Uncovering Local History on Pleasant Bay

Recently uncovered remains of a fish weir dating back to the 1800's leads us to generational Cape Codders sharing history about one of the oldest forms of local fishing.

"It's important for me to go for a boat ride and look around because this is the environment we live in. What's below us and around us is very important to me and observing it is how we learn."

– Jeff Norgeot

4th Generation Orleans Resident, Marine Construction

What can a boat ride and a sense of curiosity find in the Cape's ever-changing marine environment?

3 November, 2023 - CHATHAM, MA — Shifting sands on Pleasant Bay near Chatham, Massachusetts recently revealed the remains of a fishing weir dating back to the 1800's. Cape Codders whose families have lived and worked on the water surrounding the Bay for generations, talk to Lower Cape TV about their insights regarding this historical find.

Who can speak better about the history of fishing than 'generational Cape Codders'?

Ted Lucas can trace his family back to the Mayflower where there has been a long tradition of weir fishing.  His grandfather started weir fishing in Provincetown in the late 1800's and his father moved to Chatham to set up weirs in the 1920's.

Steve Nickerson is part of the 11th generation of Nickersons that have lived and worked in the Chatham area of Cape Cod.  For the most part these men had been fishermen or worked on the water in one way or another during these years. When Steve's grandfather asked his father, Joe what he wanted to be when he grew up, his father answered, "A fisherman!" His grandfather then shook his head and said, "No son, that's too hard a way to make a living." 

How did a fish weir from the 1800's suddenly show up in the shallow waters on Pleasant Bay?

Jeff and Gretel Norgeot were out for a boat ride this summer, due east of Strong Island when Jeff saw what looked like a dark shape sticking up in the water. Upon further inspection, he saw there were several lined up in a pattern of a heart. Growing up on the bay, Jeff had known enough fish weirs to know this might be in the shape of a fish weir.

Then what happened?

LCTV's Coast & Climate reporter and Jeff Norgeot sent up a drone to see if they could get a birds-eye view and confirm the weir. They were not only surprised to find the shape was indeed a fish weir, but found a second weir to the right of the first one. Upon further inspection Jeff found the some of poles that would have been the top of weirs also recently uncovered by shifting sands on the nearby flats. He did more research to narrow down the dates the weir could have been constructed. The registry of fish weirs date back to the 1600's and Norgeot was able to find a Samuel Young had registered a fish weir in 1855 in the location where the weirs were found. 

For more information on Pleasant Bay and Fishing Weirs:

Pleasant Bay: Protecting the Wild

Fishing Weirs: Past & Present