The next generation: Tyler Miranda fights for New Bedford fishermen

NEW BEDFORD — Tyler Miranda went on his first fishing trip on his father's lobster boat when he was six years old.

"It was a day trip to Vineyard Sound," the 37-year old said. "I was doing the worst job on the boat: fixing the bait. I had to deal with the smells and all that."

Little did that child know that over 30 years later he would launch to prominence among New Bedford scallopers when he led the charge against a proposed limited access permit leasing program earlier this year.

"I don't want to be a Wal-Mart fisherman," he said before representatives of the New England Fishery Management Council in May. "I think the fisherman's voice should be heard."

The oldest of four children, Miranda said he dropped out of school at age 15 in order to pursue a career in the fleet.

"By then I had to tape the lobsters," he said, adding he earned 10 cents per crustacean. "It was a little more responsibility because now I had to keep count of it."

Generations of New Bedford fishermen

Miranda's lineage on the docks goes back several generations to his great-grandfather, who owned a boat called Fairhaven. He recalled seeing a photo of him dressed up with the boat a couple of years ago.

"If you were a boat owner, you were really high society back then," he said.

Miranda said his relationship with the industry has evolved over the years.

"It's a love\hate relationship," he said, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. "When you have a wife and four kids, you start to wonder about how much time you spend away. But, it gets enough money to feed everyone and put a roof over their heads."

But the industry has also presented challenges for him. Miranda recently celebrated six years sober after overcoming an addiction to painkillers.

"It start out innocently in this business," he said. "This job is brutal on your body. It starts with, you take a pill, and you feel better. ... then it goes downhill."

Yet, he said, overcoming the challenges of addiction taught him to appreciate what he has and fight for what he believes in.

"I always try to be grateful for what I have," he said.

Scallop leasing fight

It was this belief that came in handy in the spring when the New England Fishery Management Council announced a series of scoping meetings revolving around a proposed reform to limited access scallop fishery license regulations.

The proposed changed would have allowed for boat owners to lease portions of their days allotted days at sea in the limited access zones to other owners.

The proposal caused an uproar in New Bedford, the nation's largest fishing port by tonnage caught, where scallopers remembered the consolidation of the groundfish fishery a decade ago.

"That first meeting I was sweating," he recalled. "But I spoke because it was something that I believe in.

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"All that comes down to is greed," he said, referring to the proposal. "There for sure were some owners who are good guys and would've done the right thing.

"Any consolidation for any fishery is not good for anyone except the owners."

Are there opportunities?

Miranda said that he cannot see himself working another career soon.

"I'll probably still be here in five years," he said. "I'll probably still be here in 10 years."

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That being said, he does wonder about the industry's future.

"Obviously, climate change is an issue," he said, adding that changing water temperatures will change marine animals patterns and habitats.

He said that he does wonder if his children will be able to follow in his footsteps, as he followed his own father's.

"That's where the uncertainty comes into play with future generations," he said. "I don't think fishing will offer the same opportunities to them that it offered me."

Contact Kevin G. Andrade at kandrade@s-t.com and follow him on Twitter: @KevinGAndrade. Support local journalism and subscribe to the Standard-Times today!

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford fisherman Tyler Miranda carries on the family tradition