Bounty of the Sea
Audrey Ryan’s detailed and moving account (“The Big Catch,” May 7) of how local fishers and families found drugs as a bounty in their much-beleaguered lives brought to mind a staple for fishers in Florida: the “square grouper.” Those catches were bales of marijuana offloaded from boats or tossed from aircraft off the Florida coast starting in the 1970s, and they proved a good harvest for mariners. We learned the history while living down there in the early 2000s, at a place across from the Jupiter lighthouse called the Square Grouper Tiki Bar. Still there, no smoking.
Tim Norris
Mystic, Connecticut
Reading the article, I could feel how it all played out — and, being an ocean person (Cape Cod), made it perfect.
Mark Nadolny
Waltham
During the same time window, my greater family owned a Yankee house on Seal Cove in Vinalhaven, Maine. The summer-only, unheated behemoth eventually strained finances to the point we rented offseason. To hearty stock, everyone thought. Love those wholesome folks who live the genuine rustic life. The tenants, of course, were drug runners, we later realized. We learned this because the FBI, spying from a nearby grandiose relic of a home, burned down the iconic house as they tried to keep warm with just a wood stove. I know nothing more. At the time of the debacle I had long since graduated from Seal Cove summers, crushes on baby sitters, and teaching sailing.
David Arnold
North End
I fondly recall working on Provincetown fish draggers in the ‘70s and ‘80s, always on the lookout for “square grouper.”
Chuck Monroe
Dorchester
The pictures, the research, the way the writer captured the details of all that transpired — I just loved it! My wife is from Maine and I read it to her. We both sat at the table, laughing, talking in between paragraphs, really enjoying it. This would make for an amazing movie.
Mark Kolligian
Franklin
As I read this, I was hoping the article was an excerpt from a book.
Maurice Fitzgerald
Hubbardston
Thank you for an untarnished view of this industry. As a now-old Yankee, I grew up at least on the fringe of this culture, oddly enough from Maine to Mexico and the West Coast. While I recognize hard drugs as having a high social cost, I have always considered the friendly smoke to be fairly benign, with the economic benefits far outweighing the social costs, particularly in areas denied the prosperity that other areas experience. Sadly, many of the enterprising folk that benefited from the underground economy have, to a great extent, been denied the financial benefits of legalization.
Don Ballou
Wilton, New Hampshire
Am I the only one who finds the moral compass of this piece disturbing?
T. H. Hoisington
West Bridgewater
This was a riveting piece with a beautiful description of Maine life compared with the rest of the world. It makes me appreciate my “have-nots” upbringing, the daily struggles of trying to make ends meet, and how resourceful we are.
Wendy Betts
Casco, Maine
Wonderful story about Maine fishermen and the hashish haul. It’s beautifully told and exquisitely researched. And the voices and spirits of the characters really come through: their humor, inventiveness, and energy. Ryan interwove her personal experience with delicacy and sensitivity.
Ann Epstein
Cambridge
Great job putting pieces together for the story of the “sea hash” pot of gold back in the ‘80s around Mount Desert. Back then it was notorious all along the coast up there.
Mary O’Sullivan
Canton
I’m retired but had a busy day planned, no intentions to get involved in any article, needed to get things done. However, this story stopped me in my tracks and I could not put it down.
Dan Gallanar
Ipswich
Audrey Ryan really made this come alive.
Tom Prior
Westwood
Postscript: Laura’s Law
New regulations about access to hospital emergency rooms are set to take effect January 1. After years of fighting for improvements following the tragic death of his wife, Laura Levis, Peter DeMarco recently highlighted the changes patients can expect. DeMarco wrote about Laura’s death in the Globe Magazine in November of 2018. His story, “Losing Laura,” prompted action from hospital officials around the state as well as politicians, first responders, and others. Changes to come include clear signage leading patients to the right doors, duress alarms at main entrances, and a requirement for bright outdoor lighting. “I did all these things because I didn’t want her to die for nothing,” DeMarco told Globe health reporter Felice J. Freyer. “And I didn’t want this to happen to anyone else again ever.”