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Chatham Fish Pier

The Chatham Fish Pier is one of the most photographed sites in Chatham. It is best in late afternoon when the fishing boats return to unload their daily catch. Park in the lot above the pier and walk down, the lower lot is only for fishermen. This is the same lot all the newscasters broadcast from whenever there is a big storm on the Atlantic Seaboard.

Stop at The Fisherman's Memorial, before you go down the stairs. The steel sculpture is located at the Pier entrance, and serves as a reminder of the many fishermen who work hard in fair weather and foul. At the memorial you can see metal replicas of the many fish caught daily off the Chatham shores and brought to the fish pier.

Descend the stairs, walk across the parking lot and climb the stairs on the left side of the building to watch from the Observation Deck. In the distance, you can see the beach houses on Nauset and North Beaches.The small, sandy island directly in front of you is Tern Island. It is piled with sand dredged from the harbor last year. The fishermen store their traps and other gear there.

Off to the right, you can see the Chatham Break. The New Break isn't visible from here. Seagulls hover expectantly and the occasional seal cruises by. They are both looking for handouts from the fishing boats. Closer off to the right is another dock, new last year. The water taxis, charters and private boats dock there.

Watch a fishing boat pull up to the dock, its two large containers on deck overflowing with ice to preserve the fish until the catch is unloaded. The fishermen fill the large bucket hoists with fish which then rise and are positioned above the delivery chute leading to the fish slide where they are packed into boxes with more ice and loaded onto waiting trucks for delivery to market. No Chatham visit is complete without a stop at the Fish Pier.

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