by Carol A. Muratore
It’s 5 a.m. on a Monday morning. Trevor Deihl, a spotter pilot for Ocean Harvesters in Reedville, is already at the controls of a small Cessna plane. He flew the day before, on Sunday, looking for the schools of fish.
Trevor might fly anywhere from Long Island, N.Y., down to North Carolina to hunt for good fishing grounds. He spots the fish. Then he reports back to the Ocean Harvesters fish boat captains as to the best locations to fish during the upcoming week. And today he has been given instructions as to which boat he will accompany as the fishing commences on this beautiful morning.
As Trevor is flying to the east, he is graced with a brilliant sunrise. He has been given information as to where the boats will be heading. There are five spotter pilots who fly out of Reedville, with a sixth flying out of Norfolk. They are a team. As they travel to where the boats are, he has faith that his fellow pilots maintain their proper altitude either above or below him. Then they split up to support the individual boats.
The spotter pilot is like a conductor in an orchestra or a puppeteer. Trevor can see the stage below; he can see the “big picture.” He helps guide the fish boat to where….
