Discovery Channel at Barnegat Light

The Jersey Shore as become quite the TV mecca; There's the infamous (to us locals anyway) MTV show of the same name (the one with Snookie), the new HBO gangster drama, "Boardwalk Empire" brought to you from the same folks that gave us "The Sopranos," and now we have the 2nd season of "Swords: Life on the Line." The difference is that "Swords" is a "real" reality series, much like Deadliest Catch.

Sunset on Barnegat Bay

Swords enters the high risk world of New England's long line fishermen who risk all to catch an elusive prey - swordfish - in some of the most dangerous waters on the planet. They are uniformly tough and resilient and they need to be as every day could be their last.

Leaping Swordfish

Most of us have seen at least an episode or two of Deadliest Catch where the Discovery Channel follows a group of crab boats in the Bering Sea; it's the ultimate reality show where fisherman risk life and limb to harvest the King Crab. It's a difficult show to miss you've ever even tuned in to that particular network as the program has very high ratings; approximately 8.5 million viewers watched the premiere last season, which is about the same number of people that watched 60 minutes last Sunday, resulting in a 10th place ranking.

Swordfish on the Hook

Trying to take advantage of the popularity of Deadliest Catch, the Discovery Channel has developed a clone of the show called "Swords: Life on the Line," which follows a group of fisherman harvesting Swordfish. The boats come from North Carolina, Massachusetts and from The Jersey Shore. The Jersey Shore boat, Frances Anne is from Barnegat Light, on Long Beach Island, about 20 minutes from Barnegat and Manahawkin. I grew up in Cape May, so my experience with commercial fishing is much different than what this show presents...the mechanics of fishing anyway...which was nets, traps and dredges.

Cape May Fishing Fleet

A common misconception concerning commercial fishing is that it's done with either nets or traps, which is true for the vast majority of large scale fishing. But, that's not the case with the "Swords" TV series. "Swords: Life on the Line" follows long-liners, called that for their method of fishing with line and hooks. It is a technique with deep historical roots in the North Atlantic, but has it's origins in Japan.

Longline Fishing

Pelagic long-line gear had several independent evolutions, but the most widespread form appears to have been originally developed by the Japanese as early as the mid-19th century. Technological developments such as polyamide monofilament line and modern fishing vessel construction have resulted in the evolution and expansion of this gear type as the primary worldwide method of commercially harvesting large pelagic fishes such as broadbill swordfish and tunas.

Barnegat Light has deep nautical and fishing history, but long-line fishing did not really show up on The Jersey Shore in earnest until the mid 1980's when Barnegat Light fishing boats captains saw an opportunity and seized it, providing Swordfish to fine restaurants in New York and Philadelphia, resulting in a lucrative business venture.

Swordfish Steak

So, check you local listings for this new show, "Swords: Life on the Line," and look for the youngest boat, the crew of the Frances Anne are happy-go-lucky surfer guys who relentlessly play practical jokes. Their wild skipper Capt. Chris Kleme has some warped methods of motivating his team to work harder. When the work is slow, he's been known to fire roman candles or paintballs at the guys. After all, they are from The Jersey Shore...the REAL Jersey Shore.


Karl Hess, Your Agent on The Jersey Shore

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