Earl Dotter
- 2000
Fellowship Title:
- Commercial Fishing: Our Most Perilous Trade
Fellowship Year:
- 2000
When the Sea Calls
Douglas Goodale, by the age of 32, had eight years of commercial fishing experience behind him when his job literally took his right arm and very nearly his life. Goodale was working by himself on his 22-foot purple lobster boat, “Barney,” about one mile off the coast of southern Maine near Wells Harbor. Hauling up his third set of double traps, his rope went slack in the heavy six-foot seas and snagged on his antiquated drum winch. While reaching for the winch cut-off switch, the right sleeve of Goodale’s loose-fitting oilskin slicker became snagged in the winding rope, pulling it into the winch head. In a moment of agonizing terror, his hand and then his arm were drawn in and crushed in the machine, flipping him over and completely out of his boat. Douglas Goodale, 35, lost his right arm in a winch accident while lobstering off the coast of Maine in 1998. After the accident, Goodale said to his wife, Becky, in the emergency room, “At least I still have my wedding ring.” Strong
A Diary of Danger on the Seas
The crew of the fishing boat Edward L. Moore out of Portland, Maine. Scott “Scotty” Russell, 45, has been the captain of the Edward L. Moore (ELM) for the last 19 years. In his early twenties, while out of work as a house painter, he took his first job on a fishing boat on Long Island, New York. Gabriel “Gabe” Fula, 40, first mate on the ELM, has fished commercially for 23 years along the New England coast. Larry Thompson, 55, is a temporary deck hand on the ELM and captain of the sword fishing boat, Sea Lion VIII, also moored in Portland, Maine. John “Woody” Woodbury, 38, is a native of Portland, Maine and an experienced deck hand on the ELM. Thursday, December 14 — By early this morning the snow has blown deep drifts across the steel deck of the Edward L. Moore (ELM), an 87’ stern trawler tied snugly in her berth at the Fish Pier in Portland, ME. It has been nearly six weeks since Scott “Scotty” Russell, 45, brought back
The Price Of Fish Our Nation’s Most Perilous Job Takes Life and Limb in New England
Douglas Goodale, by the age of 32, had 8 years of commercial fishing experience behind him when his job literally took his right arm and very nearly his life. Goodale was working by himself on his twenty-two foot purple lobster boat, “Barney,” about one mile off the coast of southern Maine near Wells Harbor. The rope hauling up his third set of double traps went slack in the heavy six foot seas and snagged on his antiquated winch. Douglas Goodale, 35, lost his right arm while lobstering off the coast of Maine in 1997 in a winch accident. He continues to fish commercially out of Wells Harbor. While reaching for the winch cut-off switch, Goodale’s loose fitting right oil slicker sleeve got caught in the winding rope, pulling it into the winch head. In a moment of agonizing terror, his hand and then his arm were drawn in and crushed in the winding winch flipping him over completely and then out of his boat. With his arm still entangled in the turning winch and his