In Mixed Catch, NF Senior Editor Linc Bedrosian spotlights a wide range of commercial fishing-related news items from coast to coast.
Friday, 19 October 2012
St. Joseph and the Sea
Fishermen, Faith and Redemption by the Ocean
By Daniel Chiasson
CreateSpace, 2012
Softcover, 206 pp., $8.99
It's one thing for a person to figure out what they'd like to do for a living. It's another to figure out who they are, and what kind of a person they want to be.
And if they are so fortunate as to develop concrete answers to those Big Questions, there's still the matter of taking action to fulfill those desires. That's no small task.
These are among the topics author Daniel Chiasson covers in his thought-provoking novel "St. Joseph and the Sea." It's available on Amazon.com, either in paperback or Kindle versions, and on the Barnes and Noble website.
Chiasson, 45, is a commercial fisherman who works as a crew member or sternman on various boats in a variety fisheries in Scituate, Mass. and nearby Cohasset. He's also a student of writing at the Harvard Extension School and Grub Street in Boston. He wrote the novel under the guidance of Harvard professor and Pulitzer prize winning author Paul Harding, ("Tinkers") and Academy Award winning author Ernest Thompson. ("On Golden Pond").
The coastal town of Scituate is Chiasson's hometown. It's home to an active fishing fleet, and its fishing heritage, tradition and colorful characters influenced Chiasson. The novel is based on his experience in his early 20s working as a sternman on gillnetters that plied the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Massachusetts Bay from Scituate Harbor.
The book's protagonist, Mordecai Young, seeks redemption and a way of life when he embarks on a career as a commercial fisherman. The greenhorn's learning curve is steep, and he experiences plenty of the dangers the fishing life offers — at sea and ashore. But he also discovers friendships and the allure of fishing.
The novel contains plenty of fishing action and rich details about the fishing life. What keeps the reader turning the page is seeing how Mordecai responds to adversity, how he learns from mistakes and begins to figure out what he wants from life and what kind of man he wants to be. That makes "St. Joseph and the Sea" well-worth reading.
Callifornia crabbing: Here's a fun video shot on the decks of the Majestik while catching Dungeness crab off the coast of northern California.
Alaska fisherman and commercial fisheries activist Kevin Adams was elected chairman at the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute board of directors meeting on May 9 in Anchorage.
The governor-appointed board consists of seven members: five seafood processors and two industry representatives actively engaged in commercial fishing. Adams was appointed to fill a harvester seat by Gov. Frank Murkowski in 2004.
With 38 years of fishing experience in Bristol Bay, Adams has long been an active member in the Alaska fishing industry, ASMI says. He has worked for both the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation and the Bering Sea Fisherman's Association, and represents Alaska fishermen on numerous boards.
The Northeast Regional Planning Body, a group of state, tribal and federal representatives from New England who are working to implement the National Ocean Policy and address critical New England ocean issues, is holding a series of public meetings in May and June.
The meetings are being held to discuss draft regional ocean planning goals and associated potential actions. The planning body seeks input on these goals and actions. Additional information on the group's progress can be found here.
The meetings will also provide an opportunity to review draft maps and products from initial efforts to gather information on the natural resources and diverse uses of the ocean, including fishing, transportation, energy and infrastructure, aquaculture, and recreation.
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