Welcome to August! I hope this finds you all enjoying your summer as it speeds past. I'm back from a bit of stay-cation and vacation, and having not put out a message since June, well, I figured it's about time I check in...
Recently I found a new materials supplier who has a whole lot of wonderful stuff that called out to me from the catalog pages, begging to be purchased. So I obliged, and now have a pile of goodies on my desk and workbench to play with.
One such item is the clasp used in this week's featured piece. Go ahead and scroll to the bottom and head straight to the website if you must. Otherwise, read on...
As you know, we have a little 17' Boston Whaler docked at our house, and love to go cruising up and down the Kennebec River. On our trips, we almost always see Bald Eagles---yes, more than one! Seals basking on rocks. Striped bass jumping. And, more than once---Atlantic Sturgeon. Last summer, one leapt from the water no more than 2 feet from the side of our boat. It was about 5 or 6 feet long and we got a REALLY good look at it.
Ever seen a sturgeon? They are the ugliest fish you can imagine. Prehistoric in fact and appearance--they have been on the Earth for 120 million years--and have armored plates rather than scales. Originally thought to be a worthless fish and a nuisance to fishermen, whose nets were cut by the sharp skin of the fish, they eventually became an important economic crop---the first 'cash crop' harvested by the Jamestown colony settlers. The skin was turned to leather and used for book-binding. Isinglass, a form of collagen found in the fish's organs, was used in the production of wine and beer. And then of course, there was the roe.
In the late 19th century, 7 million pounds of sturgeon meat was exported from the US, making it one of the world's largest suppliers of caviar. And the caviar from the Atlantic sturgeon was of such quality that it was nearly as sought after as the much-prized Beluga Caviar found in sturgeon who swim the Caspian Sea. Over-fishing resulted, and at one point, a mere 22,000 lbs of sturgeon meat was caught and exported in a year. Although that number rebounded somewhat, in February, 2012, the Atlantic Sturgeon was put on the Endangered Species list.
Which makes it pretty cool that we get to see them now and then in the Kennebec, right?
Anyway... The other day I was looking at this unique sterling silver clasp, and these cool, red, silver and black beads on my workbench, and I thought, "Hey! I'll write about sturgeon and caviar this week!" So I Googled it. And what did I find? An article in the Bangor Daily News, dated 7/31/13, about a researcher at the University of New England who just caught a 7 foot long, 250 lb Atlantic Sturgeon in the Saco River here in Maine! (They actually caught 40 sturgeon while doing research that day, but the 7 ft long one was the biggest.)
They aren't sure if the sturgeon in the Saco River are spawning or just feeding, but consider it a good sign that the population is making a comeback. Researchers have already determined that the fish in the Kennebec River are spawning, so we should be seeing more of them as years go by.
From my research I also learned that Atlantic Sturgeon can live to be 60 years old and grow to 14ft long and weigh 800 lbs. Which has me thinking we should get a bigger boat!
Here's the link to the BDN story about the fish caught in the Saco, if you are interested.
The Piece of the Week is on the Website, link below my signature.
Until next week (or whenever I get around to writing again...)
Champagne wishes and caviar dreams!
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