Mile 202 Report
North Spit Alsea River
March 23, 2022
This is commercial season for what they call Market Squid, small squid that only live a year or so.
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This is commercial season for what they call Market Squid, small squid that only live a year or so. Last night at dusk, the ocean off Mile 202/203 lit up with squid boat lights. The lights attract the squid, then the boats deploy their nets around the squid. Just a half hour after I took the attached photo, all of the boat lights had been extinguished, probably because the boats had all deployed their nets. Six years ago, there was zero harvest of squid in Oregon. Now the commercial catch brings in millions of pounds a year, with the ocean offshore from Waldport being a hot spot of activity on the central coast. The warming ocean is good for calamari lovers, but unfortunately not so good for salmon.
Squid boat lights at dusk
Squid boat in fog probably returning to Newport
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Jon French
CoastWatcher
All Mile 202 Reports
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
Today was the first windless day in awhile, shirtsleeve weather with a calm sea and a distinct marine layer offshore.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
Bayshore's HOA recently spent $2,500 for permits and bulldozing a path down to the beach behind the Bayshore clubhouse, a designated public access, smoothing out the drop-off resulting from winter erosion and restoring access for beach goers and our State Parks ranger's ATV.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
Mile 202 beach accesses and exits are now restricted because of erosion and sheering off of the sand cliffs along its northern portion, so I now need to plan for a receding tide if I want to walk the entire mile safely.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
After finding forty beached Cassin's Auklets on Jan.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
A beautifully calm, sunny day, maybe the last for awhile, with a fifteen mile view from Seal Rock to Cape Perpetua and hardly anyone on the beach except for two surf fishers and a couple valiantly trying to launch a kite with no wind.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
As I began yesterday's mile walk and monthly COASST beached bird survey, a light rain began to fall, the first in months.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
As I have done before, I combined today's walk with my monthly COASST survey for dead seabirds.
Jon French
Mile 202
North Spit Alsea River
The beach was fairly cool today after 99 degrees two days ago.
Jon French