“If we didn’t accomplish anything else, I’m happy we were able to do that.” “It was remarkable how many eyes we opened up in this area who said ‘wow, there’s actually a viable commercial fishery and you’re catching this here and it actually tastes really good’,” he says. He used to sell his fish to local restaurants. Kendall Dewey has been a commercial fisherman for over four decades, and served on the board of directors for the Ontario Commercial Fisheries’ Association for years. “I’m hoping there’s enough of a remnant that won’t completely disappear.” But Dewey’s children are in their thirties and have chosen to pursue other career paths - the fourth generation fisherman says his family’s legacy in fishing will end with him. “It’s sad to think about the future,” says Dewey, who lives in Prince Edward County, Ont., a 20-minute drive from where he fishes along the Bay of Quinte. Kendall Dewey isn’t bothered when the strong stench of fish fills the air, but one reality the Lake Ontario fisherman hasn’t been able to overcome is the shrinking of an industry that has been at the heart of his life for decades. Less comfortable aspects include winds and waves that roll a stomach, or when the summer sun roasts fishing crews in their steel boats. Familiar joys include the sight of a fiery sunrise cresting the freshwater horizon, and the still water at the tail end of a day, when the coastline is vacant and the world feels like a place of your own. "Since they are good to eat, sheepshead are targeted by anglers, so the handling of one after capture creates the possibility of being bitten or poked by their sharp dorsal fin spines.Those who choose a life in commercial fishing on the Great Lakes are granted a front row seat to the natural world. "They pose no threat to humans unless harassed," Catania added. "I would not hesitate to swim in waters inhabited by these fish," David Catania, the collections manager for ichthyology at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, told in 2021 after a TikTok video describing a sheepshead as a "demon fish" went viral. Even when sheepshead fish have a full set of gnashers they are typically not dangerous to humans, but it's not a good idea to provoke them. and in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the IUCN. Sheepshead fish are safe for human consumption and are commercially and recreationally fished along the southeastern coast of the U.S. Sheepshead fish usually reach maturity at 2 years old and can live for at least 20 years. Once fertilized, the eggs hatch after just 28 hours. Scientists don't know much about sheepshead fish spawning behavior, but females may produce between 1,100 eggs and 250,000 eggs, according to FMNH. To reproduce, a female fish releases her eggs, which a male then fertilizes with sperm. Related: Under the sea: 50 breathtaking images from our oceans How do sheepshead fish breed? Sheepshead fish swim from the surface down to a depth of 49 feet (15 meters), according to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. In late winter and early spring, sheepshead fish head offshore to spawn, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History (FMNH). While sheepshead fish usually live in salt water and slightly salty brackish water, they are sometimes found in freshwater habitats in winter, when they seek out warmer waters where springs and rivers empty into the ocean. Genus and species: Archosargus probatocephalus
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