Raising the Story

Reprinted from Tradewinds Magazine, 2022, B. Garrity-Blake; photo courtesy of Worth Elliot

An interview with Worth Elliott, a 19-year-old full-time commercial fisherman from Elizabeth City who participated in the 2023 Fish Camp leadership development program led by North Carolina Sea Grant

How did you get into commercial fishing and what fisheries do you target?

I fish for white perch in Currituck Sound. I also fish for spot, croaker, sea mullets off the beach of Morehead City. I was looking for a boat when I was about 15 years old. My buddy that I fish with had a small mullet boat for sale – a small privateer. That’s how I met him. We started building a friendship after I bought that boat. He fishes pretty much full time. He assigned me his dad’s license for a couple of months. I tried it out and ever since then I’ve been trying to get my own license.

Do you have your own Standard Commercial Fishing License (SCFL) now?

Yes, I got my own SCFL roughly two years ago, but it was a difficult process. Since I don’t come from a commercial fishing family and wasn’t related to someone who could sell or transfer a license to me, I tried the state’s eligibility pool. I got denied more than once because I didn’t meet the criteria. I had the willingness to do it – I really wanted to commercial fish, but I wasn’t eligible.

What’s the criteria for the state to issue you a commercial fishing license?

You have to document that you’ve had experience in commercial fishing in the last three years. I was 17 and only had two years of experience. You can also show that your immediate family – father, mother, grandparent - has significant experience fishing, but I didn’t have that. I think the state should support young people who want to fish for a living. Friends my age or younger ask me all the time how to get into commercial fishing. I say, “Sit down with me and I'll talk to you for about five hours because it's complicated.”

Since the eligibility process didn’t work out, how did you get your license?

The other option is to buy a license. Anybody can buy a license off the market. But you have to buy a vessel with the license. In my case, I already had my boat, I just needed a license. Most of the people selling a boat with a license want to sell the whole operation – say, a 25-foot Parker with motor, trailer, 500 crab pots – what 16-year-old has 60 grand to dump on the whole operation? I ended up buying a small, cheap boat just to get the license, and I fish with the boat I already had. Our future generation, young people, are completely turned off from the fact that they have to buy a boat with the license.

Do you have any ideas about how the state could make it easier for young people to get a commercial fishing license?

The state could relax the requirements and issue some sort of restricted license for the first year or two. You don't want a kid to come in and ruin it for others. They would need to show that they can act within the law and fish responsibly to gain access to a full license. I really believe that the state should find ways to support the younger generation to enter the fisheries because they’re our future for fresh seafood in North Carolina. I have a close friend who has zero fishing in his family background. But he's worked on and off with me since day one. He went to Alaska with me this past summer. Now he's got the itch. He tried to jump through the same hoops I did to get a North Carolina commercial fishing license and ended up buying a boat to get the license. But the boat's not in the best shape -- he’s going to have to spend money getting that boat right. It’s just a pain to get a commercial license.

You fished in Alaska last summer?

Yeah! I just wanted to see another fishery -- a very high-efficient, high-productive fishery. Jake Griffin from Wanchese has been fishing summers in Alaska. He gave the number of a captain, and I called him. That didn’t work out, but he gave me the number of another captain in his radio group and that guy signed me on. It was an awesome experience -- it's the perfect amount of torture and fun. I really like the fast setting and the aggressive fishing up there.

Did you make a lot of money in Alaska?

I didn't make much more money than I would have made here. But the difference is, I only spent $100 the six weeks I was up there. Here I can spend $100 in the blink of an eye. It was very little overhead. I think we caught close to 200,000 pounds of sockeye salmon. It’s a short, fast-paced fishery. I'm ready to go right now! I called my captain the other day and I was like, I'm ready to get back! He says, “You're crazy! June's coming too quick for me!”

Do you think our state could learn anything from Alaska?

I think we could. We don't bring as much money to the economy as Alaska commercial fishing does, but I think on a smaller scale we could pick up on some things. Our state could have a closer relationship between fisheries and our fishermen and a little less politics. In Alaska science leads the way.

I know you’re only 19, but are you involved in the management process or any fishermen’s organizations?

I’m a member of the North Carolina Fisheries Association and North Carolina Watermen United. I think that any group that promotes what we do and shares positivity with the public is good and gives back to our fishermen. If we don't all bond and connect and get together, I don't think we have a future. As far as management, I’ve submitted public comments. I’ve listened to meetings online. I think we can make progress through facts rather than emotions. I did an internship in high school with the Division of Marine Fisheries Elizabeth City office – I have a pretty good relationship with them.

What was it like doing an internship with the Division of Marine Fisheries?

It really gave me some insight into how they operate. It sounds funny but I don't think I'd be fishing if I didn't go there and see what was going on. I would see local fishermen go in and renew licenses. But they’d have a sort of uneasiness when they walked in the office. I was like, “what's going on here?” I dug a little deeper and talked to some fishermen. It just showed me the struggle our fishermen have dealing with some of the regulations. Now that I'm involved, I can attest that there's a lot of struggles with regulations!

What are some of the effects of increasing regulations?

Take southern flounder. I never got to flounder fish because I was a kid when the season was shortened from about eleven months a year to about one month. Now we have a season that’s open for maybe a week until the southern flounder quota is met. When that happened a lot of people, especially in the Pamlico Sound area, lost a massive chunk of income. More fishermen are realizing there's more stability and profit in ocean fisheries compared to the sound.

What’s the impact of less fishing opportunities in the rivers and sounds?

Not only do restaurants and people lose fresh, delicious fish from the sounds, but kids my age lose an affordable way to enter commercial fishing. Most young people can’t afford to go straight into ocean fisheries. When you’re just starting out you need the small, inside fisheries in the sound, with your small skiffs and affordable gear – maybe some crab pots, some gill net. You work up from a 16-foot boat with a 40-horsepower motor to larger vessels and more expensive gear. We need that kind of path to be successful. And young people who want to fish for a living and who will respect the fishery deserve a fair chance.

Are your parents happy that you’re a commercial fisherman?

Well, my high school was a charter school for aerospace and advanced technologies. Obviously, I'm not building rockets. I attended Cape Fear Community College for like a semester and studied marine technology. But I just don't like being cooped up and I got tired of walking out of my room and there's a massive party in my living room. I just wanted to fish. My parents were not very happy with me, but now I'm fully supporting myself and it's getting better every year. They have come around. My mom texts me every time I’m fishing and says, “Send me a picture of your day.”