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Sustenance from the sea
A catfish and a pufferfish share space with blue crabs and stone crabs.
SUMMIT COUNTY — I had to get up early — but not too early — to go crabbing with Paul Belcher, a thrice-retired waterman who lives in a quiet southwest Florida neighborhood just a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Belcher has fished for shrimp, farmed shellfish and also makes crab traps in his garage. In the past, he’s shrimped and crabbed commercially; these days, it’s about keeping busy, staying on the water and sometimes supplying a few pounds of fresh seafood for local parties or friends.
Paul Belcher launches his fishing boat in the still waters of Placida Harbor at Eldreds Marina.
Craggy, wry and well able to maneuver his trailer and boat on his own, Paul wouldn’t let me help a whole lot — I would probably just mess up his well-oiled routine, but he does let me “hold” the boat while he parks his pickup and trailer. Then we slip into the oily waters of the mangrove-lined channels and head into Placida Bay, where his traps have been sitting on the bottom for a few days. (more…)
Filed under: daily photoblog, Florida, Morning photo, photography, Travel | Tagged: blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, crabbing, Fish and Seafood, food, Gulf of Mexico, Summit County News | Leave a Comment »
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