By almost any measure, Gloucester's commercial fishing effort today is a pale reflection of what it was when Gloucester and Gloucestermen were synonymous with the sea's riches and its risks.
One measure is this sobering statistic: In 1879, in Fishtown's heyday, far more Gloucestermen lost their lives at sea — 249 — than there are active fishermen today.
Indeed, more Gloucestermen were lost — 143 of them crewing on 13 vessels — in a single gale on Georges Bank in February 1879 than there are Gloucester fishermen today.
The port's best connected experts — Larry Ciulla, president of the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction, and Vito Giacalone, policy director of the Northeast Seafood Coalition — estimate the number of active fishermen is no more than 100, not counting lobstermen.
This rough calculation derives from the 40 to 50 small day boats that take one, two or three people to the inshore grounds, and the half dozen or so bigger boats that still venture out with crews of five or six for Georges Bank.
Read the complete story at The Gloucester Daily Times.