Great Catch

“My father was a fisherman, and his father before him.”

“Aye. My father and grandfathers on both sides. All fishermen.”

“They caught food for their families.”

“Aye. Food for their families and for everyone’s families.”

Caleb and Jonas never tired of talking about the good old days when fishermen dipped into clear blue waters and pulled out the evening meal. When the world made sense, not all upside down and backwards like now.

“That’s not food.” Caleb pointed to the great nets being slowly pulled up the side of the nearby boat.

“Nay. Not food at all.” Jonas shook his head sadly.

The two old fishermen were so close to the other boat, they could clearly hear snatches of conversation.

“Great catch, team!”

“Wonderful harvest.”

“We’ll break two hundred tons today, I’m pretty confident.”

Caleb and Jonas watched in horror and fascination.

“Noisy, aren’t they?”

“Bound to scare the fish away.”

“What on earth would our grandfathers think?”

The two old men watched and listened. The great nets reached the deck and were pulled up slowly until the bottom was opened and the catch spilled onto the deck.

Broken laundry baskets, children’s toys, gardening pots, grocery bags – plastic of every size and shape piling up on the deck.

“Our grandfathers would think these guys are heroes.” Caleb had thought long and hard about this, and he had finally made up his mind.

“But they’re invading our fishing grounds …”

Caleb silenced his old friend.

“You’ve seen all the problems with your own eyes, Jonas. The fish eating the plastic. The sea turtles tangled in discarded trash. The water grey and murky instead of clear blue and clean. These guys are saviors, not invaders.”

“Guys and gals,” Caleb reluctantly agreed.

The two men sat in silent reverence in the middle of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, watching the strangers valiantly pull in the giant nets.

“We salute you,” Caleb called out, and a dozen scientists and volunteers returned his salute.