Bob Dooley of Half Moon Bay, Calif., a 2017 National Fisherman Highliner. Sherry Flumerfelt photo
People tend to repeat certain words when they talk about Bob Dooley: generous, humble, knowledgeable, smart, nice, friend. Now 63 years old and retired from active fishing, Dooley, along with his late brother and longtime business partner, John, left an edible mark on the fishing industry, particularly in the Bering Sea pollock and Pacific whiting fisheries.
The Dooleys sold their pollock boats in 2013 and finally parted with their last boat, the Shellfish, a Dungeness crabber also used as a tender, in May of this year, shortly before John passed away. Reflecting on retirement, Dooley says 33 winters on the Bering Sea “was enough,” and while he does not miss the long winters or working on boats in the shipyard, he does miss the camaraderie. And his fellow fishermen will miss his solidarity.