I posted the above picture on Facebook and Instagram last week. The reaction was big and immediate. Some people claimed it was a hoax. Others took it as a sign of the beginning of the madness that everyone has been anticipating this year. Others questioned the legality of the harvest. Basically, there was a lot of buzz about the picture.
Like everyone else, I was interested in finding out more and posted to contact me via email on the Instagram photo. I was contacted by someone who claimed to be a co-worker of the guys pictured in the photo. Let me say upfront that I wasn’t able to verify any of these details. The guys in the photo didn’t want to talk and the person I talked to didn’t want me to use his name. Apparently the DFW came down to their jobsite on Friday to question them about the fish. Let’s just say they’d like to just lay low for now. The person who did talk to me texted me this picture (right), one that I hadn’t seen anywhere else, so I believe the source to be credible. Judge for yourself. (The same guy told me he alternates worksites between L.A. Harbor and Santa Barbara. He told me they had run across some salmon up by Point Concepcion. Lo and behold, a boat out of Virg’s Landing caught salmon this week!)
As the story goes these guys were at their jobsite, deep within L.A. Harbor, Wilmington area. They observed the fish in the water swimming erratically. They left their posts to follow/chase the fish. Eventually, it ran itself into some rocks where they were able to capture it.
At this point, they’d been away from their posts for awhile. Fearing they would get in trouble with the boss, they stowed the fish in a trash can and returned to work. When they were done with their shift, they retrieved the fish and took the top picture.
And that’s it, probably the last you’ll hear about it. Strange visitors have wandered into the harbor in years past. I was told a story about a big eye tuna caught in L.A. Harbor during the 80’s El Nino event. Then there was that wahoo caught by the bait receiver a few years back. We’ll see other strange things before this year is over. Make sure your gear is serviced and you have fresh line. Things are gonna start early this year and it will be a fun ride. Tight lines.
Stock photo of L.A. Harbor
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