b'C H A P T E R N I N Eof the catch recorded for all the Cape. More than that, 12 percent of Chathams work force fished for a living, a larger slice than any other occupational group.Still, inexorable factors have also been intensifying. When Chatham catches soared in the mid-19th century, America had a population of 23,191,876. By 2000, the nation had ten times as many mouths to feed. In contrast, the population of the worlds oceans has remained finite, alarmingly so. The threat of serious reductions of the stocks came all too close in the 1960s when foreign factory ships loomed just over the twelve-mile coastal border. Federal legislation pushed that barrier out to 200 miles. But shortages persisted, endangering the welfare of Chathams fishermen more and more. By the 1990s, some of themA catch being unloaded at Old Mill Boat Yard.In the late realized that, to survive,1990s, according to the economic study of Chatham made their only recourse wasby FCW board member Debby Ecker, fish landings in to join together toChatham and Provincetown added up to more than two- defend their livelihood. thirds of the catch for the entire Cape.Courtesy Shareen DavisTo Save a Maritime TraditionIt began during the Nineties in the basement of a church. A band of fishermen met there in 1991 and started talking about hauling on a common line to counter forces working against them. Maybe they needed a single organization to represent them all. But, to engineer that, they had to have a spark plug. For eight months, Lori Lefevre filled the post. Then the fishermen turned to Paul Parker, a local fisherman with a Masters Degree from Duke University.To get started, Parker set up shop in his grandmothers basement on Morris Island. By 1998, he had lined up a full-time ally, John Pappalardo, who was filin g to work for nothing to turn a cloudy concept into reality. Recalls Pappalardo, We had one computer, a few pads of paper, and an ever-growing Rolodex of contacts.My parents thought Id lost my marbles giving up a per- fecdy good job to do it. That was the beginning of the Cape Cod Commercial153'