Underway And On Our Way To East Antarctica

Wednesday, 10 January 2024
Day 49 of 110ish

This day arrived about 10 days premature. Today we haul up the last line that’s been set in the Ross Sea and we start our 10-ish day steam to East Antarctica. 

Bittersweet Sayonara

I’m having mixed feelings about this…which surprises me. I’m so excited to see East Antarctica and all the promises of whales and huge icebergs it holds, but I don’t feel quite ready to leave here yet. It’s become a bit of home.

I’ve loved my time in the Ross Sea and I will be sad to leave. 

I’ve loved marveling at all the wildlife and watching the chunks of ice. Even the ice is mesmerizing. Thick. Thin. Different shapes and sizes. Icebergs. Ice pads. Pack ice. I feel like the Forest Gump of ice now!

Not Many Fish In This Sea

I’m also sad because of why we are leaving. It’s a double edged sword for me. We are leaving because we simply aren’t catching enough fish to make our time down here viable.

That’s sad because the guys (and Tom) will have that reflected in their pay package at the end of the trip, but I’m more concerned about the lack of fish as in what it means for the toothfish population.

Has the fishery collapsed or have they simply moved locations this year, a natural ebb and flow or is some other change afoot? We are not the only boat not catching fish. In fact, we have been leading the fleet in the quantity of fish caught! And yet what we are hauling is paling in comparison to previous years. 

We’ve been hauling in around 1-1.5 ton per line and Australian Longline wants to see at least 3 ton per line. Not quite there!

Letting Off Some Steam

So today we steam toward East Antarctica, leaving a toothfish quota of a whopping 1500 ton of fish still up for grabs!  

10-ish days of steaming means a week and a half of gentlemen’s hours…I hope! It promises to be a lovely time. It also promises the biggest seas I’ve ever seen and saying goodbye to living in an ice covered pond!

I have to say, I’ve quite enjoyed the lack of wobble for this last month. It’s certainly a treat! 

Well, it’s time to look forward and see what the future holds! I’m hoping lots of whales and different species too!