June 15, 2021 — Russell Libby turned to his crew at CBS Lobster and Bait on Union Wharf on Monday afternoon, telling them another boat was due in five minutes. Libby also told them it was close to sinking.
That turned out to be an exaggeration but not by much.
Before long, a small fishing boat came chugging around the corner. The Deja Vu II was so loaded with pogies, the open transom was several inches underwater.
The crew was jubilant.
“That’s the most I’ve had on there in 20 years,” said Capt. Dan Harriman of Cape Elizabeth.
Dozens of plastic barrels stood stacked on the vessel’s deck. What little open space remained was awash in fish. The crew stood ankle-deep in them. Even the engine compartment was full of pogies.
“We’ve got some down forward — we really do,” crewman Corey Doughty shouted up to the dockworkers. Doughty is also from Cape Elizabeth and Harriman’s cousin.