“I am deeply honored to receive the Finest Kind Award alongside Senator Tarr,” LaNatra said in an email to the Globe. “This recognition is especially meaningful because it comes from an organization dedicated to the hardworking fishing families who are the backbone of our coastal communities.”
“As House Chair of the Coastal Caucus, I am proud to advocate for an industry so vital to our Commonwealth’s history, economy, and way of life,” LaNatra’s email said. “I am grateful to Fishing Partnership Support Services for their unwavering commitment to the health, safety, and well-being of the families who keep this proud tradition alive.”
State Representative Kathleen R. LaNatra, a Democrat from Plymouth.Massachusetts State Legislature
The “Finest Kind” is a traditional New England maritime phrase used to express when something is “first rate” or “the very best.”
Tarr has woven the expression into his eulogies of the crew of seven who died aboard the Lily Jean, a commercial fishing boat, last January and during a ceremony recognizing the ship’s captain, Gus Sanfilippo.
“Senator Tarr … understands that commercial fishing is about more than the work being done on the water. It is about the families behind the fishermen, the businesses that support them, and the coastal communities whose livelihoods and traditions are tied to this industry,” J.J. Bartlett, president and founder of Fishing Partnership Support Services, said in a statement.
“He has consistently worked to strengthen the fishing industry, support the health and safety of fishermen, and help ensure they have the resources they need to keep working,” Bartlett said.
LaNatra stands out, Bartlett said, because “she listens and she shows up.”
“She makes sure fishermen and people in our coastal communities have a voice in the decisions that affect their livelihoods, and she understands that good policy starts by listening to the people who know these communities and these waters best,” Bartlett said in an email.
Both Tarr and LaNatra were reelected in Tuesday’s election.
Tarr said he was “deeply honored” to receive the award and viewed the recognition “as a reflection of the work we have done together.”
“Commercial fishing is not simply an industry,” he said in the statement. “It is part of the history, culture, and economic fabric of Massachusetts, and we have a responsibility to protect its future.”
The “people who make their living on the water have always deserved a strong voice in the State House,” Tarr said. “The fishermen, their families, seafood businesses, and industry organizations are the ones who have continually shown us what is possible when we work together.”
Tarr has led numerous actions on behalf of the fishing industry, including co-creating the Fishing Partnership Support Services, a resource for commercial fishermen and their families, and launching the Lily Jean Fund which brought in more than $1 million for the families of the ship’s lost crew.
Tonya Alanez can be reached at tonya.alanez@globe.com. Follow her @talanez.