Working in an Unheralded Industry

If you have ever spent any time working in an unpopular, disregarded, or overlooked industry, this typically leaves us with two assumptions; you either enjoy the work you're doing, or you're looking for the fastest way out. Generally these jobs come along earlier in life and in ones premature career path. Rarely, do you find someone who not only enjoys what they are doing, but who also is doing their part to bring an unheralded industry into the light and forefront for the general public to become familiar and acquainted with.

In this particular article, I am referring to the commercial fishing industry. While working in this often overlooked and misunderstood industry, many of the experiences I've had are invaluable, and ones I will be able to carry not only throughout my professional life, but also throughout my life in general. A little about me and what I do to fill in that aspect of this article; it seems as though I have been intertwined in the commercial fishing industry from early on, growing up on an island on the coast of North Carolina where commercial fishing was the way of life. Over the years I've become very familiar with seafood and the industry of commercial fishing. Now I currently work for Wanchese Trawl & Supply Co. where we have two locations, the main one in North Carolina and the secondary location in Virginia. While we do retail through the two locations, we also have to head out into the "field" and seek business ventures. The majority of our customers are fishermen, we also service seafood processing plants, seafood markets, restaurants, etc... We are manufacturers and wholesale distributors. In the manufacturing department, we build custom nets that differentiate depending on what season and what species the fishermen are seeking. We build custom cable orders that are involved in essentially every aspect of the trawling aspect of this industry. We just celebrated our 40th anniversary in 2016, and we are still hoping for an even brighter future.

What many may not know and what really sets this industry apart from others, are the numerous factors that are out of our hands. I've spoke numerous times with individuals in other fields, I've had job interviews with recruiters and employers, starting already well behind the eight ball, because this industry is so misconceived. As soon as I am asked about sales and numbers, I have to give a small, brief introduction into this industry, and the challenges we have to overcome to be successful in this industry. Weather affects our sales amongst other aspects. What if I told you the commercial fishing industry is the seventh most regulated industry in the country? Yes, that's correct! It is harder to legally go out and catch fish for the men and women in our country, than for pharmaceutical companies to create and produce your medicine. Sounds crazy doesn't it? I thought so to the first time I came across the stat until I realized the numerous challenges we constantly face in this industry. In one of the oldest professions in the world, this industry is on the brink of extinction due to the constant regulations. When the government can make changes to essentially any fishery at any time, with little to no advance warning, that affects my sales. When certain gear and equipment gets regulated and times even made illegal, that affects my sales. Not only must we be aware and knowledgeable of the items we carry, demo and sale, we must also keep up with the constant laws and regulations imposed on the fishermen. A few examples of how this would translate into other fields would be if an orthopedic surgeon was given a quota of thirty surgeries a year. Once this quota was met, one would be done for the remainder of the year until January 1st rolled back around. How about if you are a manufacturer of medical devices or even computers. No issues or problems reported on your products, yet your governing bodies just decided it is time for change. Scrap all your stock, pull what you've sold, and come up with some new development. When asked if I've ever walked into an office or place of business and tried to sell items, or cold calling, I laugh to myself not in any form of disrespect but because I wish those were just the norm in this industry. While I do those assignments, how many in other fields have ever given a yell before climbing aboard a boat to meet with a captain and crew? For those unaware, this would be similiar to just walking into a strangers house and sitting at the kitchen table. I've had weapons pulled on me, I've been threatened and cursed at, but I've also been welcomed and built awesome relationships with many customers up and down the east coast. To the general public, this industry seems as if it's a shadow and never really in the light for all to see and understand. Fishermen as we know, carry a stigma of uneducated, uncouth, pirates of the ocean. This couldn't be further from the truth! Now, there are a few bad apples in any bunch, but for the most part, these are some of the most humble, hardworking, friendly, and giving individuals you will ever come across. The will of these individuals while being so regulated and held back, when their entire livelihood depends on whether or not they have a catch to bring in and sell is astonishing and many times contagious. Many may have commission(s) as their main form of income in other fields, but not many may have to spend tens of thousands and more, just to prepare to go to work.

With the information in regards to commercial fishing being the seventh most regulated industry in our country, I will continue to elaborate on the ridiculousness that is going on in our country. How can an industry be so regulated, when 90% of all seafood consumed in America is imported? Oh, it only gets crazier from there. Out of that 90% of imported seafood, only about 2% of that imported seafood is actually inspected and checked by the FDA. In a time we live in where organic and healthy food items are the trend, knowing their origin and availability, it seems the general public cares about everything they're consuming except for seafood. With the massive amount of imports coming in for a fraction of the price of fresh, domestic seafood, this in turn hurts my sales. Because fishermen can not keep up unless they have a stronghold on a specific fishery. Unfortunately, these are only a few hurdles we must all navigate in this industry.

Back to where I spoke of invaluable experiences I've had while working in an unheralded industry, one of the best and overlooked aspects has definitely been the ability to talk and interact with essentially everyone, and anyone of stature. On what seems as a daily basis, it's nothing to work with someone who is working with their last dollar and the next person I am meeting with very well being a millionaire or billionaire. Everyone gets treated with the same respect, and you can learn much from both! I have been able to learn many aspects of boats and the necessary means to catch, sell, produce, and market seafood. We've more recently been dubbed a voice for this industry with our apparel, the messages they carry, and our presence on social media. My patients have been tried and tested, working with less than desirable equipment, the experiences with sales, customer service, logistics, negotiating contracts and deals, and building a brand. While I may move on eventually into another field or industry, I wouldn't trade the experiences I've had, nor the customers who have become friends. So if you find yourself involved in an unheralded industry, take what you can from it, do your best to let the general public learn and know about it, and always remember; listen to understand, not just to respond!