COMMERCE
Subscriber Services
Classified Ads
Subscribe
Advertise
NEWS
This Month
Editorial
Letters
F/V Safety
Past Issues
ABOUT US
Contact Us
Latest Issue
Subscribe
History
MORE CONTENT
CFN Archives
Links
Each month exclusively in the PRINT edition of CFN
Along the Coast
Ask the Lobster Doc
Bearin’s
Classifieds
Coming Events
Editorial
Enforcement Report
FISH SAFE
Fleet Additions
Letters
Lobster Market Report
New Boats
News Catch
Quahog Market Report
|
Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 37 Number 9
May 2010
James D. O’Malley: Passionate, loyal industry advocate
COHASSET, MA – Jim O’Malley, commercial fisherman, dedicated industry advocate, and cherished friend to many, died suddenly on March 26 aboard the Nantucket Lightship of which he was port captain. He was 61.
O’Malley was the executive director for many years of the East Coast Fisheries Federation, which represented Southern New England and Mid-Atlantic fishermen and boat owners. He also had been a member of the New England Fishery Management Council, serving for a time as chairman of the council’s scallop committee.
In his obituary, his family remembered that O’Malley was drawn to the ocean at an early age.
“His love of the sea, nurtured in his youth by fishing and lobstering off the rocks of Cohasset, developed into a mature commitment to the welfare of the oceans and those who worked on them.”
Ken Coons, who worked with O’Malley in the early 1980s at the New England Fisheries Development Foundation in Boston, wrote in a Seafood.com News remembrance that O’Malley “learned about commercial fishing the hard way, with his boots on, fishing out of Boston, New Bedford, and Point Judith, as well as Florida and Alaska.”
O’Malley graduated from Boston College High School and enrolled in the Classical Studies program at Boston College (BC). According to his family, his BC studies were interrupted by service in the US Army. He was attached to the 82nd Airborne and 11th Armored Cavalry Divisions and saw combat in 1969 and 1970.
He later earned a masters degree in marine affairs from the University of Rhode Island. However, as Coons pointed out, “O’Malley’s outlook was informed by his classical education at BC, the crucible of extended combat in Viet Nam, and his experiences at sea.”
Coons continued, “He saw firsthand the pulse fishing of New England’s fish stocks by an armada of East Bloc vessels followed by the passage of the Magnuson Act, the early fights to prevent offshore drilling for oil and gas, and the post-Magnuson influx of investment and capacity to the New England groundfish fleet. He was on hand for the establishment of the (US-Canada) Hague Line that largely ended New England’s traditional access to the productive Northeast Peak of Georges Bank and the Grand Banks.
“This invaluable experience, combined with his intellect, made Jim uniquely qualified to influence fisheries policy,” Coons continued. “As he became an expert in international fisheries issues, he prepared and delivered a number of important papers, something he continued to do throughout his career.”
His family further chronicled O’Malley’s extensive experiences, noting that he served on various governmental and nongovernmental boards, traveled internationally on behalf of fisheries interests to many places, including Viet Nam, Thailand, England, France, Spain, Russia, and Canada.
He lectured frequently at academic institutions, including the US Coast Guard Academy, and delivered papers at various international marine affairs conferences and published many articles related to fisheries. He was quoted in numerous books and articles and was regarded as an expert in the political and economic aspects of international fisheries matters.
And, everywhere he went, he made lifelong friends. O’Malley was widely known for his charisma, the delight he took in engaging in conversation, and for his generous hospitality.
He shared a close friendship with another industry leader, Jake Dykstra, who died last July at the age of 88. They often sailed together on Dykstra’s last boat, the Junket.
“Those of us who knew Jim well witnessed his love of debate, his quick wit, and his prodigious wide-ranging storehouse of knowledge,” said Coons. “Loyalty, honor, and a well-grounded ethical sense were his hallmarks.” /cfn/
Back to story list
|
|
Tell us what you think.
