Interview with Fish Tagger "Uncle Art"
The Blues Brothers caught up with an old family friend, Art Schweithelm, who lives on Long Island in Northport, NY. "Uncle Art" has written articles about fishing for the "Underwater Naturalist" and "The Fisherman," given related speeches and enjoyed many days with a rod and reel in his hands. When the New York state record was set for largest bluefish (25 lbs.), guess who was there? Hint: In the accompanying article, "25-pound Chopper," you'll find Art kneeling in front of the 708-lb. giant bluefin tuna his crew also caught that season :)
BB: Why do you love fishing so much?
Uncle Art: Well, I love it for a group of reasons. First reason, I love the sport and I love nature--just being out outdoors. "The United Church of the Sea" I call it. My church is the whole universe. I'll fish at 3 a.m. and look at the stars and I never feel closer to God. I love to see how many varieties I can catch. I love the fight. I love tagging fish . . . I used to fish up to 200 days a season . . . I have been fishing since I was 4 with my father and uncle.
BB: What is involved with fish tagging and why would a fisherman do it?
Uncle Art: Every time you tag a fish, it's like putting a message in a bottle. A fisherman attaches a tag to a fish, records information on a separate card like date, time, place, weight estimate and type of fish and sends the card(s) to a fisheries agency or conservation group. I send mine to the American Littoral Society who sponsors the largest tagging program in the country. They share it with NOAA/Woods Hole scientists who create regulations based upon these tags.
Each tagged fish has an ID number with a corresponding card. We get a tremendous amount of information from tags, especially from the volume that are recaptured. We can learn about migration patterns, sizes, diseases, growth rates and more.
BB: What has your tagging experience been like?
Uncle Art: I love tagging fish. At one point, I was tagging an average of almost 500 fish per year. During my active fishing career, I was #5 in the country among taggers from ALS. I tagged most fish at Montauk, Northport, Eaton's Neck or Crab Meadow Beach which are all in New York. I have tagged17 different species-- from amberjack in Florida to Redfish in Venice, Louisiana to a 25 lb. barracuda in Key West to sea trout in the South Carolina marshes (my favorite place away from Long Island to fish. Redfish is my favorite fish to catch there). The fish I have tagged in New York been recaptured as far as North Carolina-- 500+ miles south of here in Northport and 500+ miles north of here in Maine and also where you are-- near Martha's Vineyard.
BB: What was your biggest catch?
Uncle Art: A 770 lb. giant bluefin tuna caught 10 miles south of Block Island.
BB: What does the American Littoral Society do?
Uncle Art: We try to protect the coast. Mainly saving the marshlands from builders. We have lobbyists that help. We also sponsor beach clean-ups, educational workshops, fish tagging and more.
BB: How can fishermen be "greener?"
Uncle Art: I bring a trash bag to the beach every time I go fishing. When I'm done fishing, I go near the dunes to collect beer cans, toothbrushes, you name it. Make a difference by always bring a trash bag to fill when you fish, too.