One Year Later – We Remember Richard Gaines, and We Miss Him
This may be hard to believe. Its been a year since Richard Gaines was found dead.
People in the fisheries, and every sector attached to it felt an immediate void.
The passing of Gaines was catastrophic for many. From an industry perspective, none more so than the Gloucester Daily Times.
We were gifted to have the right combination of a great writer that informed of the issues of the day, an Editor that was supportive, and a crew that did such a wonderful job churning out article after article.
To say Richard Gaines is missed is an understatement.
07:23
Richard was much more than a great writer. He was a relentless researcher who was committed to exposing what he saw as injustice and ineptitude in the world of commercial fisheries – not just in Gloucester but often from a national perspective. He was a real investigative reporter in a field that is increasingly populated by so-called journalists whose idea of “research” doesn’t get beyond reading recent press releases and who appear to believe that spell checking is the equivalent of fact checking.
The role Richard played in fisheries journalism is about as perfect an example of “indefatigable” as any of us are likely to see.
It never going to be the same without him.
Oh I am so sorry, I did not know. He was such a champion. Oh, so sad.
For me he was Richard Lion-Heart Gaines. MB-Y
Still a devastating loss a year later, Gaines was one of a kind. I still hope that lightning strikes twice re investigative reportage and the US commercial fishing industry- there is a lot the general public still needs to be made aware of and a lot of charlatans within the fisheries bureaucracy that still must be exposed.
I’m still having a hard time believing he’s not gonna’ pop up with a fishery saving revelation in the GDT one of these days.
Sometimes it feels like he’s been gone 2 weeks and other times it feels like 10 years. I really miss him and his inspiring unswerving and courageous devotion to the truth.
I know he’d say “just keep on keepin’ on”—he was, and I’m sure still is, a Bob Dylan fan.
What a heart, what a mind did we lose!
I was lucky to have known Richard both professionally and also as a friend. His passion to seek the truth and to expose the terrible wrong doings at the hands of the unaccountable leaders of our ever intrusive government were second to none.
I’m sure the bastards from within those rogue agencies did not shed a tear when we lost Richard.
He was a true champion of the people. Richard we sorely miss you and continue the quest to right all of the wrong doings that you so skillfully exposed.
Rest in peace my friend.
What I think would have surprised Richard the most, is that we still are feeling the magnitude of his passing. I don’t believe that he really understood the feelings of affection that the entire fishing industry felt for him. To him, he was just doing his job. What he felt to be, the right thing to do.
I’m really glad that we were able to let him know in a minor way, what he meant to us, when we presented him with the Friend of the Fishing Industry Award.
Gone but never forgotten!
Jim Kendall
We lost a Great Man and the Voice of the Fishing Community. You could say he was the only one fighting for us in the National tainted Media. God Bless Richard his family and friends.
Brian J Rothschild 12:10 PM (9 minutes ago)
to me
Hi I tried to add something about Richard to your site but got caught up in the technology and failed.
If you could add this, I would be appreciative.
“Richards death has demonstrated how long a year can be. The “system” continues to march on. Surely, Richard would have been a positive influence shining bright light on continued under fishing; reporting on the glacially slow response to the fisheries disaster; and noting that the rewriting the MSA is leaving the national standards untouched.”