fork v Cp OED ~ 4. To transfer fish from a boat to a vessel or fishing-stage with a long-handled pronged implement; PEW v, PRONG v.
   1842 JUKES i, 226-7 Here the fish are forked out of the boat with a kind of boat-hook or [pike], the prong being stuck into the head, and the fish thrown up on to the stage much in the same manner as hay is thrown into a cart. 1960 FUDGE 12 We forked our load of haddock onboard, passed our forks to the Captain. 1977 Evening Telegram 10 Nov, p. 6 I heard one fisherman say this summer when he was forking the lovely fish overboard with no market for it he said the old fork comes in handy today and he also said I wonder if Father Neptune would object to me using this two prong fork to fork the fish overboard on account of no markets.

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