On Nov. 23, the crew of the F/V Emmy Rose perished at sea. They were fishing for haddock that you would have been able to buy and eat for dinner. Sometimes when boats are lost at sea, there’s a lot of focus on what happened, and not enough attention paid to the fact that people’s lives were lost bringing seafood to shore.
Friends and family of the four fishermen who perished aboard the Portland-based Emmy Rose held a vigil at this makeshift memorial on the Maine State Pier in Portland on Nov. 25. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer
When consumers expect cheap seafood, it’s offensive. Because the lives of fishermen are intrinsically tied, literally and figuratively, to the cost of fish, and when you demand cheap seafood you are, albeit unintentionally, diminishing the work and lives of fishermen.
This is also why it is imperative to buy local seafood and support Maine fishermen whenever possible.
On Jan. 23, Joe Nickerson and Chris Pinkham (F/V Hayley Ann) died at sea. Their bodies were recovered by other fishermen and brought to shore. The grief and sadness have been overwhelming for everyone involved. It has been a tumultuous year, and losing another boat and four more fishermen is devastating to Maine’s fishing community, and hopefully, it’s overwhelming to anyone who eats seafood, too.
We must change the way we think about fishermen and seafood and recognize the true cost of putting good local food on our plates.
To support the families of fishermen who have perished at sea, to learn more about where to buy local seafood and for fishermen to find mental health and grief support, please visit www.mainecoastfishermen.org. Together, we persevere.
Monique Coombs
Orrs Island
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