I am a native Tar Heel and retired as a Marketing and Sales Manager with a North Carolina wine distributor after almost 3 decades. I am now a full-time resident of Hatteras Village. The Outer Banks was my first introduction to salt water fishing, over fifty years ago. I took my original position with NCWU as Executive Secretary with the hopes of increasing communication with our membership and work in partnership with other N.C. fisheries, councils and advisory panels. After becoming President, I quickly recognized our responsibility is to work to ensure future generations of watermen will have the opportunity to continue our historically rich tradition through fair and equitable regulations. 

I also serve as the NCWU liaison to the North Carolina Fisheries Association Board of Directors and sit on the North Carolina Towers (Task Force for Offshore Wind Economic Resources Strategies)

I’m Capt Greg Mayer, owner operator of the Fishin’ Frenzy out of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. If I look familiar, you may recognize me from 8 seasons of National Geographic’s Wicked Tuna Outer Banks. I’ve been a board member of North Carolina Watermen United for well over a decade working to protect your rights to fish. Regulations are constantly changing, and we do our best to stay on top of it to keep all fishermen on the water.

I'm Captain Rom Whitaker. I Grew up in Kinston, NC and Attended college at ECU. I worked at Neuse Sport Shop in Kinston and also ran the Coca-Cola plant there for 5 years. I've been in Hatteras for 36 years as a full time charter/commercial fisherman. I am also very involved with SAFMC (Dolphin/Wahoo AP). I was on the HMS AP for 20 years. I am also involved with state fisheries. I was with NCWU in the very beginning as president. Initially we were dealing with fishing licenses and many more Government regulations. We are the only voice for the charter industry.

My name is Ernest Doshier. I'm originally from East Lake, NC. I was stationed in Ocracoke with the coast guard in 1986 where I have lived ever since

My main thing is charter fishing offshore and inshore. This year will be my 27th season since I bought my boat . In the late fall I work on mainland Hyde county with a guide service doing guided bear hunts and in the winter take guided duck hunts in Ocracoke.

When I first joined NCWU most issues were mostly commercial issues and I always thought one group shouldn’t be able to put another group out of business just because they don’t like what they're doing. That is probably the original reason I joined. Now NCWU is represented in commercial, charter/head boat and recreational fishing. All the commercial issues are now becoming everyone’s issues and the only way we will all keep fishing is to have a voice that is heard across the board.

A founding member of NCWU and semi-retired charter captain of the Albatross Fleet after 62 seasons. My father, Captain Ernal Foster, started The Albatross Fleet; The first charter fleet on the Outer Banks. He is a board member of the Dare Co. Waterways Commission and of The NC Coastal Federation. Ernie has also been recognized by the Billfish Foundation and by the IGFA for contributions to sport fishing.

My name is Britton Shackelford. I am one of the founding members of the NCWU. I served as president for a number of years, and I am currently a board member.

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Previous to helping form the NCWU, I was active in the politics of fishing. Many of us recognized that non-peer reviewed science, not based on fact, would eventually impact the charter/headboat sector, and the recreational sector. As a lifelong commercial fisherman, from a long line of commercial fishermen, I had witnessed the impacts of bad science, agenda-driven science, and special interests negative impact on many commercial fishing sectors.

I am originally from Gloucester county, Va, bounded by the York River, and Mobjack Bay. I have been a resident of Dare county since 1990. I am married with 3 children, own the Doghouse, and reside in Wanchese.

My name is Glen Hopkins and I am a graduate of William and Mary in Virginia. I have been involved in commercial fishing for forty five years. I own a boat named Watersport, my two sons pretty much run the business now. I hate seeing what is happening to our industry for a variety of reasons. Some reasons, man can control and some he can’t. It’s for the ones man can control that I am involved with NCWU. As an industry we need to stand ready to defend our rights to fish! Simple as that. If we don’t fight back nobody will.

Captain of the Stormy Petrel 2 (owner, operator). I have been running charters out of Hatteras since 2006. Prior to that, I was a mate on several boats in Hatteras. I see there are a lot of challenges facing our future of charter fishing and commercial fishing, From rapidly decreasing catch limits to the never ending struggle to get to sea because of shoaling, we are living in a world that is far different from the one that many of us started in. I hope that we can make our voices heard and maintain access to the ocean and her resources.

I am James Byrd and I was raised on the banks of the Currituck Sound, with fishing being a big part of my upbringing.  I went on to graduate from East Carolina University and began to spend more time charter fishing as a mate and then eventually establishing my own charter
service - Hitman Sportfishing.  Additionally, I teach math and statistics. My family and I now reside in Wanchese, NC.  I hope my participation on the board of NCWU is able to bring a positive impact to the fisheries in NC for working watermen and defend our freedom to
fish both recreationally and commercially

Fishing for a living is hard enough without the ever changing and tightening government
restrictions. If we don’t make a stand then we will be regulated out of existence.

Leslie Maurice Davis, Jr.

I was born in Cortez, the oldest fishing village in Florida. My father, Capt Sonny, ran headboats out of Cortez. We moved back to Harker’s Island, where my father was born and raised. I started working on the deck of the headboat when I was 10, and I commercial fished during the offseason for mullet, grouper, tuna, and snapper.

When I was 20, I earned my Captain’s License, and I have been commercial fishing and running a headboat for 42 years. For all that time, I filled out fishing reports for the Beaufort Survey, one of the oldest fish surveys in the country. I have seen all the changes in the fisheries, as well as the political changes. The reason I belong to Watermen United is for my father, my children, and our family business. When it comes time for my son to carry on in my footsteps, I want him to have the right to fish. I want to protect the fisheries for everybody, charter boats, headboats, all commercial fishermen, and our customers.

My name is Bobby Smith and I own /operate  the charterboat Fish n Fool. I also grow oysters under the  Savage inlet oyster brand. I've charter fished out of Oregon Inlet fishing center since 1985 and used to participate in ocean and sound gillnet fisheries as well as the commercial hook and line fishery for several species. Also being a life long recreational fishermen (as most charter and commercial guys are) I feel I understand all three user groups very well. These days I see the commercial guy, more than anyone, really taking a beating with current regulations. My wish is for a better understanding from the recreational angler and "newer" charterboat guys as to what the commercial sector really goes through and the fact that the future of ridiculous regulations are going to affect them just as much as the commercial side. I think if we could get everyone on the same "team" we would all benefit when fighting against agenda driven regulations coming from our state and federal fisheries regulators.