Sea of Heartbreak: An Extraordinary Account of a Newfoundland Fishing Voyage

In a small boat in an immense and unforgiving ocean, Michael Dwyer sails, with seven other crewmen, to Labrador on a turbot fishing expedition. Sea of Heartbreak is a personal account of his experience aboard the Styx, a 65-foot steel trawler, as it makes its way to the fishing grounds. Dwyer, who has lived in Newfoundland his entire life, does not want to go on yet another fishing expedition. But he feels he has no choice. For fourteen years he has been bouncing from job to job, and now he has to meet the demands of a growing family. Along the way, he is filled with wonder at the beauty and serenity of the natural world. He observes spectacular sunsets, the dazzling northern lights and majestic icebergs in soft hues of green and blue. The only sound to break the silence is the hypnotic, assuring purr of the boat. This sense of tranquillity is fleeting however. Not only does the Styx have to navigate its way through the potentially deadly "Iceberg Alley," Dwyer must fight an inner battle. To his dismay, he is reminded once again of the unsustainable waste in the fishing industry. The nets used in the fishing process haul in more "garbage" than turbot, and then a collector boat rejects most of the turbot that Dwyer and his crew manage to catch. Sea of Heartbreak is a vivid, insightful and disturbing account of one man's experience of the highly controversial fishing industry in Atlantic Canada.Michael J. Dwyer is the author of 'Sea of Heartbreak: An Extraordinary Account of a Newfoundland Fishing Voyage', published 2001 under ISBN 9781552633038 and ISBN 1552633039.