Summer on the Bayou!

You can definitely tell summer has arrived on the Bayou.  It is sweltering! For the past few weeks, the temperatures have hit highs above 100 degrees!  This is not a whole lot of fun when the day involves outside work! Not only are the temperatures hot enough to make even the most elegant of Southern Belles break a sweat, there are other telltale signs.  The magnolias are in bloom, the sweet tea is chilling in the ice box and the mosquitoes are out in full force.  (Oh, and did I mention that it is HOT!) Yep, that sure seems like summer on the Bayou!

Another sure sign of summer around here, the Bay is full of Menhaden.  By full, I mean FULL!  There are millions of the tiny fish!  Whether you call them Menhaden, Sardines, Bugmouths or Pogies, there is no denying that there are tons of them!  These small fish travel in huge schools that supposedly give them some protection from the larger fish.  It is sort of an "all for one and one for all" mentality.  If they all stick together maybe they can confuse the predators! They swirl, dive and "pip" the surface almost as if participating in some choreographed dance.  This idea as protection does not always work, though, as the larger fish, sea birds and crabs all join in on the feast.  The Bay almost becomes one great big feeding frenzy!

Although there are seemingly an endless number of the Menhaden, their numbers are in a fast decline according to some ecologists. The Pogey Boats (the name applied to the fishing boats that catch the menhaden) can be seen hauling tons upon tons of the fish to port.  There the fish will be sent to factories to be made into pet food, fish oil caplets and bases for cosmetics.  Personally, if my little area is any indication of the rest of the Gulf, we need not worry.  There are more Menhaden this year than I can remember from years past.  Perhaps the weather with its warm winter and hot summer had something to do with this.  The Gulf and Bay waters are warm and have been all year.  Maybe..just maybe, the reproduction of the Pogies is on an upswing because of this warmth.  Whatever the reason, I am not complaining as it gives me plenty of fish bait!  Ms. Ez, the dog, and the local Night Heron are also happy!  Every day, I head to the pier to get both of them their snacks!