It was a bad year to be a piping plover in East Hampton. In fact, the worst since at least 2008. While 32 pairs of plovers made East Hampton Town beaches their summer homes, only seven of those pairs were successful in fledging 15 young. Plovers in Southampton Town had a more successful summer.
Outdoors
On the Water: Back on the Court“Yeah, the weather gods have not been cooperating of late,” Ken Morse at Tight Lines Tackle in Sag Harbor said of the slow fishing. “The winds were relentless, but it appears things are finally going to calm down.”
On the Water: Tight Lines Moves OnJust as Tropical Storm Ophelia ushered out summer, Ken Morse, the man behind Tight Lines Tackle in Sag Harbor, is moving out — to Southampton.
New Dates Not Yet Set for Big Clam DigUPDATE: Those wishing to put their rakes to the test for the East Hampton Town Trustees’ Largest Clam Contest will have to wait a bit longer to dig for the winners in Lake Montauk, Napeague Harbor, Accabonac Harbor, Hog Creek, and Three Mile Harbor, as heavy rains have closed many areas to shellfishing and forced a second rescheduling of the annual event.
On the Water: Same as It Ever WasThere’s bad news for anglers in NOAA’s analysis of its annual recreational fishing survey.
On the Water: A Fee for Saltwater Fishing Permits?If you fish in saltwater in New York and are over the age of 16, you must possess a free Department of Environmental Conservation marine registry permit. But now the marine registry may soon cease to exist, as the D.E.C. is considering a fee-based license for fishing in the state’s marine waters.
On the Water: Fair Winds, JimmyJimmy Buffett, who had a house on North Haven, loved the waters of the East End, whether surfing, sailing, or fishing.
On the Water: Bleak Outlook for ScallopsThe outlook for the bay scallop season, which is set to start in early November, is once again poor. For the fifth summer in a row, there has been a significant die-off of mature bay scallops in local waters.
On the Wing: Epic Summer for Rare Birds at MecoxJust over the lip of the dune bordering the lot at Scott Cameron Beach is one of the most important habitat areas for shorebirds on the entire East End: Mecox Inlet.
On the Water: Grab a Crab at RehabA cooler of blue-claws for a new friend in cardiac rehab might mark the first time the tasty shellfish have paid a visit to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.
On the Water: Head East for FishThe direction you want to go during the August heat is east. “Whether it’s striped bass, bluefish, fluke, porgies, sea bass, or tuna, the fish now prefer to be in cooler, deeper waters,” said Ken Morse of Tight Lines Tackle in Sag Harbor.
On the Water: North Fork Easy RiderI had done some fishing a few days earlier at Jessup’s Neck, and the bluefish were hungry, taking full advantage of my four-ounce diamond jig. I had my fill of fish, so I got on my motorcycle.