Tag Archives: lifelong commercial fisherman
Lifelong Commercial Fisherman Jonas R. Porter of Woodville, Florida, has passed away
Jonas R. Porter, 86, of Woodville, passed away November 3, 2024. Jonas was born in Sopchoppy and remained a life-long resident of this area. He was a Commercial Fisherman all of his life and was a true fishing storyteller; you never knew if it was the truth or not and he always got a good laugh. Jonas has always been a voice for all fishermen; he stood for what he believed in. He also was a Handyman and enjoyed building things, also enjoyed music, singing and playing the guitar. Jonas loved his family and friends and spoiled his grandkids; he loved people. He would want you to know that he supported Trump. more, >>CCLICK TO READ<< 05:56
Lifelong Commercial Fisherman Army Veteran Theodore “Ted” Reed Merrell III, of Juneau, has passed away
Theodore “Ted” Reed Merrell III, 76, died at his Fritz Cove home on October 16, 2024 after a long struggle with Progressive Supranuc Palsy (PSP). Ted and Lucy were engaged while Ted was on R&R in Hawaii and after discharge, they were married in Minnesota. They headed to Juneau as soon as Lucy graduated, driving Ted’s hot orange 1970 stick-shift Dodge Charger R/T. Ted soon got his own boat–an open 19-footer –and began a lifelong career in commercial fishing. Other boats followed: Diamondtooth (an ancient wooden gillnetter), Onni (a fast bowpicker with troublesome twin Volvo engines), Invictus, and for most of his career, the 45-foot Dundas. Ted had permits in many fisheries and tried crab, herring, and salmon gillnetting and finally settled into longlining and trolling, often accompanied by his son, Nelson. He fished all over the Northern Panhandle and especially liked downtime with friends in the fishing village, Elfin Cove. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:44
Lifelong Commercial Fisherman Loyd Alan “Lanny” Reposa has passed away in Maine
Loyd Alan “Lanny” Reposa, 75, passed away on October 6th, 2024 peacefully at his farm in Maine joining his heavenly family. Born in Wakefield, RI, he was the son of the late Arthur Reposa and Claire Binns, stepson of the late Ruth A Reposa. He was the loving husband of the late Sally Reposa. Lanny was a lifelong resident of South County and commercial fisherman in Point Judith, RI where he owned and operated several boats of the Point Judith fleet. He also fished in Alaska even getting the chance to pass the Titanic discovery and was one of the first captains to introduce freezer fishing to the industry. He embarked to the Grand Banks for a lot of his fishing, remarkably under some of the most brutal and treacherously dangerous conditions (including hurricane Gloria), Lanny always got his vessel and crew back to a safe port without ever losing a crew member. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:14
Lifelong Commercial Fisherman Jason Libby of the Saint George Peninsula, has passed away
Jason Libby, a lifelong resident of the St. George Peninsula, died in his sleep at home, on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024. Jason graduated from Georges Valley High School in Thomaston in 1992, where he played soccer, was the class clown and made his mark on all those around him. He started his lifelong commercial fishing career while still in school, fishing for scallops, shrimp, and groundfish with his father, Glen, and uncle, Gary, on the family fishing boats out of Port Clyde. Later, Jason also spent time fishing on boats out of Gloucester and New Bedford, Mass. as captain, mate and crew. He fished with his uncle Wayne, brother Justin, longtime captain Stephen Sukeforth, and on many other boats with dorymates who loved and respected Jason. Jason enjoyed spending his free time with his children and grandchild, going out of his way to ensure they were cared for and loved. more, >>click to read<< 13:45
Captain Jimmy Ruhle Honored Posthumously with New Cooperative Research Award
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council named Captain Jimmy Ruhle as the first recipient and namesake of a new award that recognizes outstanding contributions to cooperative fisheries research in the Mid-Atlantic region. His son, Captain Robert Ruhle, accepted the award on his father’s behalf during the Council’s meeting last week in Arlington, Virginia. Jimmy Ruhle was a lifelong commercial fisherman, a former Council member, and a trailblazer in cooperative fisheries research. He had an instrumental role in the creation and success of the Northeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (NEAMAP) Mid-Atlantic/Southern New England trawl survey, a cooperative fishery-independent survey of coastal waters from Cape Hatteras north to Cape Cod. Since 2007, the survey has been conducted biannually aboard Jimmy’s vessel, the F/V Darana R, by a team of Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) researchers working in partnership with Jimmy and his crew. more, >>click to read<< 13:11
Lifelong commercial fisherman Jeremy Davis of Maine, has passed away
Jeremy G. Davis died unexpectedly on Saturday, January 27, 2024, at York Hospital after a short illness. Jeremy was a lifelong commercial fisherman. He crewed and eventually captained boats for others out of ports in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts in his early years. Eventually, Jeremy purchased his first commercial fishing boat, a 42′ boat fittingly named the F/V Chutzpah. This allowed him to stay closer to home, support his young family, and avoid the extended offshore trips on larger vessels. His love for fishing was not just a job; it was his life’s work. Jeremy was an extremely hard worker who rarely took a day off from running his fishing business. He eventually purchased his largest boat, the F/V Karen Lynn I, named after his wife of 42 years. Jeremy captained that boat until his semi-retirement a few short years ago when he started spending winters in Port Charlotte, Florida. more, >>click to read<< 09:34
Retired Commercial Fisherman Joseph C. Whaley Jr. of Narragansett, R.I. has passed away
Joseph C. Whaley, Jr., 86, of Narragansett, passed away at home Friday, July 1, 2022. He was the beloved husband of Marjorie “Midge” Whaley for 65 years. Born in South Kingstown, he was the son of the late Joseph C. Whaley, Sr. and Lily (Sohm) Whaley. He was predeceased by his brothers Howard and Babe and his sisters Virginia and Marise. He is survived by several nieces and nephews. Joe was a lifelong commercial fisherman out of Point Judith. He started with the F/V Virginia Marise, which he bought from his father and ran until he was called into the US Army. When he returned from the Army, he bought F/V E. Carl Rice Jr., which he ran for 35 years, often with his wife Midge as his crew. He later ran the trap boat Amelia Bucolo and, once again, F/V Virginia Marise when it returned to Point Judith 50 years later. >click to read< 08:37
Daniel Harrington of North Kingstown, R.I., a lifelong commercial fisherman, has passed away
Daniel Harrington, 57, of North Kingstown passed away peacefully on June 22, 2021 surrounded by his loving family, after a brief illness. Born in Warwick, he was the son of the late Gerald T. Harrington Jr and Sonia (Smith) Reed. Danny spent a lot of time at his grandparent’s beachfront home in Wickford where he found appreciation for everything about the ocean and fishing. He was a lifelong commercial fisherman, working out of Wickford, Point Judith, and Marathon, Florida. Danny was one of a kind and a friend to all who knew him. >click to read< 10:32
