Search ends for boat's crew

NEW BEDFORD -- As the US Coast Guard abandoned the search for four missing fishermen and one of their bodies was found in their sunken boat, officials said yesterday that they would seek safety measures that might spare fishing crews the fate of the 75-foot dragger Lady of Grace, which sank in the frigid waters of Nantucket Sound.

Mayor Scott W. Lang of New Bedford called for better survival gear and a better system to track missing boats in what is the nation's most dangerous industry.

"These four men can't perish and we just continue to repeat this cycle," he said. "This one is the pivotal moment to get the [regulations] straight for safety, get the safety equipment straight for safety, and not have the Lady Grace having been lost in vain."

Lang and other officials said that icing was the probable cause of the tragedy. The crew made several phone calls in the days before the boat sank in which they talked about fighting against ice buildup as an arctic weather system whipped up waves, heavy winds, and subfreezing temperatures. The boat had been fishing for flounder, haddock, and other groundfish and was on the fourth day of a planned eight-day trip when it sank. It was reported missing a day later, on Saturday.

Yesterday, an oil leak prevented divers from closely examining the ship, which was submerged in about 50 feet of water about 12 miles north of Nantucket. Authorities said the life raft was still onboard, but it was not clear if the men had time to don cold-water survival suits. State Police said last night that a dive team had recovered one unidentified body, in the wheelhouse of the boat.

New Bedford's tightknit fishing community mourned the latest local sons to be lost at sea. Some asked whether anything more could have been done to save the crew.

"I just don't want anyone else to feel what I'm feeling now," said Jennifer Patrao, 23, daughter of crew member Rogerio Ventura, 54. "It's horrible. It doesn't even feel real."

The other men lost were the captain, Antonio Barroqueiro, 50; Mario Farinhas, 62; and John Da Silva, 50.

Amid the grief, officials discussed potential changes to fishing safety laws, though there was little agreement on what might work or how to fund and enforce any new measures.

State Senator Mark Montigny, a New Bedford Democrat, said he would consider mandating more safety equipment on fishing boats.

"Can we provide state regulations requiring ice-removal equipment?" he said yesterday. "What kind of equipment is used in other severe-weather activities? I'll be looking at all this."

On Dec. 20, 2004, five of six crew members of the Northern Edge, a scallop boat based in New Bedford, died in similar conditions when their boat sank off Nantucket in high seas and cold weather.

Lang lashed out at the federal system that governs fishing. To keep fish populations stable and viable, the federal government sets limits on how much fish each boat can catch and how many days they can spend fishing.

"This days-at-sea system does not work when there is any kind of foul weather involved because what happens is that the fishermen, rather than lose a day at sea, will take a risk, sadly," he said.

However, federal officials said regulations were altered in 2005, after the Northern Edge tragedy, to allow crews turning back in bad weather to apply for extra days at sea. Still, local fishing specialists said some fishing crews venture out in rough weather because seafood fetches higher prices when fewer boats are willing to go out.

"This time of year, your fish prices are at their peak, so you try to take advantage of it," said longtime fisherman Jim Kendall, who now runs New Bedford Seafood Consulting.

Lady of Grace, a commercial dragger, was built in 1978 and is owned by Santos Fishing Corp. of New Bedford, which could not be reached for comment. The Coast Guard recertified the boat after towing it to Martha's Vineyard when it was disabled by a faulty generator on Jan. 8.

Teri Frady, a spokeswoman for the National Marine Fisheries Service, said there was no way the government could prevent bad-weather voyages, adding that the fishing industry has adamantly opposed any such regulations.

"They don't want people in government to tell them when they can go out," she said.

At about 10:40 a.m. yesterday, the Coast Guard suspended the search for the Lady of Grace crew members, after conducting 27 separate missions covering more than 6,300 square miles. It was "beyond probable, beyond possible that they could still be viable and have survived at this point," said Lieutenant Commander Pat Cook.

The families of the fishermen gathered early yesterday morning to meet with Lang and Coast Guard officials and emerged from the meeting sobbing and holding each other after being told that hope was lost.

Frank Diaz, 33, of Fall River, said later that his father-in-law, Farinhas, had planned to retire soon and move back to his homeland of Portugal after a lifetime of fishing the seas. "It was all he knew," Diaz said.

His sister, Klaere Diaz, described Farinhas as a charismatic, friendly man who smiled often and was always singing Portuguese songs.

"We're all just praying they find the body for closure," she said.

Patrao said her father, Ventura, had actually considered skipping the voyage after feeling slightly ill. She said she didn't insist he see a doctor, thinking that bad weather would force the boat back to port early.

"That's what hurts the most," she said. "I had a chance to stop him."

Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com; Raja Mishra at rmishra@globe.com.