‘We are the endangered species’: Hampton fisherman David Goethel shares story in new book

HAMPTON — A local fisherman has published a memoir of his years trawling for cod and haddock across the open Atlantic — a line of work he warns could become a thing of the past.

For 40 years, David Goethel rode his 44-foot fish trawler the Ellen Diane from Hampton-Seabrook Harbor to Jeffreys Ledge off the coast of New Hampshire. His new book “Endangered Species,” published by Peter Randall of Portsmouth, shares his life story as well as a warning that today’s federal regulations are putting small boats out of business.

“We are the endangered species,” Goethel said.

Goethel, 69, retired last year to focus on treatment for cancer that is now in remission. A voice for the New Hampshire fishing community, Goethel said he was encouraged by his son to write his story so future generations can learn how small-boat trawlers were brought to the brink of extinction.

“So that when that happens, they’ll at least have some accurate portrayals of lives,” Goethel said. “But also how they ended up in that position.”

Goethel tells his story in new book

Goethel was raised in Needham, Massachusetts, but spent summers in Seabrook, where his father took him fishing at Eastman’s Fishing Fleet. He recalled catching nine mackerels as a boy with his dad in 1963 on one of Eastman’s recreational fishing charters.

“That was it, I was hooked from then on, literally,” Goethel said.

Goethel got his first job working for Eastman’s at 14. By 18 he was licensed to drive a boat with passengers, and he eventually bought a stake in Eastman’s.

Goethel found charter boats to be a challenge and, at the time, were known to draw rowdy fishermen.

“You get into 1982, drug use is just rampant in the customer base,” Goethel said. One fishing captain was punched in the face, he said, for requesting some unruly customers return the life vests they took from the boat when they deboarded.

“Broke his jaw, punched in the face, over lifejackets,” Goethel said. “For me, that was it.”

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Goethel finds true calling on the sea

Goethel went full-time commercial fishing, selling his stake in Eastman’s. He purchased a modern vessel that became the second Ellen Diane, named after his wife, that he used for the last four decades.

For Goethel, being on the open ocean every day meant a life of excitement.

“I described it as freedom,” Goethel said.

At the time, it was very easy to become a commercial fisherman, according to Goethel. He recalled there were no permits required, and no limits were placed on what could be fished.

“It was open access,” Goethel said. “If you wanted to buy and go fishing, you bought a boat and went fishing.”

Goethel said the average catch was between 200 to 300 pounds of fish per hour trawl, though occasionally he was lucky to find a particularly large group of fish. On July 4, 2011, he pulled in 8,700 pounds of cod over the course of a half hour, a catch that brought in about $16,000.

“The most memorable things are always the big catches,” Goethel said.

Fishing could be taxing as well. Goethel said the hard part is remaining mentally strong as one works through cold weather some days, and other days dealing with hot sun.

A commercial fisherman also has a front-row seat to a wide range of marine life, from massive ocean sunfish to great white sharks. Goethel described seeing white sharks hunt seals as “inspiring.”

“There’s a circular explosion of white all around the seal. A big bubble of blood comes up,” Goethel said. “It’s all over in the blink of an eye.”

Goethel always remained wary of any storms that hit the Gulf of Maine, some of which can come on quickly. A storm in the forecast did not keep Goethel from leaving the harbor.

“We fished right up until the storm,” Goethel said.

Goethel said he had some close calls with the weather. He recalled catching northern shrimp one year when a snowstorm appeared.

“It literally went zero to 60 in 10 minutes, blinding horizontal snow,” Goethel said.

Goethel’s crew asked how they were going to get home. He replied, “You get the shrimp box, and I’ll worry about getting us home.”

“And I did,” Goethel said. “Cruised into the harbor.”

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Goethel becomes a voice for fishermen

Goethel was uniquely equipped as a commercial fisherman as he also graduated from Boston University with a degree in marine biology. Most fishermen, he said, study business if they have a college degree.

“I wanted to know more about fish,” Goethel said. “I wanted to understand what I was trying to catch.”

Goethel said that allowed him to serve as an interpreter between fishermen, scientists and fishery managers in the years when New Hampshire’s fishing fleet began to shrink amidst tightening federal restrictions. Catch quotas and fishery closures to assist the fish population have led many small-boat fishermen to sell their boats.

“There were 850 active boats here in the early '80s,” Goethel said. “We’re down to a little over 100 now, and most of those are large.”

Goethel said regulations are based on dated science in that they seek to bring the cod population back to the numbers of the fish seen in the 1950s. He said the warming of the Gulf of Maine and other factors outside the fishery’s control are causing fish to move, impacting their rate of survival. He said that means scientists cannot expect the same level of population observed 60 years ago.

“That’s why you have these ridiculously low quotas,” Goethel said. “You’re trying to rebuild to a number that you’re incapable of rebuilding to.”

The retired fisherman remains an optimist, he said. The first step towards correcting the data, he said, is for fishermen and scientists to work together on the water. He said he has seen it work in the past, having used his own vessel to record water temperatures directly to researchers from the ocean on fishing trips.

“Cooperative research,” Goethel said. “I push that it’s been one of the biggest successes.”

Challenges remain, though, as some distrust remains between the commercial fishers and the researchers.

“There is still a lot of resistance from some people using fishermen-generated data,” Goethel said.

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Goethel still fishes but for fun

Goethel has been working on the book since 2010 when he was badly injured in a 25-foot fall at the Hampton State Pier. He fell from his truck bed over the edge of the pier and onto the dock because of a negligently installed hydraulic hoist system he was operating to lift.

Goethel said he was recovering when his son told him to write his story down. He said that’s when he made a 10-page outline of his life events.

More than a decade later, when Goethel was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he said he realized it was time to sell the boat, as he would not be able to keep up work for his full-time crew. In the summer of 2022, as he underwent treatment, he began writing to pass the time, belting out a chapter a day over six weeks.

The book was trimmed down by his publisher to 300 pages. He is now preparing for its October release with a schedule of book signings and readings. He will be at the Lane Memorial Library Oct. 19 from 6 to 7 p.m. in Hampton, Water Street Bookstore in Exeter Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. and the Bookery in Manchester Nov. 4 at a time to be decided.

Goethel, who said he is cancer-free, is enjoying his retirement, and he still spends time on the open ocean. He bought a smaller 22-foot center sport fisherman boat. The new boat allows him to go out with friends to fish with a rod and reel. He still goes out to Jeffreys Ledge and catches about 50 pounds of fish, enough to pay for the gas.

“It’s a good thing for somebody that’s retired,” Goethel said. “I still keep a pulse on the fishery.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH fisherman David Goethel shares story in book 'Endangered Species'