Sea Deaths Highlight Fishing Rule Worries

Jan. 15, 2005 — -- Five days before Christmas, the men aboard the Northern Edge scallop boat soon would be heading home to New Bedford, Mass.

It was the traditional Christmas trip, a voyage that brings fishermen a paycheck for the holidays. But just after sunset, the boat began listing sharply and rough seas soon pulled it underwater.

"He disappeared, he disappeared," a nearby scalloper said as he radioed the Coast Guard. "We need help out here fast."

Problems with de-icing equipment delayed a Coast Guard chopper, and by the time it arrived, only one survivor, Pedro Furtado, had been scooped up by the other boat.

"The life raft flipped twice," Furtado said. "I was on the water. I was just trying to swim back again. The water was so cold. It was 45. I was frozen."

There was no sign of the five other men.

It was the deadliest New England fishing accident since the 1991 sinking of the Andrea Gail, made famous by the book and movie "The Perfect Storm."

In fact, fishing is the deadliest job in America. Roughly 150 out of every 100,000 commercial fishermen are killed on the job. That's nine times the rate for firefighters and police officers.

The residents of New Bedford know the dangers of the sea, but many fishermen blame government rules they say put them at risk in bad weather.

The rules are designed to prevent overfishing, a problem in the Atlantic. Scallop fishermen are not allowed to leave the fishing grounds, even in bad weather, and return on the same trip without forfeiting some of their catch.

Recently, Massachusetts lawmakers convinced the fisheries service to work toward ending the penalty on scallopers, allowing them to seek safe harbors in harsh weather.

Many say the current rule forces them to choose between their livelihood and their safety.

"There's a lot of pressure to stay out," said Kevin Mello, a fisherman. "Every time one of these boats goes offshore, you're already in debt."