There are plenty of fish in the sea, and Gerritsen Beach is the perfect place to catch some.
Families lined up at the southernmost end of Gerritsen Avenue on Monday afternoon, August 4th, to participate in a free fishing clinic sponsored by the Marine Park Alliance and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
There, a handful of expert anglers educated community members of all ages on basic fishing techniques like baiting a hook, casting a line, reeling in catch and then throwing it back. First-time anglers learned that they might catch any number of fish passing through the busy waterways this time of year, including bluefish, striped bass and even sea robins.
“This is awesome,” a youngster squealed as he bopped up and down with excitement, his Dad looking on proudly and videoing his son’s very first fishing experience. “This is great,” the boy’s father told the Canarsie Courier. “We wanted to see if we would like it and now that we learned the basics, we’re going to buy some rods and make this a regular thing. It’s just too bad we have to throw the fish back; I was hoping to bring something home for dinner.”
According to the DEC, the catch and release method is commonly practiced to “ensure that mature, healthy fish can spawn again and helps to perpetuate a fit population of quality-size fish for future angling enjoyment.” In fact, the expert anglers advised participants to handle fish gently and as little as possible: to quickly snap a photo, remove the hook and then release the fish right away, minimizing their time out of the water.
It may also a good idea to throw fish back because they could be unsafe for human consumption, according to the NYS Department of Health’s website, which suggests some species in some areas could be contaminated by pollutants like PCBs and dioxin. See https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/outdoors/fish/health_advisories/regional/new_york_city.htm for more information.
