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Topic: a few old pics  (Read 3059 times)

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charles

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I've been researching a bit of the distant past of the Bodega Bay area and sometimes come across interesting old photos. Here's three. The ab shells are from a Bodega Bay wharf and were taken off the island near Bodega Head. Obviously, limits were non existent. Commercial harvest. The ling cod are from Smith Bros wharf in Bodega Bay. They were the half Miwok descendants of Captain John Smith, a yankee sea captain who received a Mexican land grant that included Bodega and Bodega Bay. He set up the first steam sawmill in the area near the town of Bodega. Years ago I met a man whose father worked on Bodega Head ranching and he told me of the huge fish he saw as a little boy. Did not exaggerate. I met the two remaining Smith brothers at their dock  in the 1960's, now called Bodega Bay Yacht Club and was invited into their cabin next to the dock. Nice guys who died shortly thereafter. So no need to drive to Millers to launch in the 1850s. Painting of schooners is just below the town of Tomales on Keyes Creek. Keyes was the first landowner there and made his money potato farming. Three crops a year till the SF market got overstocked and the price dropped. Excessive runoff and erosion filled the valley in. All those flats one sees when the creek meets the bay....all deep water way back. I think one might, just might, be able to catch a halibut and not the size we catch now. Probably 40 to 50 pounders.
Charles


cookiemonster

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Thanks for sharing Charles. Very cool to see what used to be and now think about where things might head towards. Photos like these are always a humbling reminder that our natural resources are finite

A family friend (since passed) grew up in Point lobos where her family used to dive for abalone. Always crazy to think about how big this commercial operation was compared to the current state park that it is now.
« Last Edit: March 21, 2021, 06:21:43 PM by cookiemonster »


scottymeboy

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Hey Charles
Thanks for the history lesson!
Those Lings look like Alaska Lings  and the pile of ab shells... Holy Crap!


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LoletaEric

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Good share, Charles.

They probably also had people back in those days saying stuff like "they're trying to take away all fishing!"...
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IdleFishing

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I love old pictures. Thanks for sharing!
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JDuff

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Killer photos! Thanks for the share and words


Sebastopol Ry

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Thanks for sharing, great photos!

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Dale L

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Thanks for the pics, luv that kinda stuff. I lived in Martinez for 68 yrs which has it's own maritime.fish.ag history, but not many people especially nowaday realize that the next town over, Pacheco used to be a mostly ag shipping port. It's now over 4 miles to navigable water.


Tez

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Neat pics.  It's always interesting (and really sad) to see historic fishing photos.  The size and number of sea life, even just one or two generations ago, was just prolific.  They thought everything was infinite and inexhaustable. 

Some more ab pics from better times, both NorCal and SoCal.  Pretty sure the first pic shows a carpet of live abs at low tide, the rest are shell piles and thousands upon thousands of abs on drying racks.  By quick estimate, there are at least 2-300 per rack and well over 150+ racks = probably at least 50,000 abs just in that one drying batch.

The navy lookin' guy in the last shot is picking abs without getting his clothing or shoes wet @ St Nicholas Island off SoCal, 1956.
« Last Edit: March 22, 2021, 02:45:02 PM by Tez »


cookiemonster

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The number of abalone in those pictures is absurd, basically how I think of sand dabs covering the ocean floor


DavidMel

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and today we complain about limits or restrictions on the season.

These photos help drive the managed resource point home.  What was once an abundant abalone fishery has been decimated in a couple of generations. 

Knowing we can't reverse the clock, I believe it will take much more than a couple of generations to bring back a healthy abalone resource. 


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Jeff A

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Thanks for sharing!  I love old historical photos!
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Cool post, thought I'd bump it for others to enjoy.  Those pics do tell a different tale of not that long ago.
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Fisherman X

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