On a recent stay in Oceanside, Karin and I were taking a walk around the harbor. It is a two-mile walk that is always interesting do to – – a constant and changing activity. There was a barge just off the rocks that formed the side of the harbor. A woman was using a small dip net to take tiny fish out of a large reservoir in the barge and putting them in a bucket.

Karin stopped to watch. The woman got in a row boat, with her bucket, and rowed ashore. There were two boys on the rocks fishing. The lady dumped her bucket into a bucket the boys had. She then rowed back to the barge.

Karin looked at me and asked, “I wonder what I just saw?” She had never been around fishing boats before. She was not satisfied with my answer of a bait barge and asked a bunch of questions.

I explained how the bait boats go out at night and net the small fish when they come up to eat the plankton that rise to the surface at night.  The bait boats put bright lights over the side to draw the plankton and the little fish come to eat them and get caught in the nets.

The bait boats come back into the harbor before sunrise and transfer the fish to the bait barge tanks. In the morning, the fishing boat charters stop at the barge on their way out of the harbor and transfer the fish into the tank on their boat. The fishermen/women now have bait to fish with.

The charter boats go out and fish for whatever time they are scheduled for. On the way back into the harbor the deck-hands clean the fish and receive tips from the fishers.

Karin was fascinated, and said, “How many people are involved with putting a fish in the frying pan?’ I had never thought of that. The boat crews, boat yard maintenance workers, the bait barge staff, and even the gas station attendants who put fuel in the boats. You could include everyone clear back to the geologist who found the oil and the people that built the boats.

It was a question that was above my pay scale and made me realize how totally dependent we are on each other. How many people, trucks, boats, etc., did it take to fill your coffee cup this morning? I don’t know either but I’m glad I drink coffee so they all have a job to feed their families.

Karin and I decided we should do our part and eat more fish.