Fisherman’s memorials in three Texas coastal communities honor the commercial sailors who put seafood on our tables. Harvesting the bounty of the Gulf of Mexico is a dangerous job. According to the Texas Department of Insurance, watermen are 28 times more likely to die on the job than the average worker.
El Cristo de los Pescadores (Christ of the Fishermen) stands at the southern tip of South Padre Island in Isla Blanca Park. The memorial overlooks the channel off the island used by fishing boats. Unveiled in 1999, the bronze statue of Jesus on a granite pedestal originally honored brothers Gustavo and Jose Edwardo de la Lastra who were overcome by exhaust fumes on a shrimp boat. Since then, numerous plaques with the names of fishermen lost at sea have been added to the granite stones.
The Seaman’s Memorial in Aransas Pass at the entrance to Conn Brown Harbor was dedicated on May 9, 1970, to fishermen who didn’t return. The 80-foot tower includes a small prayer room. The shrine is in a park overlooking the Redfish Bay Causeway (TX-361) surrounded by a boat launch, bait shops, and seafood restaurants. It’s a serene place with a hand-hewn crucifix made from driftwood above the entrance and a stained-glass window on the back wall.
Fisherman’s Memorial in Palacios was the vision of Tuyen Vien Vu, a Vietnamese immigrant and former shrimper. Palacios built one of the largest shrimp fleets in Texas thanks in a large part to immigrants and became the “Shrimp Capital of Texas.” In 2012, Vu ordered the 15-foot white granite statue of Jesus with open arms from Vietnam. It stands on a 15-foot pedestal in a park overlooking Tres Palacios Bay off Margerum Blvd. The 12-ton granite statue is visible to fishing boats leaving and entering the harbor.
Port Aransas is considering adding a fisherman’s memorial to Roberts Point Park.
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This article appears in December 26 • 2025.