Gotham Fish Tales tells the boisterous stories of New York City fishermen who are plumbing the city's unexpectedly vital waters to hook all manner of fish.

More than 250 species of fish live or migrate through Gotham's waterways, from small tuna to sharks to mamouth striped bass and great schools of slashing bluefish. Porpoises , harbor seals and great sea turtles visit the harbors and bays of New York regularly. The numbers and diversity of species within city limits make it as good a sport fishing destination as any along the East Coast of the United States.

The stories told in the film may come as a delightful surprise to
New York City dwellers and outsiders alike who don't know how
vibrant and living the city water is. Beguiling and good humored
characters reveal the wonderful patchwork that makes up
New York City's fishery.

Gotham Fish Tales was produced and filmed by Robert Maass,
a filmmaker and former Newsweek photographer. Maass is a lifelong
New Yorker and fisherman who knows New York's waterways. He began
his project in 1996 while photographing for the city's Department of Environmental
Protection, when he found employees of the sewage plants along the water's edge,
fishing on their lunch breaks.

Gotham Fish Tales isn't a movie about fishing, per se. At the core, it is a narrative about how people connect with their environment for recreation and spiritual release. It also gives voice to the few commercial fishermen who struggle to make a living from a hard-pressed and highly restricted resource.

Dogged bridge and pier fishermen spend countless days above
the water jigging for everything from ling to blackfish. Colorful
characters of the first order like ... Philip, a cab driver by day and
devoted fisherman, uses old spark plugs as sinkers; Ken, a Wall
Street trader, hooks striped bass from a charter fishing boat in the
East River, a few hundred yards from the United Nations; Larry and
his son, Larry Jr., are among the handful of Jamaica baymen who
struggle to make a living as commercial fishermen in the shadow
of jets roaring in and out of JFK airport.

The testimonials of Gotham Fish Tales' storytellers provoke the
following questions: What can people do to protect and enhance the
waters around their city? What is the value and meaning of access to local waters?
Do those who have always lived by fishing have the right to persevere? Are these fish safe to eat?? Why do most people not realize that an abundant natural resource exists in their midst?

Gotham Fish Tales speaks to these and other issues through its endearing portraits of the local fishing community's practitioners and protectors. The water is alive and recovering, a source of endless fish stories both above and below the surface.