Sea of Heartbreak: An Extraordinary Account of a Newfoundland Fishing Voyage

Melvin Baker is an archivist and historian at Memorial University of
Newfoundland, and the co-editor of Dictionary of Newfoundland and
Labrador Biography.

A middle-aged fisherman and sealer, the author secured work on a
Newfoundland turbot fishing boat—a 65-foot steel trawler—that
traveled from Newfoundland’s northeast coast to Ungava Bay in search
of a lucrative harvest of recently opened fishing grounds. Tired of
being home without gainful employment, Dwyer seized on the two-month
trip as an opportunity to make quick money and restore his dignity by
returning home “more independent and proud as a peacock.” Sea of
Heartbreak is a well-written account of his daily life aboard a fishing
boat with the seven other crew members.

Dwyer expresses deep concerns about the fishing practices of his fellow
fishermen and the wanton waste of fish species other than the turbot
they wish to catch. Both these species and undersized turbot not
suitable for foreign buyers are considered “garbage” and routinely
thrown back into the sea. When some crew members go ashore to shoot some
eider ducks for recreation, Dwyer declares his disgust at “such
wasteful practices and downright cruelty.” Today he hunts only for
“food and, occasionally, for profit, as in sealing and fishing.” Sea
of Heartbreak is a heartfelt plea for humans to better manage the
resources of the sea.