. We have a great set of seasoned college assistants, and a talented, bright group of junior assistants, including many MLK Summer Scholars. We span a decade in our ages (pictured, you can see our youngest staffer, Timmy "The Kid" Grogan, holding our biggest catch of the summer so far), we live in various Boston neighborhoods, and, besides the Harbor, we have our own interests and hobbies. Regardless of our different backgrounds, however, I really felt us come together in the last two weeks. Now that we've finished up Week 4 and are heading into Week 5, almost everyone has gotten to work together at the different sites, and we've all comfortably settled in to working with one another. And now that we've all had several chances to see what works at the different sites, we're learning from each other's best practices. It's also great to see the younger staffers take on so much responsibility with such ease and confidence, so much so that I am completely comfortable with taking a step back and letting them steer the day in their own personal direction. I am proud to work alongside such a great group.

I was especially impressed with Mark Rose this week, who took on the responsibility of setting up and using our new underwater camera in South Boston. As the kids gathered around to monitor a submerged crab trap for signs of an unsuspecting victim, Mark ran the show; and if the camera started to act up, Mark diagnosed and remedied the problem like a pro. I'm blessed to be surrounded by talented people like Mark, passionate people like LaToya, hilarious people like Conor and Tom, and many other staffers with strengths of their own, all summer. Everyone brings something different to the table. Dare I say it? I know I'm learning more from them than they are learning from me this summer.

Harbor Love,

Michelle

Lynn Beach Kid's Concert Event

Last Saturday, I made my way to Lynn Beach for the first time for what turned out to be a really fun event. As we drove around the corner leading to the beach, my attention was immediately drawn to the massive sea wall. As I pulled up to the Red Rock Park, they were just beginning to set up for the Kid's Concert. Luckily we were there early so we had plenty of time to help set up our own equipment and some of their tables. When families started to show up, it was clear that the lobster in our touch tank was going to be a big hit. The kids really enjoyed touching and even picking up the lobster. Parents were excited and eager to snap pictures of their kids with a live lobster! For some of these kids, it was hopefully the first of many times they get to play with the marine life right from our own Boston Harbor. A few of the kids even got to take home some shells we had found right at Lynn Beach. Overall, it was a great event. The kids also really enjoyed the band that played. It was a very successful day.

-Tom Regan

Finding a New Home in the Harbor

I know I've taken over the blog a bit these past couple days with crab and water testing, but I can't resist sharing my amazing week with you all and thanking everyone who was a part of it. I'll bullet-point my highlights to try and keep it short, but, coming off the my favorite week of the summer so far, I can't make any promises...

• I got to work with the Dream Team this week- LaToya, Aruna, Tommy, and myself meshed amazingly well together, and I can't thank them enough for the passion they put in to what we were doing. Plus, I really just had so much fun with them. Thanks guys!
• I felt very at home working at the Boston Children's Museum, getting to talk to families and have those quick windows of time to really connect with the great kids that pass through. Practically every child that comes over to our touch tank or our lobster trap encounters something new and has this unforgettable look of awe and wonder on his or her face. I'm never going to get sick of that look.
• I got to work alongside Jen Last a TON this week, who, aside from providing such a great support system to our youth staff this summer, is a great role model for anyone who seeks a future in marine education. I'm incredibly lucky to be learning the ropes from her and developing my own style of teaching in the process. Thank you, Jen!
• My kids all week asked some amazing questions, ranging from "Is a barnacle growing on a whale the same kind of thing as if my dog had a worm?" to "I know we can't use a native spider crab for bait, we should use an Asian Shore crab... what if a spider crab was in Asia, could we use it for bait there?" It was so rewarding to see those scientific wheels turning.
• Combined, my sites caught 5 fish this week-- the 5th of which was a 27-29 inch striper that we reeled in RIGHT as we were starting to pack up in South Boston this afternoon. I couldn't have asked for a better final note to finish the week!

For those of you who don't know, I moved here on a whim at the beginning of June. It was pretty scary to take a leap like that. I left the most important people in my life at home in Maryland, and I miss them all the time. I blindly hoped that Boston would present an outlet for my passion for environmental education, but I moved up without a job. Then Jen, Lindsay, Patty, and Bruce took me in and gave me the opportunity to be a part of this amazing group of people. It's not always easy to be 22 years old, in a new city, far away from my family, apartment hunting, trying to figure out what the next step in my life will be; but it's weeks like this that leave no doubt in my mind that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Lots of Harbor Love,

Michelle

South Boston Family Fun Night

Last night's Family Fun Night was a great time! Dan, Carolyn, and I staffed the event, which was over before I even noticed. Time flew by as kid after kid came up to play with the marine creatures we brought in the touch tank. We were lucky enough to bring two lobsters, which Dan and Carolyn caught earlier that day. In a separate tank, we had some periwinkles and Asian shore crabs that we caught right at Carson Beach. The lobsters were definitely the biggest hit. I often saw wide-eyed shocked faces when I would pull up the massive lobster.

