Eddie Willis (EW) a soft crab harvester and fish dealer talks to Pam Morris (PM)

PM: Where do you live and how long have you been a commercial fisherman?

EW: I’m a fourth generation commercial fisherman from Harkers Island and have been fishing all of my life.

PM: What do you do with the crabs after you land them? How do you shed them?

EW: We remove them from our crab pots and dump them into a cull box. Shedding tanks are 4’ x 8’ plywood boxes that are 10 to 12 inches deep and have salt water circulating in them. Crabs that are close to shedding are placed in one tank and the crabs that will shed in three to four days are placed in another tank. That reduces both time in handling and crab mortality.

PM: How do you know which stage of molt the crabs are in?

EW: They show a line, a separation in their back paddle fin. As it progresses, it starts out as fine black line that separates a little every day. Between the line and the actual fin, it starts filling in with a light pink color that darkens every day until it becomes red. At that point, we know the crab is ready to shed its shell. Within several hours or half a day, the crab will crack and back out of its shell. When a blue crab crawls out of its shell, it is known as a “Buster.” That is when the crab is the softest. We leave them in the shedder tanks for several hours so the wrinkles will smooth out and firm up. Soft shell crabs will keep for a week at 45-47 F.

PM: How important is the soft crab fishery to your business?

EW: It’s 50 percent of our income. We sell a variety of seafood in our market, but soft crabs are the backbone of our business.

Contributed by Pam Morris.

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Vicki Harrison (VH) of Hatteras, NC talks with Pam Morris (PM) about the snapper/grouper fishery.

PM: What is your name and where were you born?
VH: Vicki Harrison, Dallas, TX

PM: Tell us a little of how and when you become a commercial fisherman?
VH: My husband and his family camped in Ocracoke and Hatteras in the 1950s and 60s. When it was time for his dad to retire he wanted to move to North Carolina and invited Robert and me to join him.

PM: Are any of your family involved in the seafood industry?
VH: My husband Robert is a fisherman and our son, Graham, 19, is a fisherman also. My daughter Alana and I run our retail seafood market that we built onto the house to sell their catches.

PM: What are some of the species of snapper and grouper you harvest throughout the year and when? Which species are the most popular at your retail business?
VH: We don’t target American red snapper here in Hatteras.  The bottom here just isn’t right for them.  We catch maybe two or three red snappers a year, usually in the spring.  The vermillion snapper we see in the mid to late summer months.  We also catch a few of the pink and silver snappers, which are really porgies. We catch black sea bass, triggerfish, sheepshead, snowy grouper, yellowfin tuna, tilefish, and mahi-mahi.

PM: What impact do regulations have on your business?
VH: The regulations are impacting the fish houses, restaurants and the consumers. We have had a lot of cutbacks in the snapper/grouper fishery and NOAA Fisheries have their eyes on the king mackerel fishery for quota cuts next year.  Without the retail business, we might have gone under.

PM: What is your favorite style of fishing?
VH: King mackerel. When Robert started fishing, you could land 3500 pounds per trip. In those days, everyone was fishing for different things and that was a lot better than everyone fishing for one species at a time. King mackerel fishing lasted all of November and December and some years extended into January and February.

PM: What is on your mind?
VH: Every American has the right to access fish. I hope it doesn’t end up that the only the rich have that privilege. The commercial fishermen have little control over the fishing decisions; it is all environmental and politically driven.

Contributed by Pam Morris.

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Michael Starks (MS) of Bettie, NC talks with Pam Morris (PM) about the importance of clams to his livelihood.

PM: What is your name and when were you born?
MS: Michael Starks, Long Island, NY, 1953

PM: How did you become a commercial fisherman?
MS: By observing friends growing up on Long Island, NY and enjoyed being on the water, thought that was what I would like to do for a living. Joined the US Coast Guard for a four-year stint and decided to work the water on my own terms.

PM: Is any of your family involved in the commercial fishing business?
MS: My Dad has been a crab-potter since 1980, when he moved to Carteret County. My brother is a lobsterman in Long Island, NY, but is gradually getting out of it. Since the State of New York sprayed for the West Nile Virus several years ago, the lobster stock biomass has become depleted. A direct correlation has been established between spraying for West Nile and decline of lobsters by scientists in New York.

PM: What are some of the species you harvest throughout the year?
MS: For personal use, oysters, bay scallops and clams are the source of my income. When I first got involved in the clam business, I worked for three companies, now just one. We used to buy from the public as well as produce and raise our own clams.

When I moved to Carteret County, I crab-potted like my Dad, did that for 13 years. Saw the “handwriting on the wall” for the crab industry and started looking into other sources of commercial fishing income. I went online and found a job listing for a clam farm in Harkers Island and applied, along with 25 other guys.

To find out more, I visited the business. They had a lease nearby that two guys were planting clams on so I walked out to see what they were doing, shoes, socks and all, and they asked me to help. That put me at the top of the hiring list! In two years, I was moved to management and a salary with benefits, where I worked for six years until they closed. From there, I worked for Coca-Cola for one year, decided it wasn’t for me and began working for another clam growing company, where I have been for the past nine years.

