Salt in our Blood

It’s been almost nine years since Michele Longo Eder received news that the Nesika, a 40 foot F/V fishing boat owned by her husband Bob, had capsized. The boat overturned just outside the Yaquina Bay bar near Newport, OR, as crewmen were setting their crab pots on the ocean floor. The date was December 11, 2001, the first day of crabbing season.

Owner/Operator Bob Eder was not on the boat during that trip, so could provide no testimony as to what might have happened. A subsequent investigation revealed that the Nesika was properly loaded and in excellent mechanical condition. But four crewmen lost their lives that day, including their eldest son who was home on break from the University of Oregon. Benjamin Eder was only 21.

Coast Guard crews searched for the missing fishermen for two days without success. Their bodies were never recovered.

Michele Longo Eder has been a commercial fisherman’s wife for over 20 years. While pursuing her own career as a lawyer, she was also an active partner in the family business. She kept the books, ran for parts, cooked meals for the crew, dealt with buyers, and even “stood watch at the processing plant as each fish came off the boat.”

In December, 2000, she started a journal detailing the joys, frustrations, day-to-day uncertainties, and just plain hard work faced by a fisherman and his family. (see Eder family photos) One year later, the tone of her journal entries changed forever when she and her husband lost their eldest son to the sea.

Want to know what commercial fishing is really all about, especially in the treacherous waters off the Pacific NW coast? Pick up a copy of Salt in our Blood. It’s an up close and personal look at the lives of those who “go down to the sea in ships.”

Special Note: For news, reviews, and profiles of other Pacific NW authors, please check out my column on the Portland Examiner.