New Bedford’s fishing vessels have always braved the choppy waters for our community, including the Northern Edge. On December 20th, 2004, the Northern Edge ventured out past the Nantucket waters when it sent a distress signal to the Coast Guard stating it had overturned and began to sink. Thankfully a nearby fishing vessel known as the Diane Marie was able to rescue one of the crew members, Pedro Furtado who was able to cling to the life raft. Sadly numerous Coast Guard cutters and even Falcon jets searched for the remaining five crew but on December 22nd, 2004, the search ended. After the tragedy, multiple fishermen and politicians called for reform stating that fishing vessels required more leniency to seek safe harbor during storms without penalization. Thankfully the agency amended their ruling, allowing boats to do so without losing any fishing time. Both the community and local organizations took the Northern Edge’s loss very seriously and also began teaching safety classes for fishermen. During this period, current and future fisherman learned life saving skills such as installing life vests, survival suits, inflating life rafts, and jumping into ocean waters. Though the crew of the Northern Edge will never be forgotten, we can still learn from the past and do our part in aiding our brave fishermen.
