June 6, 2017 — Commercial fishermen in Northern New England face their fair share of challenges. Along with declining fish stocks and tight catch regulations, the occupation also remains one of the most dangerous in the country.
With that ever-present risk in mind, dozens of fishermen turned out in New Castle, New Hampshire recently for a day-long safety training exercise.
“Yeah, I’ve been on boats that sunk, had to get overboard, and had to get in my survival suit, gone in the water in the wintertime. And so, I’ve been through it,” says John Emmerton, a fourth generation fisherman with fingers thick like sausages. “It’s pretty ‘hairy carey’ when you have to deal with it in reality. Never happens when it’s nice like today.”
Emmerton is usually found in the Gulf of Maine aboard the Angela Michelle, but today he and some of his crewmates are on dry land in New Castle for a free safety event put on by the non-profit Fishing Partnership Support Services.
“The ocean is a dangerous place,” says Ed Dennehy, training director for Fishing Partnership. “There are weather issues, there are equipment issues if you don’t care care of your boat, then you have flooding issues, or a fire. And when you are out in the ocean, you are your only person around to save yourself. There is no ambulance, there is no fire engine. So you need to know how to address those kinds of issues.”
While fishing boats are subject to routine inspections to ensure there are items such as flares and life rafts aboard, there is no real oversight over whether crew know how to use them properly.