Viewing page 32 of 108

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

just starved intellectually, as are most intellectuals in this outfit. His field was philosophy and history. An Arab gave me a small [[underline]] Arothron [[/underline]] which he had caught. It had an olive green back and rich yellow stomach in life; by its black markings it appeared close to the species I got from Shmayly Id. From the eel pots I got 1 Plesiops and several apogonids.   This evening we moored to the black skeleton buoy about 1/4 mile South of west pier where there are reported to be flying fish. We saw one about 10 inches long come up under the light but we could not get him. The bottom was covered with fine grass but it was sparce there was sand and pieces of coral rock and about 1.5 fathoms of water. The bait mostly sardines, a few dussumierids, and silversides gathered around in tremendous quantities on both sides. I caught two more Pegasids of the same species. Aurelia jellyfish drifted by in large quantities the tide was swift until slack ebb, and the night was calm. We saw a longish black fish with a big head & thin behind which may have been a catfish. There are also thin long tan fish on the bottom. We got a few nibbles and that was all. Approx. position 26 [[degree symbol]] 37'N, 50 [[degree symbol]] 9'E.
     May 9 - We left our anchorage about 7 A.M. and passed east pier at 7:10 A.M. with clear sky and light [[insert] ^ south [[/insert]] westerly winds. We caught two shanad just a little north of Ras Tanura Terminal tanks about 1/2 mile offshore within about 5 minutes of each other. 8:30 A.M. abeam center of Refinery area. We are making around 3 knots with a smooth sea plus a light breeze off our port quarter. "Al 'ailiyeh" at 10:50 A.M. is the fishing spot we stopped at about a mile from shore opposite date palm orchard of Ras Al Kaliya. 4 fath. almost was the depth and the water was very clear with coral rock bottom small clumps of branch coral & some brain coral. We got no bites I saw a few small fish, and caught one larval Tetraodon on the surface. At 1:45 P.M. we headed back because we got no bites. The wind by 12:45 became moderate S.E. with small white caps. By 2:00 p.m. it had calmed down again to a light breeze. We caught two more mackerel about

[[end page]]

[[start page]]
45

2 mi. offshore, the one at 3:45 P.M. was caught a little north of the refinery area.  A black grouper was caught over coral & grass bottom in about 2 fathoms on the orange & white jig.  There were 2 strikes on a hand made Arab jig with teeth marks; no fish caught because there was no give to the line on the pole.  We trolled 4 lines both ways.  We sighted several [[insert]] ^ small [[/insert]] schools of small tuna with white terns diving at the bait, but as usual we had no luck in getting strikes.  We trolled around buoy 7, and got a strike and caught a three foot barracuda, U-48-50.  Then we moored to the buoy and Abdullah caught a Lethrinus, U-48-51, and that was all.  There were quite a number of sooty terns on the buoy, about 30.  The wind increased from the ESE to squalls and white caps by 6:30 P.M. when we left the buoy and headed back to Tarut Bay which we reached by sundown.  We had a rough night with swells from the south and strong winds, so we did no night fishing and anchored 1/4 mile north of west pier.
     May 10 - Strong southerly winds till 10 A.M. with a high tide, and then it became a flat calm with a very hot sun till 4:00 P.M, when the shamal came up and blew moderately till 8 P.M. and then strong all night.  We wasted a whole day in at the pier again today to meet Gurley and get a few more supplies. Jim and I went into Ras Tanura for a shower and a shave.  This afternoon, we picked up 3 of the big traps 1 mi. north of west pier in branch coral bottom.  I obtained a number of angel fish U-48-52, Heniochus, a parrotfish etc. Then we moved in shore for the night, and had the best night light fishing yet. Also I caught my first fish by baited hook & line in Arabia, a small red-gill [[underline]] Lethrinus [[/underline]]. We saw 2 small soles swimming along at the surface.  Yusif caught a small barracuda; Ahmed got 2 snakes in the circle lift net. I got 2 long white flat worms writhing near the surface about 2 feet in length in life. They spat out their radulas when put in formalin. There were even barnacles on the snakes. We also got 2 more Pegasids. The even-