Fishing the West Passage & Filleting the Catch

Every June in Rhode Island, there is an event that defines the summer....for some.  It is an assemblage, a gathering, an extravaganza.  In a word, it is a BioBlitz.  An opportunity for those with a passion for the natural world to come together and explore.  Put on by the Rhode Island Natural History Survey and attended by scientists and those interested in our surroundings, this year almost 300 people attended this 24-hour event.  During this event, participants are broken up into teams, e.g. plant team, bird teams, mammal team, and marine team, to name a few.  I participated on the marine team.  Why?  Because I like boats, and I like water, and I have found that I like to haul things out of the ocean.  It probably stems from the Portuguese and Italian heritage.  

The goal of the marine team was to catch as many different marine species as possible.  And this is how we began:

We began by fishing for fluke (aka Summer Flounder).  I think the other thing I love about fishing is the opportunity to emulate prey.  The bait on the pink squid on the right is shiny and attracts fish.  I'm not entirely sure why the pink attracts fish but it does.  As we drift in the ocean, lightly bobbing our bait along the bottom, I feel a pull.  I'm not entirely sure that I have something, then my line bends, and our Captain points and nonchalantly says, "you've got something."  So I reel and reel and reel.  Much to my great pleasure I pull this out of the ocean:

So awesome.  And it didn't even eat the bait!  Over the course of the event our marine team kept three Fluke and five Scup.  We also caught and released three black sea bass and a little skate.

And you can't beat the view:

And after 24 hours of blitzing we are ready to depart but not without our fish.  I thought I would take this opportunity to share how to filet fish.  I, of course, did not partake, but our trusty Captain has many years of filleting under his belt and provided great direction.

Let's start with the Fluke, and remember, everyone has a different way to do it.  But this makes a lot of sense:

Step 1) Make sure the fish is dead.  Sever the spinal cord by putting your knife through the gill and down through the spine.

Step 2) I think the pictures may be more helpful than trying to explain it....

Run the knife down the lateral line

Run the knife along the bones separating the filets from the ribs.  There is a thin bit of connective tissue that separates easily with a sharp knife.

Again, run the knife down the center of the fluke to separate the filet.

Now let's get that skin off

Needless to say, a very sharp filet is essential for this process.  And stay tuned to see how I cook these bad boys up!