Tyler Macallister is a renaissance man. He appreciates the beauty of nature, believes in conservation efforts and enjoys hunting, especially harpoon hunting. He also has been a select board member in Mattapoisett for the last thirteen years. He holds degrees in education, business, and biology. But it is his lifelong love of fishing that has brought him into the national limelight.
Macallister was selected by the Discovery Channel to be one of the starring fishermen in the new show “Harpoon Hunters” which debuts on January 24 at 9:00 pm. He had previously reached out to the producers of Discovery’s adrenaline pumping seafaring programs of human versus nature and was selected for a popular reality show about fishing. That never came to pass, however, as aligning production schedules with his schedule didn’t work. But his resume as a fisherman and deep knowledge of both sport and commercial fishing had left an impression. When Macallister was contacted for Harpoon Hunters, it was a go.
Crews were deployed to the area and taping took place over the summer months of 2024. Macallister said that the camera crew deserved a great deal of credit noting that there was a day during the taping when, “…they got every hit.” He said there aren’t any do-overs in real time, you either get the shot or you don’t. We wondered aloud if this type of fishing was a young person’s game. His reply explained the harpoon is not so much thrown out but instead down as the boat crew maneuvers the craft into position for the kill. But he did say “it takes balance.” On his website, which features a number of videos taken from his boat, we see the captain traversing the 29-foot-long beam to and from the “pulpit” like an Olympian balance beam athlete. We conclude it takes balance and physical strength.
“…[Macallister] is one of the sharpest fishermen in the harpoon community…he knows the fishery better than most captains,” stated one of the show’s producers. It is, in fact, considered a very dangerous job. Macallister said, “Everything is moving, the fish, the boat, the water…”
There has to be confidence. Since he was a small boy boating and fishing near his Cape Cod home Macallister has felt at home on the water. He shared a memory saying he credits his grandfather with instilling in him a love for fishing, “…they got me a small boat which ended up sinking in 4-feet of water.” Chuckling, he said after that he was given a better boat.
Today Macallister keeps two boats either in Sandwich or in Mattapoisett Harbor depending on what activity he is pursuing. Charters are a mainstay of his fishing life. He takes groups wherever the fish may be including groups of young people who he enjoys introducing to the sport. While he enjoys the hunt, he also respects the conservation of the animal.
Over the years, he has worked directly with NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In the 1970s tuna stocks were declining rapidly and were nearing collapse. Overfishing and poaching were major contributing factors. In 1990, quotas were instituted. The recovery plan worked. “The conservation efforts saved the industry,” Macallister stated. Fishermen are compelled by regulations to report their catch from the entire fleet is measured for compliance. “No one should feel guilty about eating blue fin tuna,” Macallister said. The fish is now plentiful within the established limits.
To learn more about Harpoon Hunters, visit the Discovery Channel website. To learn more about fishing, visit Macallister’s website at fvcynthiac.com.
By Marilou Newell