Fisherman in New Bedford battle harsh winter
By Matt Blanchette
@mattblanchette
Local fisherman are also feeling the sting of this winter of extreme weather: forced to get out and fish as much as possible no matter what the conditions.
“It’s been so bad that we just can’t work,” Alan Sherman of Fairhaven said.
The “resolute” is resolute to embark on a two week long fishing trip starting Tuesday, but like most weeks this winter a storm is forecasted during its trip.
“This winter the storms just haven’t stopped one right after another,” Sherman said.
The fisherman in New Bedford are used to this New England winter winters with all the snow and the cold and the nice. But they say it’s the wind that’s been especially difficult to deal with.
“Like when you see a duck in a pond who puts his nose up and just sits there, well that is what we do but the stretch of wind has been so long, 3,4,5 days that we just come back home,” Sherman said.
Coming back home after traveling 17 hours off shore, is not an easy decision.
“I have never had to turn around or contemplate not going out, and last Monday we did,” Justin Dube of New Bedford said. “We got about six hours out into open waters and took a couple 30 foot seas and checked the next forecast and they had 60–70 hurricane force winds for two days and that was enough for me.“
“Last month I made one trip. Usually I make three but I have only made one,” Sherman said.
The Coast Guard is alsohelping bringing in an ice cutter boat similar to this one, to clear a path to get the boats out to sea.
