About 150 people turned out for a ceremony in Lubec marking the state’s first official Commercial Fishing Remembrance Day at the Lost Fisherman's Memorial, next to the town dock.
Emcee and event organizer Liz Michaud started things off by reading from the Governor's Proclamation.
"Whereas the risks faced by Maine's fishermen are real and constant," Michaud read, "with unpredictable weather, treacherous waters, and the physical demands of the job posing dangers each day they set out to sea..."
The proclamation declares July 21 as a day to pause to honor fallen fishermen, support the industry, and recommit to promoting a culture of safety on and off the water.
For Michaud, and many others, this date has a painful significance.
"Two years ago today, our family lost Tylar. He was fishing by himself on a foggy morning," said Michaud. "He had just turned 18 years old and was weeks from starting at Maine Maritime Academy."
Tylar Michaud, of Steuben, was Liz Michaud's nephew. In response to his death, she founded Green and White Hope, a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing and recovering fishermen lost at sea and preventing more tragedies through safety education and training.
According to the CDC, commercial fishing is one of America’s deadliest jobs, second only to logging. With its pair of granite waves, the Lost Fisherman’s Memorial is a monument to the sacrifice of those lost in nearby waters. Bill Case was on the founding committee to build it.
"It's also chock a block full of symbolism, with its location," said Case. "My hope was that every time a fisher went down that dock, it caught their eye as a reminder to come back to it rather than on it."
The memorial includes more than 120 names engraved in the stone. More have been added this year.
Since January, four Downeast Maine fishermen — Chester and Aaron Barrett, Jaxson Marston, and Alton Wallace — have died in fishing accidents.
As a westerly wind bounced lobster boats moored on the sapphire waters of Johnson Bay behind her, Michaud is resolved not to sit only in grief.
"Now we're moving our agenda on to what I like to refer to as the hope part," Michaud announced.
And there is plenty of it. Green and White Hope is working on a guide to help communities coordinate more effective responses to fishing accidents.
There are also fishermen-friendly lifejackets, and emerging man overboard safety technologies that, as Pat Shepard of Redde Marine Safety said will make it so that "the vessel itself becomes the first responder."
State Representative Tiffany Strout of Harrington told the crowd that after Chet and Aaron Barrett’s scallop boat Sudden Impact sunk in January, she heard from their family, who wanted to do something to help other fishermen. So, Strout introduced a bill, LD 1708, to create a Commercial Fishing Safety Fund, which was signed into law in June.
While it has an official title in Augusta, Strout said, "I hope people will refer to this law as the Chet and Aaron Rescue and Recovery Act."
The event ended with a prayer, and a call to action from Annie Sokoloski, who is close to the Michaud family.
"Let this day be more than memorial, let it be a reckoning," Sokoloski said. "A call to protect what we've inherited, to prepare with wisdom and to speak for those who voices the water has silenced."
As folks dispersed to a nearby pub, Tylar’s relatives Joyce and Jeff Maker, told me how much they wish he could have been here today. And how much they appreciate how many people showed up.
"I think this brings the importance of safety for fishermen more to the forefront," Maker said.
Maker said he hopes July 21 becomes an annual day of remembrance, for all fishermen.