This blog was written for ProDelphinus in Peru by Elizabeth Campbell.
I wake up at midnight. Usually, I am going to bed at this time. But today, I have plans for the first hours of the day. My backpack is ready, packed with snacks and warm clothes. As I turn off the lights of my room I double check to see if I am forgetting something, then leave to meet with my captain.
In Peru, if you want to find a fisherman at port you have to know his nickname, real names are seldom used. I find “Guanay” - Captain Julio Curisaca - close to his boat. After exchanging some words, I tumble onto the boat and sit in a corner as the crew starts to organize materials they will need. It is a full moon, so there is enough light to see what they are moving around. Today I am an observer on an artisanal long-line vessel so I am excited to start. I watch as Guanay prepares the bait (Brevoortia maculata "machete"). Each piece of fish is filleted and hooked on while the viscera and bones are discarded into the sea where the gulls feast on it. This is done for each of the 1,700 hooks on the longline.
Everything prepared, we departed from the port and through the fog at 3:30 AM. I eat some crackers to silence my stomach. The waves are calm, making the movement of the boat perfect to take a nap but I sit up and stay awake. After approximately two hours, we reached the fishing grounds where the longline would be set. The crew set the hooks one by one, all 9 crates. Birds start flocking to the sides of the boat. I see a magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) up close. At this distance, I can appreciate the true size of the bird. This individual is a female. Blue-footed boobies (Sula nebouxii), and Peruvian boobies (Sula variegate) are also close. I also see some sooty shearwaters (Puffinus griseus). The elusive waved albatross is not present today.
After all the hooks are submerged we take a break hoping that the bait is being effective at luring in fish. We wait for a couple of hours, then the engine is turned on and we return to the start of the line. As they haul in the gear, we see that catch is not as good as was hoped. A couple of Peruvian hake (Merluccius gayi peruanus), and some red conger (Brotula clarkae). But more was expected. I record the catches in my notebook.
After hauling in all the gear we returned at 09:45 to the port of Mancora where Guanay and his crew offload the days’ catch. I said goodbye to Guanay and the rest of the crew, wishing them luck with future fish trips and hoping to see him again soon.