< Previous20 COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2019FEATURE“It’s a much bigger issue than just shrimp,” Robinson said. “For every pound of shrimp that is caught in a trawl, there are four pounds of other species that are caught in a trawl.”There’s not a specific benchmark the department is waiting for before it ends the moratorium of licenses, but the department continues to monitor shrimp populations, Robinson said. And people who want to enter the shrimping market can easily buy a license from a shrimper who’s retiring, he said.“The fact that it’s a closed fishery is just not true,” Robinson said.‘GREW UP ON THE WATER’The department oversees two licenses, one for shrimp sold for food and one for shrimp sold for bait, which shrimpers keep live, Robinson said.A lot of shrimpers have switched to catch-ing bait because they can get more money for their catch, said Jason Kunz, who sails out of Galveston.The profit may ebb from year to year, but for shrimpers who’ve been on the water their whole lives, it’s more than a job, Kunz said.Kunz, 47, started shrimping with his father, COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2019 21Jerome, when he was 7 or 8 years old, he said.“I grew up on the water and was out there every day,” Kunz said.Now, he shrimps only a few days a week and mainly to keep his 86-year-old father company on the boat, he said.There’s a historical importance to Texas shrimping, Kunz said.“As long as there was a boat, there were people getting out on it, trying to catch fish or catch seafood,” Kunz said. “That’s still the same.”He’s not sure what draws people to the hard work of shrimping, but he thinks there will always be people drawn to the water, he said.“It definitely gets in your blood,” Kunz said. “It’s hard to get away from it.” (Clockwise from top left) Jerome Kunz, 86, steers his shrimp boat, St. Vincent, past Seawolf Park in Galveston on a shrimp run. Kunz, known affectionately as “Pops,” has been shrimping the waters off Galveston since he was 10 years old; Kunz tosses freshly caught shrimp into a bin; Kunz secures his boat after an early morning shrimp run.22 COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2019FEATUREGUARDIANS OF THE GULF Tragedies and triumphs are all part of the Coast Guard lifestory by ESTHER DAVIS MCKENNA | photos by KELSEY WALLINGLife on Galveston’s U.S. Coast Guard base is a lot like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates — you never know the kind of day you’re going to get, said Kailea Blankenship, Boatswain’s Mate Second Class.“One of the reasons I love this job is because every day is different,” Blankenship said. “One day we’re engaged in a search and rescue, and the next we’re hosting a sea camp tour.”Blankenship, 31, typically begins her 48- to 72-hour rotation at 7:30 a.m. As Officer of the Day, she’s responsible for carrying out day-to-day operations on base. She dons nearly 15 pounds of equipment and heads out to inspect the boats on base for proper operations. After she conducts safety checks of all vessels in service, she sends boats and equipment in need of service for repairs. She ensures that all training is on course and, after an accountability check, or roll call, of officers on duty, she makes sure waterway patrols and recreational boarding operations get under way.Boatswain’s Mate Second Class Kailea Blankenship steps off a U.S. Coast Guard vessel while inspecting boats on base in Galveston. 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FT.Offered at $1,998,800 MLS 85875821Proudly marketingfor over 10 years!SOLD!NEW LISTING!SOLD!SOLD!SALE PENDING!24 COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2019FEATUREAnd that’s where her routine duties end. What happens throughout the rest of her shift might differ wildly.“The majority of my day runs according to what hap-pened the night before,” Blankenship said. “If there’s an ongoing search and rescue, we’ll maintain that search for days. Or, if an incident occurs in the shipping channel, we will work to maintain order on that front. And, if a holiday weekend is coming up, we may increase our safety checks for recreational boaters.”Regarding the latter task, Blankenship reminds anyone the Coast Guard doesn’t want to stop people from going out on boats and having a good time.“Our goal is to ensure they all make it home safely,” she said.The same is true for the many tankers and cruise ships traveling in and out of Galveston’s harbor each day.“It is also our mission to safeguard and protect high-value assets traveling through our waterways,” she said.Blankenship captains the 29- and 45-foot boats used for search and rescues or safety checks for recreational boaters.“Most of the time, we board a smaller vessel to make sure they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing,” she said. “Not to look for things they’re doing wrong. That being said, we do keep an eye out for violations.”Blankenship is a Texas native and attended La Marque High School. She lives off base with her husband of five years, Seth Blankenship, 32, who is a fellow Coast Guard officer stationed on the Cutter Tiger Shark in Freeport. Kailea Blankenship was stationed in Freeport just before her Galveston assignment and before that, Ilwaco, Wash-ington, and Key West, Florida.As the “eyes and ears” for the officer in charge of the Galveston base, Kailea Blankenship has seen good days and bad. The worst of times is when there is a “negative recovery” from a search and rescue, such as the tragic drowning of Kemah Police Chief Chris Reed, who died in a June boating accident.“The atmosphere becomes very sad in that kind of situ-ation,” she said. “We treat each loss as if it was our own.”But most days on the water are good days, Blanken-ship said. And the best days end with the relieved faces of people who have been in distress out on the water and realize the Coast Guard has arrived to help, she said.“There have been many times when I’ve worked around the clock on a rescue and it’s been successful,” she said. “Those are the best days. 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Amici offers the perfect blend of aesthetics and science for all skin care needs and delivers some of the best treatments Houston has to offer.From laser procedures to injectable products to body contouring, Amici’s goal is to assist you in looking your best. 28 COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2019FEATURE‘IT JUST KEEPS KILLING’Volunteers work to clean up miles and miles of fishing linestory by BARBARA CANETTI | photos by KELSEY WALLINGPerhaps one of the greatest inven-tions for anglers is monofilament fishing line — the durable, almost invisible, inexpensive product that easily knots and is unbelievably strong. But this non-biodegradable product is frequently found littering popular fishing spots and has proven to be deadly for birds, turtles and other sea creatures.Thousands of miles of discarded fishing line can be found along coastal areas, often tangling wildlife in inescapable snarls. Fishing line also is perilous to swimmers and boaters, who can get caught in the twisted twine.Fifteen years ago, a fourth-grade class noticed discarded fishing line littering Mus-tang Island and Port Aransas, inspiring Texas AgriLife extension agent John O’Connell to start a monofilament recycling program. Through the program, recycling bins were constructed for anglers to safely discard fishing line waste. It was a limited program with inadequate participation and funding, and was frequently ignored by the fishing public. But members of the Galveston Bay Area chapter of Texas Master Naturalists have made this program a priority, Master Naturalist Rick Becker said.Members call it the “Great Monofilament Tube Adventure.”Rick Becker begins to glue a lid on a tube meant for collecting monofilament at the Galveston Island State Park. Becker is the lead in a project to implement recycling bins for anglers to discard their fishing line waste. COASTMONTHLY.COM | AuguST 2019 29Texas Master Naturalists remove entangled debris from collected fishing line in preparation for recycling.Courtesy photoNext >