Commercial fishing from Barcelona expanded greatly when the railroad came through Westfield in 1852 and put the New York City markets within easy reach of the day’s catch. Barcelona became such a robust commercial fishing community for the next 100 years that four generations of several Barcelona families made their living as commercial fishing.
As time passed the tugs went further out into Lake Erie and required additional protection. This required more stability to handle the heavy lift of ever-more efficient fishing methods from greater depths. The result was the steel-hulled, diesel-powered Great Lake fish tug, a sturdy and stable vessel that is seen nowhere else on earth.
With the mid-century collapse of the commercial fishery industry due to a combination of environmental issues, over-fishing and new regulations, the ability for small ports like Barcelona to efficiently supply far off markets effectively disappeared. So too have the iconic tugs.
The Sally Jo Irwin fishing tug is the last of her kind in Barcelona. The steel-hulled tug has been dry docked and is showing the effects being in the weather for years. The tug is 40-feet long with a 14-foot beam and about a 5- foot draft. She weighs 12 tons and can carry up to 6 tons of fish, fishing equipment, ice and crew.
This project would restore the tug. It would complement the state-owned historic Barcelona lighthouse and keeper’s cottage as a historic tourism asset. The tug would be dry-docked between the lighthouse and boardwalk, near the stairs, allowing visitors an interactive history exhibit. The tug would also provide additional seating/viewing capacity in the case of concerts or artistic events.
The fishing tug would be an expansion of an existing tug exhibit currently located in the keeper’s cottage. It would include commercial fishing artifacts from Barcelona tugs owned by the Historical Society and would allow for an indoor/outdoor exhibit, which would appeal to a wider variety of visitors.