Captain Dave Jewell talks commercial fishing at GHS

During homeroom yesterday, the GHS Fishing Club brought in a local guest speaker, Captain Dave Jewell of the Lady J., as part of the club’s Fishing & Careers on the Water: Speaker Series. 

In his presentation, Jewell talked about the path that led him to become a commercial fisherman and lobsterman, honing in on the immense effort – and possible inconsistencies – that can come with the job. 

Jewell grew up in Annisquam, spending time recreational fishing with his grandfather. When he attended GHS, Jewell worked in the machine shop and played for the hockey team. After his graduation in 1986, he played semi pro hockey in Canada and went on to work for Gloucester Engineering. 

His career path switched to commercial fishing after discovering he could make more money in a shorter period of time than if he had continued with engineering. 

Although Jewell did talk about the large amount of money a catch can sell for, he also emphasized the inconsistency of commercial fishing – and the long hours that come with it. Jewell sometimes wakes up at 1 a.m. in order to start his work day on the boat by 2 a.m. and from there he’s on the water for upwards of 12 hours. 

“You’re going to have your good days and you’re going to have your bad days,” Jewell said. “You have to learn how to budget – when you make a lot of money so quickly you have to put it away.” 

This season he went on six tuna trips, catching only one tuna, whereas previous years have been marked by at least one tuna caught on each trip. 

Government regulations can also pose challenges to the job as the closing seasons for different species can cut off a fisherman’s income for weeks or even months depending on the regulation. This means that Jewell works virtually every single day in the summer to account for these limitations. 

“I thought it was crazy how inconsistent it can be,” junior Henry Harrison said. “So much more of it is luck than I thought.” 

Regardless of how successful a day’s catch is, Jewell always sells his product to local seafood wholesaler Captain Joe and Sons. For Jewell this is a move of convenience, as they’ll buy all of his product at the end of the day instead of him having to sell to individual restaurants. 

Jewell’s daughter, Madison, a senior at GHS was also at the meeting. Much of her life has been spent on her dad’s boat, banding lobsters and learning the ways of commercial fishing. M. Jewell used to go out on her dad’s boat at least once a week every summer. Now that she has a job, her trips are less frequent, but she still enjoys the occasional trip. 

“The tuna fishing is a lot more relaxing because typically you won’t catch anything, but lobstering is more rewarding because you’re basically guaranteed a catch,” M. Jewell said. 

To close the presentation, D. Jewell reflected on the dangers that come with working on the water. With such a deeply rooted fishing history, Gloucester has seen its fair share of tragedy on the water, including the loss of the F/V Lily Jean and its crew the past January. 

“If something breaks down, you’re not getting home quickly, especially if the weather kicks up,” D. Jewell said. “You make sure everything is ready – these things happen in every fishery, but you don’t expect it to happen until it does.” 

Despite the stress and long hours that come with the job, D. Jewell’s passion has not wavered in the more than 30 years that he has been a commercial fisherman and lobsterman. 

“I see the happiness my dad experiences every day just being out on the water, and I see his face light up when he tells me stories,” M. Jewell said. “It really makes me realize why he does what he does – he loves it. Fishing is hard work and it takes a lot out of you, but if you have the passion and the love for it nothing could be more rewarding, and I think my dad is an excellent example of that.”