Clinton Willis 



continued 



rationally about topics, Willis is a 

 credible and respected spokesman, 

 Schill says. 



William Hogarth, director of the 

 N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, 

 agrees. 



"He's very reasonable," Hogarth 

 says. "He meets and talks with us 

 about issues. He considers all sides, 

 and he doesn't rant and rave. He does 

 a good job representing his fishermen." 



Willis puts it like this: "I've always 

 taken up for the little man. I don't 



Photo by Jim Strickland 



know why, but there's a lot of satisfac- 

 tion in it." 



Willis works not only with state 

 resource managers, but federal of- 

 ficials, too. And he doesn't hesitate to 

 pick up the phone to call neighboring 

 fishermen's organizations when issues 

 cross state lines. 



By working with groups in other 

 states, he's gained a new respect for 

 North Carolina's management system. 



"For better or worse, hate it or not, 

 the North Carolina Division of Marine 

 Fisheries is the best and fastest way 

 to manage the resource,' ' Willis says. 



"I don't know how you can manage 



■ Clinton Willis 



resources through the legislature like 

 they do in Texas and Louisiana," he 

 says. "By the time you introduce a 

 bill, squabble over it and lobby about 

 it, then it is usually too late for the 

 resource.' ' 



And, Willis emphasizes, fishermen 

 are concerned about conserving re- 

 sources. 



"There's a misconception people 

 have about fishermen," he says. 

 "They think we want to catch it all. 

 But they're wrong. We know there 

 should be limits." 



Resource management is just one 

 issue Willis sees fishermen facing in 

 the future. He's also concerned about 

 water quality, imports, new licensing 

 regulations and competition between 

 recreational and commercial fishermen. 



With such weighty issues to con- 

 sider, sometimes Willis becomes 

 discouraged. 



"We're seeing a way of life dying," 

 he says. "If I had a boy young'un, I 

 wouldn't want him to go into fishing." 



But Willis and the Waterman's As- 

 sociation hope to put some promise 

 into the future by establishing a trust 

 to help the public schools with their 

 marine vocation and marine science 

 programs. And they're exploring the 

 possibility of establishing a scholar- 

 ship in marine science. 



The association also helps fisher- 

 men in other ways. They provide 

 assistance during hard times, such as 

 last year's red tide or when a water- 

 man is injured or ill. 



"We're a fisherman's organization 

 that helps fishermen," Willis says. 



To raise money for projects and 

 daily operations, the association 

 charges modest dues. And they sponsor 

 the N.C. Commercial Fishing Show, held 

 every March in Morehead City. 



After four years, the Waterman's 

 Association has made a name for it- 

 self in North Carolina. And so has 

 Clinton Willis. 



Some folks come to Willis for his 

 opinion; others seek him out to hear 

 theirs. Whatever, Willis sorts through 

 the issues and represents his fisher- 

 men the best he can. 



"I get blamed for a lot of things I 

 didn't do, and I don't always get credit 

 for the things I do do," he says. "But I 

 guess that goes along with the job.' ' 



