The Fisherman Lifestyle

GLOUCESTER, Massachusetts — “Some of my parents’ friends ask me when I’m gonna get a real job, but fishing makes me happy and I’m making more money than all of the people asking me when I’m getting a “real” job.

“I love being free on the water and the ability to be my own boss.” I have more freedom having my own boat and calling the shots. If I was working at a desk like my parents’ friends ask me to, I wouldn’t have this kind of freedom.” 

Kellen O’Maley is a Fisherman in Gloucester, MA. He saved up money for his own boat and now has his own crew and spends hours on the water fishing to make a living each day. 

“I got my degree in business marketing, but it was hard to find jobs so I started fishing, O’Maley explained, “I never looked back after that. I invested in a boat and now I have a crew and make a good living, it’s worth it to me.” 

A typical day for O’Maley all depends on the weather. It controls his chances of going out to catch fish he talks about struggling with the weather having an impact on his earnings. 

“Anytime I go out and fish it depends on the weather, we fully rely on it. O’Maley said, If it’s a bad outsider then it’s a risk so we won’t go out that day. It’s a struggle because we can lose out on a lot of money from bad weather.” 

Fishing is very different from normal jobs because of scheduling and that is one of the primary reasons people do not succeed in the fishing industry. 

“I check the weather at least 15 times a day and if it’s nice we go out. This job takes a lot of patience because we’re always waiting to see what the forecast is telling us.”

O’Maley explained that many people go into the fishing industry because they love being out on the water and it’s a reliable source of income. A lot of people become fishermen because it helps them support their families and pay the bills.

“I love being a fisherman is probably because I was fortunate enough to grow up here and had the opportunity to go fishing and I had the connections that is how  was able to start as a fisherman”

O’Maley explained he has a lot of friends who aren’t in the fishing industry, but he’s made a community with the crew on his boat and he enjoys always having people to work alongside with because he never gets lonely.

“Being a fisherman in Gloucester, MA is rewarding because the people have your back here you can count on them. If you walked up to someone on the street here, they would kill for you. The people here are there for you.”  

O’Maley plans to expand his crew and purchase a bigger boat. He says he doesn’t see himself doing anything else.