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Angler's Profiles
by Hugh Markey
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| A series of articles introducing RISAA members to the rest of the club. |
| (From the February, 2004 Newsletter) Captain Al Anderson |
On a mild December day, I trudge back to
my car after being skunked fishing for schoolies from the docks along
the Thames River. As I make my way, a tall man with a mustache, baseball cap, and sunglasses asks me about my luck while securing his 17’ Boston Whaler to a trailer. “Nothing, and didn’t see anyone else on the docks getting anything, either.” “What kind of equipment are you using?” Somehow the question, friendly as it is, makes me feel like I’m back in eighth grade math class, about to be discovered as the kid who has no idea how to do the homework. I reluctantly show him my setup. “Hmmm…” he grunts. “Well, let me show you what I’ve been using.” He shows me the rigs that have been at least partially responsible for him and his client landing about 60 fish that morning. He is affable as well as knowledgeable, and my hesitation quickly fades. “You ought to pick up some of this stuff.” Not only does he recommend a particular brand of braided line, but he also gladly points out the weight and colors of the soft plastics he has been using. I’m a bit surprised at his openness, considering the reluctance of some fishermen to share information. As the conversation continues, I begin to realize he is giving almost the same fishing report that I had earlier read on the RISAA bulletin board. I’ve never laid eyes on the man before, but something about him is familiar. “Hang on a second,” I interrupt. “Are you Captain Al Anderson?” He cocks his head to one side and smiles. “Guilty as charged.” THE BABE RUTH OF TAG AND RELEASE
If you ask anyone about Al Anderson, they will tell you two things:
first, that he’s been a successful charter captain for decades; second,
that he’s something of a fanatic about tagging fish for both the
American Littoral Society (ALS) and the National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS, now known as NOAA Fisheries). Even on a cold New
Year’s morning, he sits at the counter of a donut shop passing the time
filling out a stack of ALS record cards while waiting (somewhat
patiently?) for an overdue writer. “I started experimenting with tagging as an undergraduate student,” he explains. “I was curious about fish habits, so I used to use telephone wire on freshwater bass. I’d make notes on the size, weight, and the color wire I used on them. During one period of time I caught one with five of my wires in him!” he laughs. It was apparent that the tagging had had no negative impact on the fish, and it vividly demonstrated the possibilities of tag and release to the college student. It wasn’t until several years later that he began a regular habit of tagging his catch for the ALS. Still, there were very few people involved with T/R at that time. “There were really no tagging programs in the New England area back then,” Anderson explains. “Bob Pond of Stripers Unlimited was one of the first to talk up the ALS, particularly in the realm of striper tagging. ALS was the first group who were really concerned about the environment with regard to fish habits. The hopes were that the data collected would be used by the ‘fishcrats’ to make sound decisions.” Over the years, Anderson tagged literally thousands of fish. From the 1960’s to the early ‘80’s, he never kept track of his own record, but since that time, the captain, together with his clients, tagged over 30,000 fish. Currently, he is well on his way to his current goal of tagging 10,000 over-winter stripers in Connecticut’s Thames River for research and possibly another book. Along with his personal goal, Anderson is happy to see the tagging ethic spread rapidly in recent years, due in part to the efforts of RISAA. “I’m amazed at how RISAA has raised the profile of the tag/release program. If it weren’t for RISAA, T/R wouldn’t be where it is today.” He also points to an awakening of the importance of t/r throughout New England. “There’s more being done today with tagging than ever before. It’s spread to a wide variety of sport fish, like sea bass, fluke, tautog, even 10,000 codfish recently tagged in the Gulf of Maine. It has become apparent that we can learn a great deal from tagging.” MR. CELL
Captain Anderson’s concern for learning has
its roots in his “previous life”: his career as a teacher.
Before he took to the sea for a living, he taught at Adelphi University
in New York and in the Zoology department at the University of Rhode
Island before taking a position in the Science Department of Westerly
High School. While at the high school, Anderson brought his love for
fishing into his Biology classroom. “I had a fishing club there. Sometimes I’d come into the classroom with my foul weather gear on, bring my filet knives. I’d filet the previous night’s catch right there with my students. By the time I got done, they knew about the fish!” In those early days, Anderson clearly knew the value of taking risks in order to bring laughter and learning to the classroom. On another occasion, he and his wife spruced up a large cardboard box, cut holes in it for his head and arms, and voila! Mr. Cell was born! Though the unconventional approach may sound a bit off the wall, a recent chance encounter reinforced just how effective the lesson was. “I was out recently and a former student of mine, now a nurse at Westerly Hospital, recognized me. She said, ‘Mr. Anderson! Endoplasmic reticulum!” We laughed about that, but she said, ‘you know, I still remember Mr. Cell!’” Still, by 1981, Anderson had had enough. The frustrations of dealing with uncooperative students and ineffective administrators made the lure of the sea irresistible. “I quit my vocation, and took up my avocation,” he explains. He cashed in his retirement fund and built and designed his third charter boat, a 35-foot Prowler. RENAISSANCE MAN
Since then, Captain Al Anderson has never looked back. Along with his highly successful
charter business, Anderson represents the International Game Fish
Association in Rhode Island. He has aided in the design of
numerous fishing boats, both for himself and others. He has
written many, many articles (including his monthly column in this
newsletter), along with several books. All of them have an
underlying theme, however: ethical fishing and tag and release.
His accomplishments in the writing field have earned him honors from
the prestigious New England Outdoor Writers’ Association, an accolade
of which he is justifiably proud, if a bit too modest. “I just put bait
on hooks,” he says with a smile. Captain Anderson is a man who has dedicated himself to species conservation, as well as to teaching others all he can about his beloved sport and its ethical pursuit. That may explain why a guy who has just spent hours getting paid to haul a client around can’t resist helping out a hapless shore angler/writer in need of guidance. It’s a matter of passion, and in the grand scheme of things, it seems like Anderson is pleased with the way his passion for fishing and educating others has paid off. “I’m fortunate enough to have a wonderful clientele and a strong business. And I’m proud as hell I did it ethically!” |
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