Take the new rule, passed in 2007, that lowered by one inch the minimum size of haddock that Hesse can keep. Though the change, from 19 to 18 inches, could put more fish into Hesse’sÌýTenacious, he says it reflects old-school thinking.

“For the past several hundred years, we’ve used the Spanish view that [fisheries] are limitless,” Hesse told me. “It’s only when you begin to believe that the resource is bounded by the ecosystem that you understandÌýthat withdrawals [of fish], and hence theÌývalueÌýof the withdrawals, are also limited.”

Since smaller haddock bring a lower per-pound price ($1 a pound, compared with $2 for larger haddock), allowing smaller, less-profitable fish to be caught might devalue the fishery’s overall value, says Hesse. It also removes fish from the ocean that have yet to spawn.

Clearly, for Hesse, fishing is more than “just hours on a boat,” says his wife, Lee Ann Swan Hesse ’86. “His thrill is in seeing the big picture.”

That deep/wide perspective is why we profiled Hesse. It’s why we choose any story topic, whether it’s Hesse fishing Cape Cod orÌýÌýteaching her students to “learn to observe and observe to learn” in China. Like the ocean, the revealing truths of any story are beneath the surface. Hesse, for example, is an officer of theÌý, helping to empower fishermen — a famously independent lot — to adopt sustainable perspectives and practices.

A Cape Cod native, Hesse has fished commercially since his student days. A ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ physics major, he later earned a master’s in environmental engineering but chose to return to commercial fishing during the 1990s. His is not an unusual voyage. At a party the other day (ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ relevance: it was hosted by an alum), I asked a marine biologist for his perspective on someone like Hesse. He’s seen it before, the biologist told me: fishermen who bring great experience and intelligence to bear on their work. “They often have a unique understanding of the resource,” he said.

Photographer Lincoln Benedict ’09 is a good bellwether of the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ experience, as he has high regard for ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ people who’ve found ways to pursue lifelong passions. Benedict returned jazzed, though weary, from his overnight journey on Hesse’sÌýTenaciousÌýlast November, deeply impressed by the captain’s wide-ranging knowledge and, especially, his zeal. “Eric fishes,” said Benedict, “hell or high water.”

“I’ve enjoyed my share of cranial pursuits,” Hesse said in his pronounced Massachusetts accent. “But I also like the physical aspects of the job, and it’s great to be outdoors.” He said this as theÌý°Õ±ð²Ô²¹³¦¾±´Ç³Ü²õÌýreturned to Harwichport and the sun broke from the clouds.

“And as you can see,” he said, “this is an exceptional day.”

By H. Jay Burns, Editor

A fish-eye lens — no pun intended — captures the action aboard the Tenacious as Eric Hesse '86 (left) gaffs the fish coming through the de-hooker, then tosses them to crewmember Jeff Sampson (right) for processing. Meanwhile, a variety of sea birds, mostly shearwaters, catch a meal.

Miles off Cape Cod aboard the Tenacious, commercial fisherman Eric Hesse ’86 takes a minute to e-mail his wife, Lee Ann Swan Hesse ’86.

“4000# ETA6,” he writes. Translation: 4,000 pounds of fish caught, home by 6 for dinner with Lee Ann and their two young boys. “GR8!” replies Lee Ann, keeping the exchange brief due to the pay-per-character satellite service aboard the Tenacious.

On this fishing trip last Nov. 8–9, Hesse leaves his West Barnstable, Mass., home around 9:30 p.m. and is under way from Harwichport about an hour later. TheÌýTenaciousÌýheads 50 miles offshore to fish the 4 a.m. “slack” tide — when the current slackens near high or low tide, in this case the latter.

A longline fisherman, Hesse puts out mile-long demersal (sinking) strings with thousands of hooks baited with mackerel or herring. Before a hint of daylight, he and crew member Jeff Sampson have already put out and hauled back two strings. “It seems like it’s always dark in November,” says Hesse.

By 2 p.m., theÌý°Õ±ð²Ô²¹³¦¾±´Ç³Ü²õÌýis back at Harwichport to offload the catch — mostly haddock, plus some cod and other species — which is trucked to auction. Some is purchased directly by a local upscale restaurant.
Says Eric with a laugh, “People tell me, ‘If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.’ Well, I’ve worked plenty of hard days. And I still love what I do.”Ìý

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VIEW SLIDE SHOW: Aboard the Tenacious Photographs by H. Lincoln Benedict '09

Fishing long, odd hours creates an unusual family routine, but it’s part of what brought him and Lee Ann together. “It’s what I first loved about Eric — the passion he has for it,” she says.