Members of Maine’s fishing community gathered around the Lost Fishermen’s Memorial in Lubec on Monday to honor commercial fishermen who have died on the water, including four this year alone.

But not all of those who have died are currently included on the memorial, stirring up an emotional debate in the community about who sets the rules.

Gov. Janet Mills had declared July 21, 2025, Maine Commercial Fishing Remembrance Day, writing that “too many have made the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of their work, and Maine communities continue to bear the deep and lasting sorrow of lives lost to the sea.”

The community marked the day with a tribute to the fishermen and how their contributions come at the expense of their personal safety. Commercial fishing is one of the most dangerous jobs in Maine, the U.S. and world, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fishermen face dangerous weather, hazardous waters, vessel sinkings, falls overboard, and gear injuries while at work.

“Each of these fishermen risked their lives to feed us, to sustain their communities, and to support their families,” Carl Wilson, commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, said during the ceremony, according to a copy of his prepared remarks.

And advocates used that attention as an opportunity to commit to promoting and improving safety within the industry.

“Let this monument stand as a promise: that we will remember their sacrifice; and that we will work together to prevent the tragedies that took the lives of these and too many other Maine fishermen,” Wilson told the crowd.

 FISHERMEN LOST, FISHERMEN REMEMBERED

The state and federal governments do not formally track how many commercial fishermen die each year while working — making the fatality rate in the industry unclear.

But the four known deaths recorded this year were: Chester Barrett, and his adult son Aaron, who died in January when their scalloping boat sunk off the coast of Trescott; Downeast scalloper Jaxson Marston, 26, who died in an apparent gear accident at the end of April; and Alton Wallace, 51, who died while harvesting clams in May after suffering a medical issue and falling into the water. They all led to large search and rescue efforts, which in some cases were unsuccessful.

The ceremony also honored Tylar Michaud, an 18-year-old lobsterman who died in 2023, and fisherman Dwayne Alley. Their names were engraved on the Lost Fishermen’s Memorial next to Marston and Wallace.

But the Barretts were not. The committee requires they be “actively fishing” when they died, according to marine resources department spokesperson Jeff Nichols, who is not involved in the committee. Since the Barretts were transporting their scalloping boat from one port to another to prepare for fishing the next day, the committee has not added them.

Repeated efforts to reach the chair of the memorial’s committee, which sets the rules, were unsuccessful. Lubec Town Administrator Suzette Francis said the town does not oversee the committee. She was unable to confirm the names of any members and could not find any related town documents.

Annie Sokoloski, a former seafood dealer who helped organize the ceremony, said many in the fishing community believe the policy is an arbitrary technicality — and they are outraged the Barretts have been left off.

“Half of the fishing community is in upheaval,” Sokoloski said.

Sokoloski is trying to mediate the issue. She said this has long been the committee’s policy, but it has never received this kind of attention before.

“This needs to be made public knowledge to all fishermen and anyone funding this monument,” Stephanie Chambers, Aaron Barrett’s aunt, said in an email.

Putting the technicalities aside, the organizers and speakers at the event still chose to honor the Barretts. And they used this moment as an opportunity to focus on how increased safety measures are so essential to the industry.

“The risks faced by Maine’s fishermen are real and constant,” Mills wrote in her proclamation.

The state Legislature passed a law in June to create the Commercial Fishing Safety Fund. The Marine Resources Department will use that money, collected through donations, in part to improve safety outreach and expand the scope of search and rescue operations — including more advanced equipment.