PM: Are clams raised on leases any different than wild-caught clams?
MS: We raise a different species from what is found in the wild, although they look and taste very similar. Our clams’ shells are slightly darker and have faint stripes on the shells.  Farm-raised clams grow slightly faster, which helps with production, and the differences in shell appearance helps with security, as related to theft.

Farm-raised clams can be sold at any size, unlike wild-caught clams that have to be one inch thick before taken to market. This is because seed clams are about the size of your fingernail (or less) and are bought, sold and shipped to and from many shellfish growers throughout the state and region.

Farm-raised clams are grown on clam leases, which are portions of sea-floor in the Carolina sounds that are rented or “leased” from the state for this purpose. There are requirements that we have to meet to be able to do this. Leased areas are small and defined and there are a maximum number of clams that can be grown on each, as determined by what Mother Nature can provide food for.

Through years of experimentation, we have become very good at what we do and have fine-tuned our operation to produce the maximum number of clams. We are particular in how we handle our product and comply with HACCP guidelines for food safety.

PM: What is your favorite style of fishing?
MS: Crab-potting. I loved the independence of it, being out on the open water, from sunrise to sunset, on my own. At that time, I fished the waters of Turnagain Bay, West Bay, West Thorofare Bay, Long Bay and Neuse River and every day was different. I felt at one with the environment.

PM: What is on your mind?
MS: The State needs to get water quality under control. Where I grew up, on Long Island Sound, development and pesticides ruined the quality of the environment. Gradually, local watermen were moved out by rich people and regulation. I feel closer to this area than many natives who were born here and see the same kind of thing (as happened in Long Island) happening in Carteret County.

Also, the difficulty of obtaining new shellfish leases is a problem. Current leases become unproductive as changes in the environment occur, such as after Hurricane Ophelia.

Farm-raised clams are grown on clam leases, which are portions of sea-floor in the Carolina sounds that are rented or “leased” from the state for this purpose. There are requirements that we have to meet to be able to do this. Leased areas are small and defined and there are a maximum number of clams that can be grown on each, as determined by what Mother Nature can provide food for.

Through years of experimentation, we have become very good at what we do and have fine-tuned our operation to produce the maximum number of clams. We are particular in how we handle our product and comply with HACCP guidelines for food safety.

Contributed by Pam Morris.

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How did you get into commercial fishing? “I was born in Charlotte but my family owned a camp to the banks.  We came here every summer when I was a kid. I started raking clams, and paid attention to the Old Salts – Carroll Willis, Milton Styron.

Are you glad you became a fisherman? “Absolutely. I get to be my own boss; come and go as I please.  I can spend afternoons with my kids and go to their ball games.”

How many people go shrimping with you? “I go by myself. I’m a one-man operation. Several of us tow together in a circle, so I’m not really alone. Until the last couple of years fifteen of us trawled just off Davis Shore – now there’s only about four.”  

Why are fewer people shrimping nowadays? “Some of the fellas have aged out, and the younger generation isn’t getting in. The youngest in Davis today is 38.  Lots of fishermen were forced to find other jobs, because market conditions are so bad. The price of shrimp is low because of imports, and the cost of fuel goes up and up.  The resources are there, but the take-home pay is not!”

Is there any hope in the future for fishermen? “Yes. Conditions will turn around directly.  I’m sure of it.  If you can stick out these hard times, things will get better.  Have you heard the commercial on the radio encouraging people to eat local shrimp? We just need to keep our water quality healthy.  We could use more political support too!”

What’s your claim to fame? “I feel good about the work I did helping with the red drum fisheries management plan, like explaining how we can continue to set nets on this side of the sound for spots, while protecting red drum too.” NC Division of Marine Fisheries invites fishermen and others to participate in designing management plans – you can do it too!  Chip’s other claim to fame is that he was the first fisherman to tie up at the NC Seafood Festival dock to talk to visitors and demonstrate how a trawl works. “I enjoyed that! I got to meet a lot of nice people.”

What are the strangest things you’ve caught? “An octopus. An old Indian pipe.”

Dr. Barbara Garrity-Blake, On behalf of Carteret Catch

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James Barrie Gaskill (JBG) of Ocracoke, NC talks with Pam Morris (PM) about the importance of red drum to his livelihood.

PM: How long have you been a commercial fisherman?
JBG: I’ve been fishing full time since 1979. Before that I fished part time when in school and working other jobs; fishing in the morning and in the evenings.

PM: What type of species do you fish for?
JBG: In the spring, we’ll fish for Spanish mackerel and bluefish, also hard crabs. Right now I’m fishing for flounder with gill nets.

PM: Of the species you land, what percentage is red drum?
JBG: A small percentage of the catch is drum but they are significant to the dollar amount we bring home. For example, if I land the full amount of fish that I am allowed, it could mean an additional $75.00 – $200 a day to my check.

PM: How do regulations affect the amount you can catch?
JBG: Right now, we’re allowed seven fish incidental to another species as the principal finfish landed. Once the quota of 250,000 lbs has been reached, no more red drum can be landed until the fishing year restarts. There are two time periods where you are allowed to land, one you can catch four fish and the other seven fish.

Contributed by Pam Morris.