DOI: 10.25549/examiner-c44-84479
title: Newport fish market, 1955

description: 11 images. Newport fish market, 1955. Mrs. Mildred van Rider; Mrs. Emilie McCarthy; Mrs. Melba Brewer; Miss Glenda Dodson; Carl Marberry; Mrs. William Rubidoux; Mrs. Tom Sanders; Henry Phegley.; Supplementary material reads: "Picturesque beside the Newport pier, the dory fishermen are visited daily by customers who drive for many miles to buy the freshly caught fish. Waiting customers and fellow fishermen alike are helpful in rolling the dories up the beach to their positions in the market. There's always something to be done in the long hours of a dory fisherman's day. Baiting, repairing of lines, waiting on customers or getting the rid ready for tomorrow keeps the fishermen and their families busy. The beach next to the Newport Beach pier is reserved for the dory men and their equipment. Small sheds on one side are used to store much of their gear, while the baiting tables and boats are left out. There's much to talk about between the fishermen and their customers. Mrs. Mildred Van Rider cleans a halibut for Mrs. Emilie McCarty of Newport Beach, Mrs. Melba Brewer of Santa Ana and Miss Glenda Dodson of Costa Mesa. Van Rider busies himself with washing off the catch before placing them on the display shelves.; Supplementary material continues: "There's not much between a dory fisherman and a storm. The boats, just under 16 ft. in length, are specially made for this type of fishing. Henry Phegley, center, rolls his dory out of the surf onto the wooden rollers with the help of Mrs. Tom Sanders and interested bathers. Cooperation among the fishermen is one of the unwritten codes of the tradition. Much interest is shown by customers and idle passers by in the cleaning operation. Deft hands and sharp knives quickly prepare the fish for the skillet, broiler or oven. Mrs. Tom Sanders takes care of customers anxious to make their pick of the 'buying' size rock cod. Many customers select their own fish from the bottom of the boat before the catch is on the display shelves. The fish are weighed before they are cleaned and dressed. This man is really going to have a fish dinner. Dory fishing is a family affair, with the wives or mothers playing just as important a part as the fishermen themselves. Mrs. Henry Phegley gaffs the morning's catch from the bottom of the dory and puts them in the display box set amid ships. Husband Henry takes care of a customer's order off the stern".; Supplementary material continues: "Tom Sanders weighs a 13 lb. rock cod caught in his lines 14 miles off the Newport shore. The brightly colored orange fish is one of the most popular. Every day's catch is completely sold out before the fishermen call it a day. Tomorrow's fish are always fresh. Lines coiled up after each catch is brought over the gunwalls of the dory are carefully removed from the wooden tube and re-baited for the next day's fishing. Mrs. Tom Sanders removed old bait and quickly wraps the hooks with anchovies. Every 10 days the lines must be soaked in tan, a solution made from boiled oak bark. This cuts down on rotting and eliminated pungi picked up on the ocean floor. A family team, Mr. and Mrs. William Rubidoux bait lines while waiting for the return of fisherman son, Carl Marberry. Mr. Rubidoux untangles the stagens, or leaders from the main line, while Mrs. Rubidoux's swift hands weave the anchovie on the hook. The line is coiled carefully in the wooden tub. Every moment counts in the long day of the dory fishermen. Carl Marberry, foreground, baits his lines for tomorrow morning's run. His mother, Mrs. William Rubidoux visiting this summer from Colton, standing behind Carl, clears off the cleaning board on the stern of her son's boat. Fishermen and customers discuss the morning catch and prepare their boats for the early morning run".