DELCAMBRE, LA - A tight-knit shrimping community is mourning the loss of 65-year-old Terral Melancon, who was recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard after he went overboard near Marsh Island earlier this week.
Terral’s brother, Ted Melancon, said he spoke with Terral for the last time just hours before his disappearance on Wednesday morning.
“Yesterday morning he called me and the first thing he said was, ‘I threw a board and hung up,’” Ted recalled. “He said, ‘As soon as I can cut the ticker chain and get that net off of this hang, I’m going home.’ I guess home meant heaven, because he never talked back to me again.”
According to the family, Terral had been experiencing chest pains the day before his death. His brother believes he may have suffered a heart attack while working at sea.
“I went to the boat looking for him, and I couldn't find him,” Ted said. “That’s when I called my son and said 'We have to call the Coast Guard. He’s not on the boat.'”
Mike LeBlanc, a longtime friend, was among the first to learn the tragic news.
“I was at LeBlanc Oil when my brother Marcus called and told me that Terral had fallen overboard,” he said.
The U.S. Coast Guard, with assistance from the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office, recovered Terral’s body following a search operation.
Terral’s presence is already deeply missed in Delcambre, where he was well known and loved among fellow shrimpers and residents.
“He was a dear friend,” LeBlanc said. “You couldn’t ask for anyone better.”
Ted, still processing the loss, shared a photo of himself with Terral.
“He was terrific. He was always shrimping with me on the other boat I had,” Ted added. “He was always happy.”
The family believes Terral’s cause of death was a heart attack, though they are awaiting confirmation from the coroner’s office.
