Commercial Fishing Remembrance Day

Monique Coombs
Jul 22
3 min read

These are the remarks I gave on July 21, 2025, at the Lost Fishermen's Memorial in Lubec, Maine. Governor Mills has proclaimed July 21 as Commercial Fishing Remembrance Day. To mark the occasion, Green and White Hope held a memorial service and invited partners from Fishing Partnership Support Services, REDDE Marine, and MCFA to participate.

Good afternoon.

My name is Monique Coombs, and I work with the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association.

I’m also a fisherman’s wife and a mother to two kids who fish.

Photo courtesy of Representative Alison Hepler who was in attendance along with Commissioner Wilson and Marine Patrol.

It’s an honor to be here with all of you today to remember and celebrate the lives of those we’ve lost from our fishing communities.

Fishing is not just a job. It’s a way of life - one that shapes families, towns, and generations. And when something happens out there on the water, it ripples through all of us on shore.

We feel it in our homes, our harbors, and our hearts.

When Chester and Aaron Barrett were lost, I had a hard time not imagining my own husband and son, and when Tylar Michaud was lost, I had a hard time not seeing my own kids.

Because there are families like the Barretts and young fishermen like Jaxson Marston and Tylar in every Maine fishing community - young people who love the ocean, who grow up working hard alongside their families, who carry the future of this industry in their hands.

I worry about my kids, and I know so many of you carry that same quiet worry, too.

At MCFA, we work to support fishermen and fishing families not just through policy or economics, but as whole people.

Because the work of a fisherman takes a toll. It asks everything of a person: their strength, endurance, intuition, and courage.

And sometimes, it takes more than it gives back.

We know that physical health, mental health, and emotional well-being are deeply connected. The stress of financial pressures, the risk, the regulations, and uncertainty all adds up.

The stress and risk of this life doesn’t just live on boats, they live in our homes, too.

Fishermen’s wives carry a unique worry, one that starts when the boat leaves the wharf, and doesn’t ease until it is safely returned.

And fishermen keep showing up. They keep going out. And they too often carry the weight quietly and alone, because that’s always been part of the job.

But I think everyone here wants to change that story.

We want fishermen to know that they’re not alone. That it's okay to ask for help. Taking care of yourself - your body, your mind, your spirit - is not a luxury.

It’s your safety on the water, and your legacy at home.

And we are working on it.

This fall, Amanda Smith and Tora Johnson from the Sunrise County Economic Council (and both of whom are also fishermen’s wives) and I are hosting a Fishing Family Forum to bring fishing spouses and families together. We're also working to ensure that Maine’s healthcare industry better understands the unique needs and challenges of our fishing communities.

The fishermen we remember today mattered, and they still matter. And perhaps one of the best ways we can honor them is to continue to take care of each other and do better to take care of ourselves.

Thank you for allowing me to be here today. Thank you for honoring the work, the lives, and the heart of this incredible fishing community that we are part of.