January 24, 2023 — When you love what you do, as is case for Caitlin Townsend, advocating for fishermen by collecting old fishing nets, ropes and other gear in New Bedford so it can be recycled feels like a dream job.
“If I knew that this was a job option when I was a kid, I would have said this is my dream job, because it is something I am so extremely passionate about,” she said.
It may not sound like everyone’s dream job, but Townsend feels she’s making a difference working for Net Your Problem, a fishing gear recycling service doing its part for the fishing industry as the Massachusetts representative.
“My dad taught me so much as a kid,” she said. “I learned from him that fishermen love the ocean more than anywhere and they would do anything to continue to fish. So programs like this and our business can really help people be able to continue to fish,” said Townsend, a resident of Truro.
Her father, Chris Townsend, fishes out of Provincetown, and she still fishes with him as much as she can. When she was a teenager, she fished full-time with him as his deckhand.