Three different fishing communities, three different countries, but in their pursuit of fish on the banks they would have much in common, including the terrors of the North Atlantic storms. Tens of thousands of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and New England fishermen have perished over the centuries while attempting to make a living on North Atlantic waters. Tragedy struck particularly hard during the August gales of 1926 and 1927. Many see the life of the deep-sea fisherman as adventurous, even romantic, but it was difficult, dirty, and dangerous labour. If the life was so grim, why did men go fishing? What lay behind the call of the sea?

“Very few of us, one fears, realise what the life of our deep-sea fishermen means. It is so easy to sit in comfort and dream of the Romance of the Sea…”

Photos by Anna Iltnere / Sea Library