Capt. Joe Orlando has been a stalwart of the Gloucester fleet for more than 35 years.
He has an instinct for fish and an appetite for justice. Right now, he contends, there's a lot more of the former than the latter.
Orlando, 56, was a child when his family emigrated from Sicily in 1963 and settled in Milwaukee, where his uncle lived. But it wasn't right for Orlando's father, a fisherman in Sicily.
In the early 1970s, a helping hand was extended by Tommy Brancaleone, whose family made up one of the legendary high-lining crews of the post-World War II era. Brancaleone invited the Orlandos to come to Gloucester to fish.
"When we started, the health of the fish stocks was pretty good, but not as good as it is now," said Orlando, who maintains a fishing business with his son Mario via the 65-foot dragger Padre Pio.
Read the complete story at the Gloucester Times.