From collection Everett "Red" Boutilier Collection
Pogeys
September 18, 1979 - TIDELAND , pogey boat. The vessel in the photo was the F/V ‘Tidelands’ a 200-foot (61 m) Menhaden fishing boat. Menhaden are small, oily-fleshed fish with the nickname of pogey. They are not directly part of the human food chain. They are processed into fish oil and fish meal that are used as food ingredients, animal feed, and dietary supplements. The flesh has a high omega-3 fat content. Fish oil made from Menhaden also is used as a raw material for products such as lipstick. There are two types of Menhaden fisheries. One is known as a reduction fishery which focuses on deriving the oils from Menhaden. The other is bait fishery. Menhaden have long been used to bait traps and hooks such as crab pots or lobster traps. The name of the fish is a co-joining of poghaden (pogy for short) and an Algonquian word meaning fertilizer. (The Pilgrims buried Menhaden with their crops.) The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has placed a cap on Menhaden catches due to overfishing. -- Joe Mosier 2019
