While we’ve never liked long-liners
because they indiscriminately fleece the seas of billfish, particularly black marlin
in the pacific and blue marlin on the U.S. East Coast, we have always admired Linda
Greenlaw, the tough, no-nonsense
(and smart) fishing boat captain who was immortalized
by both the book and movie “The Perfect Storm.” She is just a darn good captain
in the opinion of her peers, who are not a particularly charitable lot. While being
the subject of a TV documentary film last year on a boat off Newfoundland, she was
caught by the Canadian marine Mounties.

Linda Greenlaw is the long-liner captain made famous by the book “The Perfect Storm” who was caught fishing in Canadian waters last year.

Fisherman and author Linda Greenlaw, who survived the nor'easter that was the basis
for the book and movie "The Perfect Storm," was fined Tuesday for fishing illegally
in Canadian waters. A judge in St. John's, Newfoundland, imposed fines of around
$31,500 in U.S. currency for entering Canadian waters and fishing
illegally last fall. The Canadian government also seized her swordfish catch.



"I've got to either catch a lot of lobsters or sell a lot of books to pay the fine,"
Greenlaw said Tuesday from her home in Maine. She was not required to attend the
hearing in Canada.



Portrayed in the film by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Greenlaw played a prominent
role in the story written by Sebastian Junger. She was the last person in contact
with the Andrea Gail, a swordfish boat out of Gloucester, Mass., that sank with
all hands during the 1991 storm.


A Very Long Line



Greenlaw, 48, was skipper of the Sea Hawk and fishing with a 32-mile line last September
when she ran afoul of Canadian fisheries regulators. She said she was attempting
to retrieve part of her fishing gear that had been dragged by another boat when
her 63-foot boat inadvertently strayed into Canadian waters.



She said she didn't realize she had breached the country's 200-mile limit.


Writes Good Books



"I've never been accused or charged with any offense, either fishing or otherwise,"
Greenlaw said. "This isn't the brightest page in my book, but there it is."



These days, Greenlaw spends most of her time fishing for lobster and writing books.
She said she'll consider doing some more swordfishing this fall.



In the meantime, the author of six books including "The Hungry Ocean" and "All Fishermen
Are Liars" is working on a seventh book to be published next year by Viking Press
that focuses on her 52 days at sea last fall. Part of the book will deal with the
Canadian episode, she said.