In a heart-wrenching tragedy that has rocked the small fishing community of South Addison, Maine, two fishermen, Chester Barrett, 67, and his son Aaron Barrett, 29, are feared lost at sea after their scallop dragger, Sudden Impact, failed to return on Saturday evening.
The father-and-son team had been attempting to move Chester’s boat from Edmunds to South Addison when rough weather hit, sparking a desperate search by local fishermen, the Coast Guard, and Marine Patrol. As of today, efforts to recover the vessel and bring the fishermen home are continuing.
According to close friend and fellow fisherman Chris Beal, the Barretts had planned to drag for scallops on Monday in waters close to home. But the need to move the boat, a task that required navigating from Edmunds back to their home port of South Addison, led them into increasingly difficult conditions. Beal, who has known Chester and Aaron for decades, shared that the pair texted a friend during their trip, describing the weather as “wild” and indicating they would seek shelter from the rough seas as soon as possible. According to Bangor Daily News, they set course for Cutler but never arrived.
“They were in a rush to fish today,” Beal said. “They knew the weather was turning bad, but they had plans.” It’s clear the Barretts were no strangers to the challenges of working the waters off the coast of Maine, but this stretch, between Lubec and Cutler, is notoriously treacherous. “There’s 17 miles of raw ocean,” said Dean Barrett, Chester’s nephew, and Aaron’s cousin. “It’s a horrible place to be in bad weather. There’s no islands to shelter behind.”
The Coast Guard launched an immediate search, but by Saturday evening, the Sudden Impact was already overdue. By Sunday, local fishermen familiar with the waters and with advanced sonar technology believed they may have located the wreck near Moose Cove, in roughly 160 feet of water. The search effort was halted due to poor visibility and safety concerns, but recovery attempts are expected to resume today as soon as conditions allow, according to sources.
The loss of the Barretts underscores the dangers inherent in commercial fishing, especially for draggers. Fishing vessels are vulnerable to capsizing, even in relatively calm weather, if their gear gets caught on the ocean floor. Tragically, this is not the first time the waters off this section of Maine have claimed lives. A decade ago, three draggers capsized in nearby Cobscook Bay, resulting in the deaths of five fishermen.
As the search continues, the small but tight-knit community in South Addison is left grappling with the possibility of the Barretts' loss. Beal, who remembers Aaron as a young man working on his own boat, described the pair as remarkably hard workers with a close, family-oriented relationship. “Chet and Aaron were incredibly respected members of our community,” said Beal’s wife, Brigitte, who described the Barretts as a family who was always ready with a joke and willing to help their neighbors.
The Barretts were known not only for their dedication to fishing but for their love of the outdoors, especially their shared time spent at Schoodic Lake, where they maintained a camp for 20 years. Dean Barrett shared that Chester was an avid deer hunter, and Aaron, though he didn’t have children of his own, often took his girlfriend’s children fishing.
The community is holding on to hope as search efforts continue, and local fishermen, including Dean Barrett and others, are planning to recover Sudden Impact once conditions allow. “I’m going to try to get it tomorrow,” Dean Barrett said, resolute in his mission to bring his family members home.
As this tragedy unfolds, it serves as a reminder of the inherent risks that fishermen face every day on the water. It also highlights the strength of the Maine fishing industry, a community that comes together in times of hardship, with resilience and hope, even in the face of unfathomable loss.
