Commercial fishing out of New Bedford is a hazardous business. Never absent, the risks increase dramatically during the winter, when gales become frequent. Working on deck in bitter cold, fishermen confront winter seas and freezing spray that can lead to dangerous ice buildup on decks and rigging.
Inured to hardship and sharing a culture of fatalism, fishing boat crews continue to venture out year round despite the hazards, In recent years, 10 men from New Bedford have died while fishing in winter. Five lost their lives when the scalloper Northern Edge sank in frigid waters 45 miles southeast of Nantucket on Dec. 20, 2004.
"They fish in winter for the price," said Raymond Canastra of the Whaling City Seafood Display Auction. "You get more money for less fish."
Demand is high during the winter, he said. "In summer, people eat hamburgers and hot dogs. In April, May and June the fish are spawning out and the flesh is like jelly. In the cold, people want comfort food, and with Lent coming they eat more fish."