Tom Mattusch

Instead of catching fish, we thre them back, sort of. Huli Cat did a bird watching and nature trip. Headed out for the Farallon Islands. The main target was birds, but folks were also keen to enjoy the marine mammals encountered on the journey. I had saved rockfish carcasses to throw to the birds. once a few seagulls are following the boat, other birds flock in from miles around to get in on the 'party'. Before we left the harbor, we 'x'ed off the three cormorants, brants, double crested and pelagic. A few different guls, oystercatchers and marbled murrlets. Soon we were into the murres and shearwaters. Tufted puffins at the Farallon Islands, albatross, auklets added to the total. Blue whales, humpback whales, Stellar and CA sea lions and various dolphins and porpoises added to the list. On the way back, split tailed storm petrels and several othres whose name escapes me. Back in the harbor, the seawall gave us a whimbrel et al. Cleaned out the freezers of crab bait and fish carcusses. Water was very calm, we hit the dropoffs south of the Farallons, looked for creatures in 3,500 feet of water and in as tight as 12 feet of water at the Islands. Risso's dophins, harbor porpoises, white sided added to the list. The binoculars and cameras got a good workout!

Tom Mattusch

About The Author: Captain Tom Mattusch

Company: Huli Cat Sportfishing

Area Reporting: Central California, San Francisco Bay area

Bio: Tom Mattusch is currently the owner/operator of the Huli Cat, a 53 foot charter boat operating out of Pillar Point Harbor and has fished the West Coast since 1967. Tom holds positions on the Salmon Stamp Committee for California, the California Department of Fish and Game License Agent Advisory Committee and NOAA's California Sportfishing Action Team. He's an IGFA Certified Captain. In an effort to contribute to research, Tom works with NOAA's PFEL tagging chinook salmon. He also worked with NOAA's Santa Cruz field office gathering stomachs and beaks of Humboldt squid. He recently completed a study with the Point Reyes Bird Observatory collecting lingcod, salmon and halibut stomachs and is currently involved in a study with Scripps to gather albacore stomachs. Tom holds Board of Director positions with the Golden Gate Fishermens Association, Coastside Fishing Club and Fishery Enhancement and Research Foundation. He can be heard on four radio stations giving fish reports or discussing fishing politics. He has worked closely with the Recreational Fishing Alliance, PCFFA, the Half Moon Bay Fishermans Marketing Association, United Anglers of Southern California and United Anglers. Tom ran the first trip out of Half Moon Bay to take anglers to catch Humboldt squid and the first white shark viewing trip to the Farallon Islands. He is the first charter boat Captain out of Half Moon Bay to get certified to marry people and has married people on the Huli Cat. Tom ran the first albacore trip out of Half Moon Bay to demonstrate the albacore were again reachable by boat off the Central California coast in the mid 1990's. Tom held a seat on the California Marine Life Protection Act Initiative as a Central Coast Regional Stakeholder group Member.

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