But Owens seems tireless when 

 it comes to the job of balancing 

 development and its economic 

 rewards against preservation and 

 its more subtle benefits. 



"It's a lot easier to correct a prob- 

 lem than it is to prevent it," Owens 

 says. "In North Carolina, we're in 

 the fortunate position to prevent 

 problems a lot of other states are 

 having to correct. But it makes our 

 job more difficult. 



"It's hard for local government to 

 swallow hard and make unpopular 

 decisions, and it's hard for the gover- 



nor and the legislature to spend 

 dollars on coastal areas when 

 they're faced with paving roads and 

 educating children," he says. 



But Owens says, fortunately the 

 public reduces the pressure. He 

 credits the state's seaside residents 

 with a unique understanding of 

 coastal processes. 



"It's amazing how much people 

 know and understand," he says. 

 "They know about barrier islands 

 and estuaries." 



And Owens hopes that under- 

 standing carries to the future as the 



CRC and the division face some of 

 the problems ahead— post-hurri- 

 cane rebuilding standards, estu- 

 arine standards and the continued 

 acquisition of beach access and 

 natural areas. 



But whatever the future holds, 

 Owens hopes resource managers 

 take some cues from the past. 



"When I was 12 years old, it was 

 easy to find places to play in the 

 marsh mud," he says. "There were 

 no condos or parking lots. I hope 50 

 years from now children have that 

 same opportunity." 



Kay Crocker 



anglers' advocate 



BY NANCY DAVIS 



The customer gazed longingly at 

 the shiny hull. 



You could tell by the look in his 

 eyes. He wanted that 27-foot Boston 

 Whaler. He could see himself at the 

 helm, feel his hands on the wheel 

 and smell the salty air. 



But boat dealer Kay Crocker 

 woke the shopper from his dream. 



"I'll be glad to wrap it up for you," 

 he joked. 



Crocker was peddling some of his 

 finest vessels at a boat show in 

 Raleigh recently. And his soft-sell 

 approach was charming his 

 customers. 



He might not make the sale this 

 time, but this man would be back. 



As owner of Crocker's Marine in 

 Wrightsville Beach, Kay Crocker is 

 one of the leading boat salesmen on 

 the North Carolina coast. And more 

 importantly, he owns the franchise 

 to two of the top sellers in the 

 recreational boat industry— Boston 

 Whaler and Grady White. 



But Crocker's reputation is built 

 on more than his salesmanship. 



His easygoing manner and know- 

 ledge of the recreational fishing in- 

 dustry have earned him a job as an 

 unofficial spokesman for anglers in 

 the state. 



And recreational fishermen are 

 glad to have him on their side. 



"He's as honest as the day is long," 

 says Eddie Smith, owner of Grady 

 White Boats in Greenville. "Kay is 

 hard-working, has lots of integrity. 

 And in terms of recreational fishing, 

 he's one of the greatest spokesmen 

 in the state. He's genuinely in- 

 terested in protecting the fishery, 

 and not just the recreational 

 fishery." 



When Crocker isn't minding his 

 store, he's attending public hear- 

 ings, urging new regulations for the 

 fisheries, and lobbying the legis- 

 lature—all at his own expense. 



In his blue oxford shirt, belt with 

 fish on it and leather topsiders, 

 Crocker has the look of a recrea- 

 tional fisherman. And his booming 

 radio voice is tailor-made for speak- 

 ing his mind about recreational 

 fishing. 



"Man has a way of being a damn 

 glutton," he says. "He'll catch all he 

 can, and take it home and not use it." 



Crocker's way with words has a 

 way of making folks listen. 



Sea Grant Director B.J. Copeland 

 has watched Crocker in action at 

 N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission 

 hearings. 



"Kay Crocker has spoken elo- 

 quently about those resources and 

 how we need to protect them for all 

 of us. He usually gives a balanced 



view and therefore maintains his 

 credibility," Copeland says. "He 

 does his homework, formulates a 

 conclusion and delivers it very 

 expressively." 



And Crocker genuinely believes 

 in his message. To prove it, in 1982 

 he helped found the Wrightsville 

 Beach King Mackerel Tournament. 



The proceeds of the tournament 

 fund artificial reefs in the 

 southeastern part of the state. So 

 far, tournament profits have helped 

 create reefs out of two tugboats, a 

 barge and a dredge. 



Crocker hasn't always been an- 

 chored in coastal Carolina. He grew 

 up on a tobacco farm in Selma, N.C. 

 After he graduated with a degree 

 in history from Wake Forest 

 University in 1962, he moved to 

 Wilmington to be near the water. 



He taught high school social 

 studies for five years, but his ambi- 

 tions changed the day one of his 

 former employers took him charter 

 boat fishing. 



He was hooked. Pretty soon, he 

 was running his own charter on 

 weekends in a 36-foot Harkers 

 Island-built wooden boat. 



In those days, Crocker says, "You 

 could take a four-hour trip out of 

 Wrightsville Beach and catch 50 to 

 60 Spanish mackerel. Now the stock 

 has been so devastated, you could 



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