September 26, 2023 — The passing of a fisheries icon
Francis J. O’Hara Sr., president of the O’Hara Corporation, passed away on August 3, 2023 at his home in Camden, Maine, at the age of 91, peacefully surrounded by his family. If there is a name that’s synonymous with Maine’s fishing industry, it’s Frank O’Hara.
The O’Haras started building boats and developing a vertically integrated seafood company in the early 20th century. The family’s first boat, the F/V Francis J. O’Hara Jr., was built in 1904 and sunk by a German U-boat during World War I. Gradually the O’Haras moved from T-Wharf in Boston to Portland, Rockland, and Lubec, Maine. Over the century, the O’Hara Corporation increased its footprint to include New Bedford, Mass.; Seattle, Washington; Dutch Harbor, Alaska; and Zhuange, China. The roots of the company, its headquarters, and Frank Sr.’s office remain in Rockland.
Born in 1932 in Boston, Mass., Frank O’Hara began working in earnest for his father’s company in Rockland at a young age. In those years the O’Hara vessels, including four 85-foot Eastern rig trawlers, caught and processed millions of pounds of redfish, breaking records for landings. The company froze much of that fish to feed U.S. troops during World War II.
From the company’s beginnings, the O’Haras had a knack for making the right moves. That comes from a deep understanding of a business intrinsically connected to an unpredictable resource – wild fish. Many people have gone broke fishing, but the O’Haras have been surviving and thriving for over 100 years.
Frank Sr. worked with his brother on the docks through school. After a stint at Boston College, he found his life-long mate, Jill, and they married and began their life together. Frank took the helm of the company in 1955. At that point, Maine fishermen followed the redfish past Newfoundland, and occasionally, all the way to the Labrador Sea. The O’Hara fleet operated out of Rockland and consisted of several side trawlers, all named after family members over the years. It was not long before a change in the fish stocks required their fleet to switch from ocean perch (redfish) to groundfish consisting of haddock, cod, pollock, and flatfish.