The lobstermen of Maine are known for their independence. They don’t often ask for help. Like many other states, Maine has been struck hard by the opioid crisis.  In many coastal communities, opioid addiction is taking a serious toll, particularly on lobstermen. How serious the problem is hard to say. Of the 376 people who died of drug overdoses in Maine last year, one cannot identify how many were fishermen as the state doesn’t keep records by profession. Anecdotally, however, the number appears to be disproportionately high. Some estimate that up to 50% of the stern men working in the $1.6 billion dollar a year industry have or have had problems with addiction.

CBS News reports on one survivor: Josh Kane has spent more than 15 years fishing off the coast of Maine. For 10 of those years, he struggled with an opioid addiction as his fellow lobstermen looked the other way. 

“It’s one of those things that’s kind of like, ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell,'” Kane said. “As long as you show up every day and do your job, nobody is really going to say anything.” 

They’re a tough, proud and private bunch with grueling hours and serious, physical demands. But the payoff can easily be in the six-figure range for the short summer season. ….

Kane eventually got help and hasn’t abused painkillers in seven years. He now works with a local treatment center where a third of the clients are fishermen. 

“Asking for help is perceived as a weakness,” Kane said. “If we break a finger out here, we’re supposed to just shrug it off. And then to admit that something’s got you beat and held down, that’s just hard for a fisherman to come to terms with.” 

The Opioid Effect: Maine’s Fishing Community Battles with Heroin