Unusual catch a shocking discovery
By Katie Curley
Staff writer Daily News August 07, 2008
NEWBURYPORT — When the Coastal Discoveries boat came into dock yesterday afternoon, excited 10- and 11-year-olds called to their parents waiting for their return on the docks. These kids had a big surprise to share.
"We caught an electric torpedo," one young boy, a plastic bag full of haddock in hand, called to his mother.
The Coastal Discoveries group had a rare catch yesterday when only a half mile offshore and in waters a mere 35 feet deep, one young boy caught an electric torpedo ray.
The ray, part of the shark family, is not to be confused with a skate. Its disc-shaped body is large, and its skin is free of spikes that are characteristic of common skates.
The most interesting characteristic is its ability to give out electrical shocks of considerable strength.
"It can give off 220 volts," said Lee Yeomans, co-owner of Coastal Discoveries with her husband, Bob. "It's very rare."
While Lee Yeomans waited for the crew to return, she called around to local aquariums and the Department of Marine Resources to find out just how important the electric torpedo is.
Armed with packets of computer printouts, Lee described the find to parents on the dock, noting the high voltage and the strength of the fish.
"It was really big," James Marshall, 10, said. "But it wasn't hard to pull out of the water."
As the students unloaded onto the dock, Mikey Cravagis, 11, was the star fisherman of the day.
"I caught the torpedo ray," Mikey said. "I thought it was a dogfish or a skate. It was big and scary."
Mikey, like the other students, was fishing in an area known for a dense population of flounder. When he felt a tug at his flimsy, child-sized fishing rod, he thought he had hit the bottom, but instead he had the ray, a predator of the flounder.
"I pulled it up, and it was really big," Mikey said.
For Captain Bob Yeomans, the discovery was something he hadn't seen in about 20 years this far north. The strength of Mikey and the fishing rod was most impressive to him.
"They mostly stay south or west of Cape Cod," he said. "This one was a stray."
Coastal Discoveries, a summer boat camp, provides students with an educational experience on the high seas.
For James, he said the camp has been a good experience and he will continue to fish long after it ends.
"We catch flounder and dog fish," he said. "They are really cool."
As students said goodbye to the 25-pound, 3-foot-long and 28-inch-wide fish, the crew of the Erica Lee prepared to release it back into the water.
"You never know what to expect," Bob Yeomans said.
Unusual catch a shocking discovery
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