April 27, 2016 — PROVINCETOWN, Mass. — When commercial fisherman Beau Gribbin walked in and handed members of the Provincetown Fishermen’s Memorial Foundation a check for $6,500 at their meeting on Wednesday, April 13 he was signaling not only support for the fund but the return of a formal alliance between local fishermen.
Gribbin, captain of the fishing vessel Glutton, along with Chris King, owner of Cape Tip Seafood and captain of the scallop vessel Donna Marie, are both members and former chairs of the Provincetown Fishermen’s Association, known as ProFish. The organization is making a comeback, Gribbin and King said in recent interviews, and its current members, along with some of the original founders who are no longer members, agreed that donating to the Fishermen’s Memorial Foundation would be a good use of a portion of ProFish’s remaining funds.
Made on behalf of the fishermen of Provincetown, the donation’s purpose is twofold: to encourage recognition in the community that there is still a viable fishing industry in Provincetown, and to kickstart a scholarship fund to benefit the children of families of working commercial fishermen.
“I’m hoping that with regenerating the Fishermen’s Association and working in collaboration with the Fishermen’s Memorial, it will put a very positive spin back on fishing and connect us directly to the community again,” Gribbin said.