September 25, 2013 — The following is excerpted from today's Gloucester Daily Times:
Caught between the antagonists — and there really is no other word for it — are those simply looking to make their living on the boats as crew members, folks with nothing more than sweat equity, a stake in the catch and a curiously tenacious grip on jobs that slowly are sinking away.
The crews of Gloucester’s fishing fleet have undergone their own sea change. A large segment of the city’s veteran crew have retired. Many of the younger hands have sought other opportunities in the face of increasing layoffs and dwindling pay.
“I don’t know a boat captain in Gloucester who hasn’t laid off crew,” said longtime fisherman Joe Orlando, captain of the Padre Pio.
It’s become a familiar refrain and no one is immune. Orlando had to lay off his own son; Joe Randazzo, captain of F/V Razzo, had to lay off his brother-in-law.
All along the waterfront, most of the city’s traditional commercial fleet sits idle. Some of the boats still heading out are manned by captains fishing alone, such as Randazzo. Some head out with short-handed crews because their meager catches can’t justify the extra hand or no one wants to work for short money.
“The problem for me is getting a steady third man who shows up sober, willing to go to work and for not much money,” said Russell Sherman, captain of the 72-foot F/V Lady Jane. “The money is really down. We work two weeks now for one week’s pay.”
It almost always comes back to the money — or a lack thereof — that commercial fishing now pays those at the sharp end of the hook.
Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times