Netting shrimp in the icy waters off Cape Ann, hauling up lobster two hundred miles offshore, in the 1970s Gloucester's eastern-rig side trawlers were at the top of a dying and dangerous industry.
In the tough competition for the daily catch, Gloucester's dragger fleets were the best. They went out farther, stayed out longer, and risked all as the fishing grounds grew lean. Author Peter Prybot captures the glory days of the draggers through recollections and his own firsthand observations as a lifelong Gloucester fisherman. Terrible weather, good fishing, bad fishing, great days and greater danger-- these are true stories from the decks of the celebrated trawler fleet that is no more.