We're Not Selling Mattresses Here: Sam Romano of Wilmington Fights for Seafood Producers

Reprinted and edited from Tradewinds Magazine, 2018, B. Garrity-Blake. Photo courtesy of Sam Romano.

Sam Romano, co-owner of Seaview Crab Company in Wilmington, was recently appointed by Governor Cooper to the Marine Fisheries Commission to represent commercial fishing interests, along with crabber Mike Blanton of Elizabeth City and processor Doug Cross of Bayboro. I caught up with Sam Romano, 37, to learn more about his experience in the industry, his impression of his first MFC meeting, and what he hopes to bring to the table in the future.  

“My brother Joe and I were floundering in the metaphorical sense,” he explained, describing his stint as an undergrad at UNC-W and his brother's in a master’s program while holding odd jobs. Although Sam earned a degree in environmental science, he felt drawn to working with his hands, and ultimately he, Joe, and their partner Nathan King went all in as harvesters and purveyors of seafood. 

“We had to use our brains in the seafood business more than we did in school. Commercial fishing was more challenging than the academic world, and we felt it had more potential.” In 2006 Wilmington offered few places to sell crabs, so the young men took their catch on the road, peddling the crustaceans under a popup tent with a sign that read “Live Blue Crabs, Jimmies, Mixed.”  

“People stopped!” Sam added, sounding surprised even now, thirteen years later. 

The Romano brothers tackled the puzzle of suppliers, marketing, logistics, and consumer tastes, wading into the “broader picture of seafood.” They were among the first to use social media – text blasts, Facebook, Instagram, and an electronic newsletter – for direct marketing and to grow a loyal customer base. Their business has since grown to two brick and mortar stores and several open-air markets as far west as Sanford. 

“Getting seafood inland is not super simple,” he said. “There’s lots of barriers – city ordinances, board of health, all sorts of bureaucracy.”  

Sam Romano talks about their “hard knocks” years as shaping who they are today. Although they’ve grown, employing as many as fifty people during the high season (“it’s a beast!”), they take nothing for granted and plow their earnings back into their business. 

“We stay humble and nervous from our earlier struggles,” he added. 

Sam and his brother took turns hitting the road, traveling to Down East and other areas looking for new suppliers. That’s when they started to learn about about fish politics. 

“I’d go to Cedar Island, places like that,” Sam explained, “I’d ask the fishermen – intelligent, interesting people - what their challenges were.” The greatest puzzle of all became apparent.   

“Why are we seeing this incredible market on one hand, and on the other hand fishermen are struggling with imports, fuel prices, and overregulation? What’s holding North Carolina back?” Sam heard complaints about the industry's weakening voice in management, and an increasingly hostile political climate. 

He noticed that as fish houses closed down, communities grappled with economic uncertainty, lack of purpose, and all the social ills associated with loss of work.

“And beyond all this – as human beings - we have to remember that local food is so important,” he said. “North Carolina is built on this sea harvest – this is food. This is nutrition. This is a cultural stamp. We’re not selling mattresses here – it’s not a consumer item.” 

Sam considers the occupation itself good for the soul.  “After all my frustration, daily challenges, lack of money, I come back to this: commercial fishing is good quality work that keeps people’s minds healthy. It’s a good way to get through the day.” 

To the Romano brothers, the fishing industry was worth fighting for. He and Joe began attending meetings and getting familiar with the regulatory process. Sam Romano said they observed leaders in the industry such as Brent Fulcher and Bradley Styron make their case and take a stand. 

“We wanted to do our part. My brother began writing letters, and educating our customers. I wanted to figure out how to help too.” 

Perhaps he got more than he bargained for with an appointment to the Marine Fisheries Commission, but Sam Romano is excited about rising to this new challenge. After his first MFC meeting, he was all fired up. He looks forward to the upcoming February session. 

“I’ve got to get my facts in order. And I’ve been reading up on the Magnuson Act, the federal guidelines. I think that people forget that we are tasked with upholding the use of these fisheries,” he said, noting that fish is both a natural resource to conserve and a source of food to harvest. 

“If we were just protecting the fisheries, then we wouldn’t allow fishing.”

Romano believes Commissioners should give more weight to recommendations from the advisory committees, made up of commercial fishermen, recreational anglers, and other invested citizens. "They may have a more nuanced understanding of the issues," he explained. 

Sam is also concerned about the corrosive impact of politics and conflict on the management process. “Looking at issues through the lens of commercial versus recreational is a bad way to think about it. How about North Carolina pride?” he asked. “I sell bait, I like to fish for fun. I’m not the enemy. Why does recreational and commercial fishing have to be so polarized?” 

Focusing on common ground will help improve the process of stakeholders coming to the table to derive solutions. Sam is optimistic that there’s a way for participants to communicate that does not invite grandstanding or nitpicking, and ways to manage fisheries for the long-term that avoids knee-jerk decision-making. 

“There are better ways to come together, as people, to make decisions,” Sam said, stressing that anglers and watermen have more in common than they think. “Fishing creates opportunities for data collection and research. Why can’t we work together? How can I get the point across to the recreational angler that commercial fishing is an asset, and we’re not a nuisance trying to take something from you?”

One thing is for sure: the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission benefits from new members, new ideas, and a spirit of collaboration for the common good.