From a fisherman's view 



Coastwatch went straight to the source — the 

 fishermen — to find out how they exchanged informa- 

 tion, to learn how they heard about new innovations, and 

 to discover who were leaders and innovators in the 

 fishing community. 



For Clinton Willis, a Marshallberg fisherman, seeing is 

 believing. And believing means trying it for yourself. 

 Willis says once a fisherman sees a new piece of gear and 

 hears that it works, then he's 

 usually willing to try that piece of 

 equipment for himself. 



Willis says that sometimes other 

 fishermen share their innovations 

 and sometimes they won't. "I 

 asked a fishermen about a boat he 

 had rigged with a four-barrel 

 trawl," Willis says. "He told me he 

 had worked out the problems him- 

 self and I would have to do the 

 same. I did work it out myself." 



Benjamin Brooks, a Harkers Island fisherman, sees 

 himself as an experimenter. "A lot of ideas I come up 

 with are my own," Brooks says. "I work them out and 

 try them myself. Right now, I am 

 experimenting with a deep-water 

 clamming boat." 



Brooks says some people in the 

 community think he experiments 

 too much. "But I'm not satisfied 

 with things that always stay the 

 same," he says. "I get bored. I like 

 to try something different. I like to 

 see improvements. I don't think I 

 would make much of an assembly- 

 line worker." But Brooks says he 

 doesn't mind sharing his new ideas. 



Paul Nelson, a Williston fisherman, says he oc- 

 casionally gets ideas about new gear and fishing tech- 

 niques from commercial fishing publications such as 

 National Fisherman and The 

 Small Boat Journal. But more 

 often than not, it's from friends 

 and family that he learns about 

 new innovations. "Most fishermen 

 are outgoing with their new 

 ideas," Nelson says. "I have a lot 

 of respect for the older, 40- to 50- 

 year-old fishermen, who have a lot 

 of experience behind them, but are 

 also still willing to experiment. 

 The most successful fishermen are 

 those that have knowledge and who are willing to work 

 hard. What you get from the water you have to work 

 for." 



Earl Chadwick, a Marshallberg fisherman, has been 

 plying the waters of Core and Back Sounds for 37 years. 

 He was the first fisherman in Carteret County to try the 

 four-net/sled configuration on his 26-foot trawler. "I 

 heard about it (the four barrel) 

 from some of my relatives who 

 were fishing down south," he says. 

 "I tried it. I made the doors and 

 nets myself." Despite the fact that 

 the twin nets did not work out on 

 Chadwick's small boat, he is proud 

 of being the first to experiment 

 with the twin nets. 



Chadwick says most fishermen 

 learn about new gear from other 

 fishermen. "Fishermen are like a 

 bunch of ducks," he says. "One of them does something 

 and all the others follow." Chadwick says that the 

 younger fishermen in the area tend to look to the older, 

 more experienced fishermen for help and advice. 



Mark Hooper, a Smyrna fisherman, says most Car- 

 teret County fishermen are willing to share their new 

 ideas and information about new gear with the fishermen 

 they know. "Word usually spreads 

 pretty fast, especially around 

 bigger fish houses where a lot of 

 fishermen dock," Hooper says. "If 

 a fisherman finds a piece of gear or 

 equipment that works a little bet- 

 ter, he's usually willing to share it 

 with those he works around. 

 Fishermen get together and talk. 

 They talk on the radio (VHF) or 

 at the fish house. It amazes me 

 how fast word can spread." 

 James Styron, a 53-year-old Davis fisherman, says 

 there are no secrets in small fishing communities 

 anymore. "In small areas like this, everybody knows 

 about a new piece of gear in two days' time," Styron 

 says. "Whether they find out over 

 the radio (VHF) or through direct 

 communication, everybody 

 knows." 



Styron says one innovation has 

 swept through Carteret County 

 this year. It's the steel cage. 

 Fishermen have replaced the 

 "bags" they pull behind their 

 boats with steel cages. "They're 

 more efficient," he says. "They 

 last longer and the upkeep is less. 

 And they catch less sand and seaweed." Styron estimates 

 after only one (clam kicking) season, 70 to 80 percent of 

 the fishermen in his area are using the steel cage. 



(Photos by Mark Hooper and Irv Hooper) 