The weather was also great making for an all around successful night. The organizers for the event did a fantastic job with everything, even having the families sign

a poster thanking Save the Harbor! I had a lot of fun and am glad I was there.

-Tom Regan

Strange Catch at the Children's Museum

I have been having so much fun working in front of the Children's Museum. Their staff has been extremely helpful, which is great because it makes our job a lot easier and more efficient. Yesterday, we continued our success at both fishing and crabbing! Kids loving playing with the crabs and other creatures in the touch tank, its always a big hit. The best part about fishing in the Channel is we are always at least getting bites. I am always so impressed by how quickly some of the kids learn to fish. Even though we were using large striped bass hooks, the kids still managed to hook two small cunners. We still haven't caught a bass but I hope it will be soon. One of the more enthusiastic anglers, Matthew, even caught a small piece of white siding for a house! It was a very strange find! We were able to look closely at the object to find all kinds of marine organisms growing on it like sea squirts, sea weed, mussels, and orange tunicates. We got the added satisfaction of being able to remove one piece of junk from the water. The kids always love playing with the crabs and other creatures in the touch tank, its always a big hit. Overall it was a fun and interesting day, I can't wait to get back there and see what we catch on Wednesday!

-Tom Regan

Fun Day at the Children's Museum

Today at the Children's Museum we were able to catch a lot of organisms before the afternoon rain storm. Using both the crab trap and lobster trap, we gathered a bunch of green crabs and even one of those creepy looking spider crabs. We even caught two fish, called cunners (also known as a perch or choggie). They are a very common small fish around the Harbor, and the same type of fish I caught last week at Camp Harbor View on Long Island. Working outside the Children's Museum is a great experience because we get such a wide range of kids to play with, touch, and learn about these marine creatures. I am amazed at the fearlessness of even our youngest explorers.

The only downside to the day was seeing all the trash in the water. Much of this trash comes from the storm runoff after a severe rain, like we had recently. It is sad to see all that trash and debris in the water, but shows there is still a little bit more work to be done in terms of cleaning up. This also reminded me how important it is to wash my hands when in contact with the Harbor water after a large rain storm.

-Tom Regan

Fishing Triumph at Harbor View!

On thursday we spent a lot of time fishing on the pier at Camp Harbor View. We brought along sea worms to use as bait and they worked really well. We caught THREE fish in one afternoon! The kids had so much fun getting to touch and even pick up the fish, which were two skates and a small fish known as a cunner. A skate is a type of ray that is very common and found swimming along the bottom of the harbor. The cunner is a type of small fish that is usually found near rocky areas and pilings. It was great to see some of the campers holding a fish for the first time! They even enjoyed identifying the cunner in the field guide. Sea worms have clearly been the bait of choice for catching fish so far. So hopefully we will have continued success with fishing this summer!

Yours truly,

Tom Regan

First Day at Camp Harbor View

The first day at Camp Harbor View went better than expected! Despite the extreme heat, the kids had a great time catching all sorts of marine creatures on the rocky beach at low tide. I was surprised at how many of the campers had never caught a crab before! I was glad to be a part of their first crab catching experience. A few of the kids were scared of even the baby crabs at first, but at the end of the day were bragging about how many they found. We were able to find hundreds of crabs of all sizes! The creatures we found included Asian shore crabs, periwinkles, hermit crabs, and tunicates, just to name a few. The best place to be on such a hot day is down by the ocean, where some were even able to stop and pose for a picture! I could not have asked for a better first day.

-Tom Regan

The Summer has Started

Hi, my name is Tom Regan and this is my 4th summer working for the youth program at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. As a seasoned veteran to the program, I have seen it grow tremendously. For example, this summer I have almost triple the number of co-workers from my first summer and double the number of sites. I never get tired of exploring the ocean with kids everyday and consider myself very lucky that I have this job. My favorite part of work is seeing the excitement on the kids' faces who get to go out and explore the Harbor for the first time. I am really excited for this summer because I have a feeling we will be catching a lot, so look for lots of cool pictures of to come!